The thrill of wagering on one-sided betting races in which a player or team is leaps and bounds ahead of the pack loses its lustre rather quickly. There’s always a certain incentive in picking an underdog and hoping the tides turn in your favor, mind you, and early in the 2025-26 NBA regular season, doing just that with the Rookie of the Year odds and Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe may lead to some noteworthy profits down the line for those who got in on the ground floor.
Suffice it to say, everyone and their grandmother had Dallas Mavericks No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg as the gargantuan favorite to take home the Wilt Chamberlain trophy in 2026 ahead of opening night. He was the reigning National Player of the Year following his freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils, and was joining a team in Dallas with playoff aspirations where he could make an immediate impact in a starting lineup that would be without Kyrie Irving for the foreseeable future. As a result, Flagg found himself in a tier unto himself, essentially lapping the field with the likes of Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, and Ace Bailey well back. These were typical ROTY odds you’d find ahead of most campaigns with a prospect as revered as Flagg is, and that the moment the ball was tossed in the air for meaningful action, fluctuations in the numbers were to be expected.
NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Odds (October 21, 2025)
PlayerTeamOddsCooper FlaggDallas Mavericks-225Ace BaileyUtah Jazz+900VJ EdgecombePhiladelphia 76ers+1000Tre JohnsonWashington Wizards+1100Dylan HarperSan Antonio Spurs+1300Kon KnueppelCharlotte Hornets+2000Hansen YangPortland Trail Blazers+5000Walter Clayton Jr.Utah Jazz+5000
Odds as of October 21, 2025 at BetMGM
Then, in one fell swoop, as if someone had inserted a quarter into the second slot at your local arcade, a new challenger had emerged in the form of Edgecombe following a historic box score he had put together on Oct. 22 in a narrow victory over the 2024 champion Boston Celtics. The 20-year-old former Baylor product scored 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting, buried five triples, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out three dimes, and stole the ball once in 42 minutes of action. His 34 points marked the third-highest scoring debut in league history, behind only Chamberlain (43) and Frank Selvy (35), while also establishing a new franchise record for offense in a debut previously held by Allen Iverson who had 30 in 1996.
To top it all off, Edgecombe’s 14 points in the first quarter broke a 22-year-old record once held by LeBron James when he debuted with 12 points in the opening 12 minutes. Experts had known of Edgecombe’s ability to put the ball in the basket after his one-and-done year at Baylor which led to him being the third overall selection, but no one foresaw his debut turning out the way it did in such grandiose fashion.
What that immediately accomplished was thrust him into a neck-and-neck conversation with Flagg over who the top rookie of the 2025 class would ultimately be, albeit after each player barely had a single game under their belts. Flagg recorded a double-double in his debut of 10 points and 10 rebounds, which didn’t light the world on fire, nor did it conjure up any headlines when Victor Wembanyama stood across from him and had a 40-point, 15-rebound performance. That created wiggle room for Edgecombe to become even more of a talking point with one debut being dramatically superior to the other.
Fast forward to October 27, and the odds continue to fall in line with how that first day transpired. Flagg is still at minus money after finding redemption with stronger production, yet Edgecombe isn’t too far behind after maintaining the momentum he generated versus Boston.
NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Odds (October 27, 2025)
PlayerTeamOddsCooper FlaggDallas Mavericks-135VJ EdgecombePhiladelphia 76ers+200Dylan HarperSan Antonio Spurs+1400Tre JohnsonWashington Wizards+1500Ace BaileyUtah Jazz+3500Kon KnueppelCharlotte Hornets+3500Cedric CowardMemphis Grizzlies+4000Walter Clayton Jr.Utah Jazz+8000Jeremiah FearsNew Orleans Pelicans+8000
Odds as of October 27, 2025 at BetMGM
VJ Edgecombe vs. Cooper Flagg 2025-26 Statistics
PlayerGamesMPGPPGFG%3P%REBASTSTLBLKVJ Edgecombe240.924.546.337.56.55.52.00.5Cooper Flagg331.716.743.933.36.33.30.70.7
What’s currently working in Edgecombe’s favor is the litany of injuries the Sixers are currently dealing with. Paul George is still recovering from left knee surgery he underwent in July, former Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will never be 100 percent again and is already missing time/on restrictions, and Jared McCain suffered a UCL tear in his thumb last month with a recovery time of four-to-six weeks optimistically. Edgecombe’s 40.9 minutes per game are actually fourth as of writing amongst all players, and that’s because head coach Nick Nurse isn’t exactly swimming in backcourt options beyond him and All-Star teammate Tyrese Maxey. Once everyone is back at full strength, surely Edgecombe won’t be on the floor for 40 minutes a night, although he’s proven already that he can handle such responsibility.
Flagg isn’t going anywhere either. His output has steadily improved game to game since being dominated by Wembanyama, and he’s on track to be a top-five rookie finisher in all major categories with the pace he’s set.
Edgecombe could be the 2026 Rookie of the Year, and if he is, we’ll look back at this start and smile. It’s just nice to see someone amongst this group rise above the overpowering shadow Flagg has cast over the 2025 class, as if to suggest it’s simply him and the rest.
It’s not. Edgecombe has ensured that.
