2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Prediction & Odds: Who Will Win the Honor Featuring Stephon Castle and Zaccharie Risacher

The 2024 NBA Draft class wasn’t rated as high as the preceding classes, but there have been some players who have shown they can become long-term stars in the league. The top picks have done well but there have been some hidden gems among the late selections too. Many rookies have cracked the starting rotation and are playing a vital role for their teams. On that note, here is a look at who are the frontrunners for the NBA 2025 Rookie of the Year Award.

NBA Rookie of the Year Prediction Favorites

Stephon Castle 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds: +130 at BetMGM

The San Antonio Spurs selected Stephon Castle as the 4th pick in the 2024 Draft. He rose to prominence after an impressive 23-point performance against the Utah Jazz in November. As he has developed into a confident offensive player, his defense started to have an even bigger impact. He now leads all rookies in scoring with 12.9 points per game, and his claim to the Rookie of the Year award has strengthened after the season-ending injury to Jared McCain, who played just 23 games. He also has shown vast improvements as a three-point shooter, making 1.6 triples on 42.3% shooting compared to 1.1 three-pointers per game on 28.9% shooting for the season. In February, he has already amassed 18 PPG, indicating that his chances to nab the ROTY award will only improve from here.

Kel’el Ware 2025 NBA ROTY Odds: +280 at BetMGM

The Miami Heat selected Kel’el Ware as the 15th pick in the 2024 Draft. Currently, BetMGM bookmakers place Ware at #2 in the ROTY sweepstakes. This is a rather interesting choice considering Ware has put up just 8.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1 block per game. However, the bookmakers are sold on Ware’s improved play. In January, he accumulated 13 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. Meanwhile, in February, he has taken his rebounding game up a notch, clasping 10.4 RPG but his scoring has gone down to 9.3 PPG. Overall, Ware may miss out on the ROTY honors, but he looks like a lock for the All-Rookie 1st Team honors.

Zaccharie Rissacher 2025 Rookie of the Year Odds: +700 at BetMGM

The Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher as the 1st pick in the 2024 Draft. Rissacher has shown tremendous defensive poise and has stitched together 11.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. However, these numbers don’t scream ROTY but the current draft class has thin competition and the injury to Jared McCain have opened up the floodgates. It will be interesting to see if Rissacher makes a strong push towards the award in the last quarter of the season.

Jaylen Wells 2025 Rookie of the Year Odds: +750 at BetMGM

The Memphis Grizzlies selected Jaylen Williams with the 39th pick of the 2nd round in the 2024 Draft. Wells did a terrific job carving a regular rotation role in the stacked Grizzlies roster. In January, he put together 12.8 PPG but his best production came in November, when he averaged 13.4 PPG. However, his claim to R OTY award took a huge hit in February as he has put up just 7.2 PPG thus far. He is #1 among rookies in three-pointers with 100 makes on 37.9% shooting from the field.

Zach Edey 2025 Rookie of the Year Odds: +1300 at BetMGM

The Memphis Grizzlies selected Zach Edey with the 9th pick in the 2024 Draft. Edey has accumulated 9.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.2 blocks per game. He is #2 among rookies in rebounds per game, a skill that was expected to translate immediately. He has shot 58.2% from the field and his around-the-rim skills make him the purest center in the draft class. However, a ROTY award looks like a long shot at this point.

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NBA Rookie of the Year Prediction Final Verdict

Castle appears to be a safe pick for the award because of his upward trajectory and ever-improving long-range shooting. The odds of +130 look just about right and if one puts a stake on him right now, it might be the best time as the odds will get more favorable towards him, decreasing the chances of a higher payout. While we never know which ROTY candidate takes it up a notch after the All-Star Break, this is perhaps the best to maximize the returns by taking Castle.

Bet– Stephon Castle 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Odds: +130 at BetMGM

Photo Credit: Daniel Dunn- Imagn Images

Shubham Singh

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Hi, I am Shubham. I am currently an NBA Predictions Writer on The Playoffs. I enjoy this job because it helps keep me in the loop about the game I love while fulfilling the pleasure I derive from stats. I got into NBA writing through social media interactions in the mid-2010s as I shared my takes on young talents such as D’Angelo Russell. I hope you enjoy reading my pieces as much as Dennis Rodman loved rebounding the basketball!