Hornets’ LaMelo Ball installed as NBA ROY favorite

FILE – In this Nov. 17, 2019, file photo, LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks warms up before their game against the Sydney Kings in the Australian Basketball League in Sydney. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)

LaMelo Ball lost out on the competition to be the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he is the early favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors.

Ball fell to the Charlotte Hornets with the third pick after the Minnesota Timberwolves opted for guard Anthony Edwards with the No. 1 pick and the Golden State Warriors went with a center in James Wiseman at No. 2.

Ball joins a Hornets team that finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last season. He brings immediate star power to Michael Jordan’s franchise and has been installed as the +400 favorite by DraftKings to win Rookie of the Year honors.

Edwards, who was considered a safer pick for the Timberwolves, is close behind at +450.

Dayton’s high-flying Obi Toppin landed with the New York Knicks at No. 8, winning one bettor at the sportsbook $13,000. He is +600 to win ROY honors along with Wiseman.

French point guard Killian Hayes (+700) is the only other player with better than +1400 odds after going No. 7 to the Detroit Pistons.

The Chicago Bulls pulled the first major surprise of the draft by selecting Florida State’s Patrick Williams at fourth overall. He is a +3300 long shot by DraftKings to win ROY honors, while Tyrese Haliburton is +1400 after surprisingly falling to the Sacramento Kings at No. 12.

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