Last year's draft was an absolute gold mine for bettors who paid attention to the markets when they moved on the rumblings about Paolo Banchero. Despite mainstream reporting rebuffing every thought that the Orlando Magic would do anything but draft Jabari Smith Jr. No.1, bettors kept riding momentum in the markets behind Banchero, and the payouts for some were massive.
It's a lot harder to find value this year.
With Victor Wembanyama a stone-cold 100% lock at No. 1 and the markets reflecting that since the beginning, the question has been about what happens in the rest of the top 10. Many of the opportunities to bet situational over/unders on various prospects have come with extremely juiced'lines.
My biggest read on the draft markets is that the best value is in longshots this year, with the understanding that the uncertainty bends both ways.