2024 NBA Draft Predictions and Best Bets
The 2024 NBA Draft will begin on Wednesday, June 26th, when we’ll see the first 30 players come off the board. However, the event will now spill over into Thursday, June 27th, with the league now giving the second round some more shine. It goes without saying that the NBA Draft isn’t as much of a betting event as the NFL Draft, but there are still plenty of bets to be made on the action. With that in mind, we’re going to make sure we have you covered at VSiN. Jonathan Von Tobel has been doing a great job of providing subscribers with picks, whether it’s through the written word or his time hosting VSiN PrimeTime. I have also done a couple of articles on some of the big stories in the draft. However, this is the one you’re going to want to read, as I’m dishing out my favorite 2024 NBA Draft best bets.
MORE: Click here for all of the picks from our VSiN hosts and analysts!
Stephon Castle
There isn’t much smoke about Castle going to the Houston Rockets, but I’d be surprised if it isn’t under heavy consideration. Castle was one of the best perimeter defenders in all of college basketball last year, which should appeal to a defense enthusiast like Rockets head coach Ime Udoka. Also, while Fred VanVleet is a good starting point guard, he is 30 years old and smaller guards don’t age very well. That said, Houston shouldn’t just give up on adding talent at that position. Castle has the potential to be a borderline All-Star for a very long time if his jumper improves. So, he can be a key piece off the bench for now. But he can also be the team’s point guard of the future. That’s why I’m taking a shot on Castle to go No. 3 at +800 odds. However, the bigger play here is for Castle to be selected in the first five picks of the draft. Even if Houston doesn’t select the UConn star, there’s a very good chance the Spurs take him. San Antonio is starving for a starting point guard, and the idea of pairing Castle and Victor Wembanyama defensively is legitimately scary.
Bet: Draft Position Under 5.5 (-150 – 1.5 units) & Castle To Be No. 3 Pick (+800 – 0.25 units)
Carlton “Bub” Carrington
Carrington is one of the best off-the-dribble scorers in this draft, as he’s 6-foot-4, has an unteachable ability to create space and is absolutely lethal as a mid-range shooter. He should instantly be a good isolation scorer in the NBA, and he’s also a rock-solid playmaker. When you combine that with the fact that Carrington is also one of the youngest players in this class, it’s hard to imagine him lasting too long on draft night. Carrington’s high offensive upside should be appealing, even to teams with top-10 picks. But it’s especially hard to imagine the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic letting a player with his skill set go. Orlando is picking 18th in the draft. That feels like Carrington’s floor, so I’m taking the Under on his draft position of 18.5.
Bet: Draft Position Under 18.5 (-130)
Zach Edey
There’s a lot of noise about the Portland Trail Blazers being interested in Edey. I genuinely don’t understand the fit. But if a team with the seventh pick is strongly considering taking a shot on a player, it’s hard not to like the Under on a draft position of 16.5 — especially at plus-money odds. It also doesn’t hurt that several teams after the Blazers can use a big man — or that Portland has another pick at No. 14. The Memphis Grizzlies (No. 9), Utah Jazz (No. 10), Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 12) and Philadelphia 76ers (No. 16) all seem like possible Edey teams. And the Miami Heat, sitting at 15th in the draft, apparently like the back-to-back college Player of the Year. That said, while I’m not personally this high on Edey, I’m betting him to go earlier than expected on Wednesday.
Bet: Draft Position Under 16.5 (+110)
Baylor Scheierman
Scheierman is turning 24 years old in September, so he’s a little old for a first-round prospect. However, he can immediately bring a lot of things that NBA teams are looking for. At 6-foot-7, Scheierman has good size for a wing and he’s one of the best shooters in the draft. Last season, Scheierman shot 38.1% from 3 on 8.3 attempts per game. He’s got deep, deep range and can shoot the ball extremely well off movement. So, NBA teams are going to feel good about putting him out there to space the floor. But Scheierman is also a very good rebounder for a wing, and he’s also a better playmaker than your average shooter. Scheierman played a pretty heavy on-ball role before transferring to Creighton, and he should be a nice connective piece in the NBA. The only real concern with Scheierman is that he’s not much of an athlete, making him highly exposable on the defensive end. But we have seen similar players in the first round before. Cam Johnson was a highly comparable prospect and went 11th overall in 2019. Corey Kispert is another one and he went 15th in 2021.
Bet: To Be A First-Round Pick (-115)
