The 2024 NBA Draft is just hours away, and oddsmakers appear to have settled on who they think will go No. 1 overall.
Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher is currently established as the clear-cut favorite to be the first player off the board on Wednesday night, sitting at -550 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
It’s been a meteoric rise for Risacher of late.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the 6-foot-9 wing was a significant long shot to go No. 1, where the Atlanta Hawks are slated to pick, barring a last-minute trade.
As recently as mid-June, fellow French prospect Alexandre Sarr had been as high as -300 to be the top pick but has since dropped to +1400 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Sarr has been leapfrogged in the No. 1 pick conversation by UConn big man Donovan Clingan as well.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Zaccharie Risacher | -480 |
| Donovan Clingan | +550 |
| Alexandre Sarr | 11/1 |
| Stephon Castle | 16/1 |
| Reed Sheppard | 25/1 |
Clingan was 15/1 at FanDuel Sportsbook to be the first player off the board in early June but jumped to +850 after Ringer founder Bill Simmons mentioned on a podcast that he could be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.
He has since gained even more momentum, with FanDuel pegging him at +550 heading into Wednesday night’s festivities.
Clingan’s UConn teammate, Stephon Castle, has also gained a ton of helium, although he is still a considerable long shot to be the first player drafted.
Castle has gone from 100-1 early on in the draft process to 16-1 to go No. 1 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Sharpshooting Kentucky product Reed Sheppard (+2500) is the only other player with a realistic shot at going No. 1 in the eyes of oddsmakers.
No other player is better than 120-1.