Zion Williamson scored 17 straight points for the Pelicans during the fourth quarter of his NBA debut on Wednesday, and sportsbooks were quick to shorten his Rookie of the Year odds as a result. Williamson was the [clear betting favorite](https://www.betchicago.com/nba-rookie-of-year-odds-coby-white-bulls) to win the award after being drafted No. 1 overall this summer, but a knee injury sidelined him for 44 games until Wednesday. Before his pro debut, the Duke product had odds of 11/1 at BetMGM to win Rookie of the Year, but the price dropped to 7/1 as of Thursday. At DraftKings, Williamson "started (Wednesday) at 16/1, during the course of the day, down to 11/1 and now at 8/1," director of risk management Johnny Avello told BetChicago in a text message. PointsBet also shortened Zion's ROY odds, from 7/1 to 6/1, and it's easy to see why the betting market is adjusting. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHHsBsHMAiQ" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="0">Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHHsBsHMAiQ</a> Williamson played just 18 minutes and finished with 22 points (8-for-11 from the field, 4-for-4 from deep), seven rebounds and three assists, but also had five turnovers. Memphis guard Ja Morant, who is averaging 17.5 points and 7.0 assists in 38 games this season, remains the clear favorite (-455 at BetMGM) to win the award, but there is precedent of a player winning Rookie of the Year despite missing several months. Patrick Ewing earned the award in 1986 despite playing 50 games, the fewest of any winner. If Williamson plays in each remaining New Orleans games this season, he'll record just 38 appearances, however. Williamson has the momentum after one game, but the Pelicans will likely need to finish ahead of the Grizzlies in the Southwest Division and/or make the playoffs if he is to pass Morant on the oddsboard, and even that feels like a stretch. Entering Wednesday's loss to the Spurs, the [Pelicans had won](https://www.betchicago.com/zion-williamson-props-pelicans-playoffs-odds) 11 of their last 16 games to get to 17-27 SU (22-20-2 ATS) on the season. New Orleans now sits in 12th place in the Western Conference, 3.5 games behind the the ninth-place Grizzlies. San Antonio holds the conference's final playoff spot, with the Trail Blazers and Suns also in the mix. The Pelicans, though, have one of the [easier schedules](http://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength) the rest of the way, and they'll look to increase Williamson to a full workload for a playoff push. ## NBA Rookie of the Year odds Odds provided by BetMGM Morant -455 Williamson 7/1 RJ Barrett 14/1 Kendrick Nunn 14/1 Tyler Herro 25/1 Rui Hachimura 25/1 Coby White 50/1 Michael Porter Jr. 50/1 Sekou Doumbouya 50/1 Brandon Clarke 50/1 Jarrett Culver 80/1 PJ Washington 80/1 De'Andre Hunter 80/1 Darius Garland 125/1 __MORE:__ [NBA betting news and analysis](https://www.betchicago.com/nba-betting)