Davion Mitchell has clearly done a lot to improve his stock in the past few months, as he is quickly rising in sports betting books to be an early candidate for Rookie of the Year. After winning a national championship at Baylor and putting the league on notice en route to taking home both the Summer League title and Summer League Co-MVP, the Sacramento Kings‘ rookie has already compiled a compelling resume.
As of August 29, Mitchell currently holds +1800 odds to take home the award, which is 7th highest among his draft class. These odds are courtesy of BetMGM, and are always subject to change. This means you could return $180 for every $10 you bet, should Mitchell end up winning the award this season. These odds could certainly be quite tempting for any hopeful fans this year.
Davion Mitchell could be an underdog candidate for Rookie of the Year if he finds success in his first season with the Sacramento Kings.
That is of course if only Davion proves to have a more successful rookie campaign than current frontrunners Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green. The full odds of the top candidates are as listed:
- Cade Cunningham +250
- Jalen Green +300
- Jalen Suggs +750
- Scottie Barnes +800
- Evan Mobley +800
- Alperen Sengun +1400
- Davion Mitchell +1800
- Jonathan Kuminga +2500
- James Bouknight +2500
- Josh Giddey +3000
- Jalen Johnson +3000
As you can see, it’s clear that Davion has already established himself near the top of the pack in this summer’s draft class. Notable draft targets many analysts had the Sacramento Kings targeting come in with much lower odds such as Franz Wagner (+3500) and fan-favorite pick Moses Moody (+4000).
While it’s clear that Mitchell has the talent to become the best rookie in his class, it remains to be seen if he’ll have the opportunity to prove it this season. Locked in behind De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton at the guard positions, it may be hard for Mitchell to get the minutes and shot opportunities necessary to cobble together a strong case from a statistical standpoint.
Even in the Summer League, Mitchell did not wow the box score watchers while only averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.4 rebounds per game. When watching him in action, it’s not difficult to see the big difference he makes—especially on the defensive end—but a lack of statistical production may hurt his case against Cunningham and Green, each of whom will have the green light to shoot.
It’s difficult to expect the voters to watch Davion play, especially when Sacramento has been allocated no nationally televised games this season. So if the Kings want to be in play for All-Star selections and end-of-the-season awards, they’re going to need to pile it up in the win column early and often.
Ultimately, as interesting as these betting odds are, I’d advise not betting your savings on them. Mitchell simply won’t get the same level of opportunity to shine as other rookies, at least not yet. Three guard rotations could be in play this season but I’m sure they’ll be much more enjoyable to watch knowing your money isn’t on the line in the process. So let’s just sit back, watch, and enjoy yet another great draft pick by Monte McNair succeed in Sacramento.