The latest betting odds for 2018-19 Rookie of the Year give Dallas' Luka Doncic a slight edge over Phoenix's DeAndre Ayton, with New York's Kevin Knox coming in third. Next on that list? Cleveland's Collin Sexton. Though Sexton wasn't selected until No. 8 in June's draft, Ayton and Sexton's fellow rookies seem to think they're the two players who belong at the top.
The NBA Tuesday released its annual rookie survey. Per the results, Ayton (who went No. 1 in the draft) and Sexton each received 18 percent of the votes, leading all other candidates. The other two in the top four of Vegas odds—Doncic and Knox—finished tied for third, receiving 9 percent of the vote.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets—perhaps the two biggest names in the rookie class—each received 6 percent of votes, as did Mo Bamba. Interestingly, Charlotte's Devonté Graham, who wasn't selected until the second round, also received 6 percent of votes.
Rookies have twice previously predicted a future Rookie of the Year award-winner: Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin (though they predicted Griffin would win the award in 2009, and he missed that season with a stress fracture in his left knee).
The rookies also voted on which player will have the best overall career, with that honor going to Chicago Bulls forward and Duke product Wendell Carter Jr.
Other honors are as follows:
Biggest Steal of Draft: Keita Bates-Diop (Minnesota)
Best Shooter: Young
Best Playmaker: Young
Most Athletic: Zhaire Smith (Philadelphia)
Best Defender: Jevon Carter (Memphis)
Read the full survey results here.
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