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The 2023 NBA Draft is finally upon us as franchises look to bolster their rosters with young talent. It’s been a foregone conclusion that the top spot will go to international star Victor Wembanyama.
After that, chaos.
The No. 2 and No. 3 prospects in the class are considered to be G-League guard Scoot Henderson and Alabama forward Brandon Miller. As is the case with many major draft nights, the sportsbooks are open for business as bettors look to place future bets.
The odds for Wembanyama to go first to the Spurs sat at -20000 pre-draft, meaning any potential return on the pick would be minimal. That hasn’t stopped bettors from placing their tickets, though.
Hey, a win is a win.
But the race for the No. 2 selection was much tighter. At one point, Henderson was the favorite to head to Charlotte, but reports began to surface this week saying that Michael Jordan and Hornets were leaning towards Miller.
This, coming after a pair of private workouts with the team.
Quickly, Miller overtook the top spot, a jump that stayed true up through Thursday morning. Then, a single tweet from NBA insider Shams Charania swung the odds.
Sources: Scoot Henderson is gaining serious momentum at No. 2 with the Charlotte Hornets in tonight’s NBA draft. Hornets have been torn over the last week between Henderson and Brandon Miller. Team has final meetings today to settle on decision.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2023
Charania said that, per his sources, Henderson was gaining momentum to be taken over Miller. The updated sent the sportsbooks into an immediate frenzy.
The odds jumped from -600 in favor of Miller to -700 in favor of Henderson in a matter of hours. Miller’s odd were reportedly as high a -900 before the Shams tweet.
For second pick at @PointsBetUSA today
8 AM (MT)
Miller -600
Scoot +3009:45AM
Miller -200
Scoot +14010:30AM (Shams tweet)
Scoot -700
Miller +40011:45AM
Scoot -300
Miller +2003:00PM
Scoot -140
Miller +1003:30PM
Miller -140
Scoot +1004:00PM
Miller -190
Scoot +130Now…
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 22, 2023
Things would soon even back out, with Miller regaining the lead as the favorite as the draft approached.
Brandon Miller is back to being the favorite (-155) to go #2 overall @FDSportsbook 😱
Can’t keep up with this madness pic.twitter.com/FI5KghykGj
— br_betting (@br_betting) June 22, 2023
He’d close around -235 at most books.
In the end, Miller wound up the second pick in the NBA Draft while Henderson was taken off the board next at No. 3 to Portland.