Mar 24, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero (5) reacts after a play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half in the semifinals of the West regional of the men's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Paolo Banchero’s Vegas odds to be the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft have been steadily rising in recent days.
Over the weekend, Bancher was considered a significant longshot to be the top-pick — a distant third in odds behind Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren.
But as of Wednesday morning, Banchero has surpassed Holmgren and is only a slight underdog to Smith.
Banchero is all the way up to +255 to go No. 1 while Smith sits at -250, according to DraftKings. Holmgren is also still in the mix at +350.
The Orlando Magic currently have the top pick, but there’s been speculation the pick could be traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have been linked with Banchero in recent weeks.
Banchero would be a solid fit with any of those 3 teams. He projects as a gifted scorer who is also a powerful athlete and one of the best passers in this class — regardless of position.
In his lone season at Duke, Banchero averaged a team-high 17.2 points per game while helping to lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four.
The Magic go on the clock at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
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