The Timberwolves have reportedly told Karl-Anthony Towns they'll select him with the No. 1 pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft, and the big man from Kentucky has been installed by oddsmakers as the prohibitive favorite to go first overall.
Many basketball observers, though, believe Minnesota would be making a mistake by taking Towns instead of Jahlil Okafor, and the Duke prospect is available at 4-to-1 odds to be the top overall pick.
Earlier in the week, the Lakers appeared to be the most likely landing spot for Okafor, but there are reports L.A. is leaning toward Ohio State freshman D'Angelo Russell. If you want to take a shot against the Lakers selecting Okafor with the No. 2 pick, you can get 7-to-2 odds on your money.
The 76ers have the No. 3 pick, and it's a virtual coin-flip if they'll select Angelo Russell or Kristaps Porzingis, a Latvian stretch-four type. For what it's worth, Russell has denied reports he's not interested in playing in Philly, and one scout has claimed Porzingis is better than Towns.
Other players generating buzz ahead of Thursday include: Duke forward Justise Winslow; Emmanuel Mudiay, who played in China last season after being ruled ineligible to play for Larry Brown at SMU; NCAA player of the year Frank Kaminsky; and Willie Cauley-Stein, Towns' front-court mate at Kentucky whose stress fracture has caused concern among NBA teams.
We have numbers on all of these guys on our mock oddsboard below:
2015 NBA DRAFT ODDS*
Who will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft?
Karl-Anthony Towns -1200
Jahlil Okafor 4/1
Kristaps Porzingis 25/1
D'Angelo Russell 40/1
Field 35/1
Who will the Lakers select with the No. 2 overall pick*
Jahlil Okafor -400
Field +350
*Lakers must pick second overall for action
Who will 76ers select with No. 3 overall pick?
D'Angelo Russell +110
Kristaps Porzingis -130
Field +850
*76ers must pick third overall for action
Draft position OVER/UNDER
Justise Winslow: OVER 6 (-105)
Justise Winslow: UNDER 6 (-115)
Emmanuel Mudiay: OVER 6 (+110)
Emmanuel Mudiay: UNDER 6 (-130)
Willie Cauley-Stein: OVER 9 (-120)
Willie Cauley-Stein: UNDER 9 (even-money)
Frank Kaminsky: OVER 13 (-110)
Frank Kaminsky: UNDER 13 (-110)
*Wagering on the NBA Draft is not allowed in Las Vegas. The numbers here were compiled using odds from several offshore betting sites and mock draft from around the internet.
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