Victor Wembanyama injury betting fallout: New Defensive Player of the Year favorite, Cooper Flagg sweepstakes update

On Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs announced that their young superstar, Victor Wembanyama, is expected to miss the rest of the season with deep vein thrombosis — a blood clot — in his right shoulder.

After winning NBA Rookie of the Year last year, the phenom was having a stellar second season, averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.8 blocks per game. Wemby’s injury not only derailed the Spurs’ playoff hopes but also had seismic repercussions on the betting markets, most notably Defensive Player of the Year and Which Team Will Draft Cooper Flagg odds.

Before Thursday’s shocking news, it was all but an afterthought the French star would win the Defensive Player of the Year award, as he was an overwhelming favorite at BetMGM at -2500. After the announcement, Jaren Jackson Jr. is now the new favorite to win DPOY at -120. Jackson Jr.’s odds sat at +3000 before Thursday. Rounding out the updated top five in the odds are Evan Mobley (+120), Dyson Daniels (+700), Lu Dort (+1400) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+3000). The odds have been fluid since news of Wemby’s injury as the market settles back in.

Defensive Player of the Year odds

Wembanyama is now off the DPOY betting board. Unfortunately for Wemby and his backers — the biggest chunk (28 percent) of the money on bets placed at BetMGM was on Wemby to win the hardware — he’ll be disqualified from winning, having played only 46 games. Per NBA rules, players must play 65 games minimum to win the award.

The other big betting market impacted was the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. DraftKings Sportsbook has an offering where you could wager on which team would draft him. While the New Orleans Pelicans are the favorites to land Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, the Spurs’ odds shifted on Thursday. San Antonio’s odds to draft the Duke freshman superstar went from +2200 to +1500.

“The Spurs will certainly take a hit without Wemby for the rest of the season, and we have adjusted their odds to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes accordingly,” Johnny Avello, Director of DraftKings Sports Operations, said. “Having said that, they are still +1500 on DraftKings Sportsbook and well behind teams like the Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards and the Utah Jazz, who seem destined to finish atop the lottery at this point in the season.”

One thought that hasn’t left my mind since this morning’s news: Could the Spurs again be in line for the first pick in a draft with a generational talent available? If you are an NBA fan, you’ll recall the 1996-97 season, when San Antonio shut down their star center David Robinson due to back and foot injuries. The team finished the season 20-62, paving the way for them to win the NBA Draft lottery. The Spurs, of course, ended up picking one of the best players of all time, Tim Duncan, in that year’s draft, and the rest was history.

It’s still a long shot for San Antonio to land Flagg. The Spurs currently have a 23-29 record, the 10th-worst record in the league. Tankathon currently gives them a 3 percent chance at the first overall pick. How does that compare to San Antonio winning the lottery to get Duncan? They had the second-best odds at that time, at 21.6 percent per RealGM.

Will history repeat itself? There’s still a ton of basketball to be played, but the thought of Flagg teaming up with Wembanyama to form a Twin Towers 2.0 is definitely a fun thought for San Antonio fans and a scary one for the rest of the league.

“If the Spurs do end up winning the lottery and selecting Cooper Flagg, the league better watch out,” Avello added.

GO DEEPER

Amick: Blood clot stalls Victor Wembanyama’s ascent, but Spurs are signaling optimism

(Photo of Victor Wembanyama: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)