2023 NBA Draft odds: Drama starts at No. 4 overall with Amen Thompson favored to be selected by Rockets, twin brother Ausar should also be top-10 pick

The 2023 NBA Draft will be held Thursday night. According to Caesars Sportsbook oddsmakers, the top three picks are projected to be Frenchman Victor Wembanyama (considered the top NBA prospect since LeBron James) at No. 1 to San Antonio, Alabama's Brandon Miller at No. 2 to Charlotte and G-League guard Scoot Henderson No. 3 to Portland or whichever team picks there. Thus, draft-night drama starts at No. 4 with Houston, and the favorite to be chosen there is G-League forward Amen Thompson at -300. Check out expert draft prop picks here.

They say there is no such thing as a lock in sports, but Wembanyama will go first. One bettor at DraftKings this week wagered $60,000 on that at -20000, meaning said bettor will only win $300. Miller is the -500 favorite to land at No. 2 with the Hornets, who were just sold by Michael Jordan. Apparently, Charlotte is rebuffing all trade offers for that pick. Henderson, reportedly coveted by the Pelicans, is -400 go to third. Would Portland take Zion Williamson in trade for that pick from New Orleans?

The 20-year-old Thompson is a 6-foot-7 point guard who never considered playing college basketball. This past season for the G-League's Overtime Elite (based in Atlanta), Thompson averaged 16.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He has been compared (in both good and bad ways) to former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons. Both Thompson and Simmons are big guards with tremendous athletic ability and defensive prowess, but questionable jumpshots.

Reportedly, the Rockets are down to either Thompson or Villanova's Cam Whitmore at No. 4 if they stay there. Whitmore is a +225 second favorite to be chosen fourth, while Thompson's twin brother Ausar (younger by one minute) is +400 to go fourth. They have a shared middle name of "XLNC" (pronounced excellence) and could be the first siblings to be top-10 picks in the same draft. You can't bet on either to be top-10 picks because of how likely it is that they're picked that high. To go in the top five, Amen is -1600 at DraftKings and Ausar is +175.

Yes, there is a head-to-head brother prop at DK on which is taken first: Amen is -400 and Ausar is +280. Ausar is identical in appearance and dimensions to Amen, but is considered more of a wing than a guard. The best twins to ever player in the league had to be Dick and Tom Van Arsdale. The 7-foot Lopez twins are up there and still going. Of the eight All-Star appearances made by members of a twin tandem, the Van Arsdales have six of them.

The favored exact first five picks at Caesars is Wembanyama first, Miller second, Henderson third, Amen Thompson fourth and Jarace Walker fifth (held by Detroit) at +105. That those first four picks are the same and Ausar Thompson goes fifth after his brother is +350. The CBS Sports Big Board ranks Amen as the No. 4 overall prospect and Ausar at No. 6.

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