2023 NBA Rookie of Year odds: Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith meet as Magic face Rockets in Las Vegas Summer League Thursday

Just in case you are a casual basketball fan or bettor and didn't know, you can wager on NBA Summer League games. They have become increasingly popular every year, in large part because it's the first time that newly drafted rookies will take the court as professionals. The Las Vegas Summer League opens tonight at 10 p.m. ET with No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic facing No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith and the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are -1 at Caesars Sportsbook.

I'm not sure that I've written about the NBA Summer League two consecutive days in my life, but on Wednesday we told you that Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick, had a spectacular NBA debut on Tuesday night in the Utah Summer League and bettors noticed, jumping the former Gonzaga star into the second favored role for Rookie of the Year at +375. Banchero, a surprising first overall pick, is the +350 favorite and Smith, who most assumed was Orlando's target at No. 1, is +400.

Holmgren and the Thunder will play in Las Vegas as well and, yep, you can bet on the Summer League championship: Oklahoma City is the +700 favorite followed by Jaden Ivey and the Detroit Pistons at +750.

Duke and Auburn didn't play in the 2021-22 college basketball season, so Banchero and Smith obviously didn't face off at that level. However, recruits of their caliber always see each other on the AAU circuit or in other similar competitions, and they met in the summer of 2020 before their senior high school seasons in the Pangos All-American Festival Championship Game.

"I've kind of always had a target on my back since high school," Banchero said this week of his NBA debut. "Going to Duke it was kind of the same thing, I was the projected top pick so every guy I went against wanted to get the best of me so it's gonna be the same thing in the NBA, I gotta just be ready for it and accept the challenge."

Banchero will wear No. 5 with the Magic and Smith No. 1 – perhaps as a bit of a nod to Orlando actually passing up on him? Smith will match up against Holmgren and the Thunder on Saturday. Oklahoma City apparently never blinked on passing up Holmgren to take Smith.

Two other Houston first-round rookies will debut Thursday in forward Tari Eason from LSU, the No. 17 overall pick, and guard TyTy Washington from Kentucky, the 29th overall pick. They are way down on the Rookie of the Year odds list as players drafted from outside the top 5 or so rarely win the award.

The other opening game Thursday night (midnight Eastern) is Portland vs. Detroit. The Pistons' Ivey is +650 to win Rookie of the Year and he'll play. Last year's No. 1 overall pick, Cade Cunningham, is technically on the roster, too, but it's not thought he will actually take the court for Detroit. The Blazers' top pick at No. 8 overall, Shaedon Sharpe (+1600 for ROY) is expected to play. He didn't play at all last season while at Kentucky. 

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