The 2021-22 NBA season is well underway, leading fans and experts alike to start looking ahead to the future. Earlier this week, USGS took a look at the most recent NBA Championship betting odds. Today, we’re going to take a look at the Most Valuable Player odds to see who has the best shot at being named this year’s NBA MVP.
According to BetOnline’s latest odds, Stephen Curry continues to lead the MVP race at the quarter mark of the season. While his odds sat at +400 back at the end of October, they’ve since improved to +100.
Curry has been an absolute beast so far this season. He’s averaging 27.8 points and 6.6 assists per game, as well as a career-high 5.7 rebounds. Adding on to that, he continues to be his regular self when it comes to shooting splits, averaging .452 from the field, .412 from three-point range and .943 from the free-throw line. Overall, Curry’s play has led the Golden State Warriors to a tie for the top spot in the Western Conference with an 18-3 record.
What’s making Curry’s NBA MVP run even more impressive is that he’s been doing this all without Klay Thompson and James Wiseman. Both are key players for the Warriors, however, it doesn’t look like the team has been missing them that much yet. If Curry can keep up his current pace even after Thompson and Wiseman return, he may have to clear some space in his trophy cabinet for a third MVP award.
Updated 2022 NBA MVP Award Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Wednesday, December 1
- Stephen Curry (+100)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+600)
- Kevin Durant (+650)
- Nikola Jokic (+1200)
- Luka Doncic (+2000)
- James Harden (+2000)
- Joel Embiid (+2200)
- Donovan Mitchell (+2500)
- Jimmy Butler (+2500)
- Paul George (+2800)
- Devin Booker (+3500)
The complete odds list is available at BetOnline.ag.
Antetokounmpo MVP Odds
After leading the Milwaukee Bucks to last season’s NBA Championship, many wondered how Giannis Antetokounmpo could follow that performance. Well, it turns out the answer was by having a start to the season so impressive that he now has the second-best odds (+600) to be named NBA MVP this year.
After a slow start to the year, the Bucks have won their last seven games in a row and Antetokounmpo has been a huge part of that. During that stretch, he’s been a walking double-double by averaging 27.9 points and 12.7 rebounds, while adding 5.6 assists. He’s also been shooting .607 from the field during this run, which is well above his career average of 5.32.
If you needed further proof of his impact, Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with 3.9 win shares. As long as that continues, it’ll be the sixth season in a row that he leads Milwaukee in that statistical category. It’s clear that he’s integral to his team’s success and it’s likely that the Bucks would be further down in the standings had he not stepped up his game as of late.
Nevertheless, Antetokounmpo should remain in the NBA MVP race as long as he can continue his current domination throughout the rest of the season.
Kevin Durant NBA MVP Odds
Another player who isn’t a stranger to being named NBA MVP is none other than Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets superstar currently has +650 odds (3rd) to be this season’s Most Valuable Player.
A lot of people wondered how the Nets’ 2021-22 NBA season would go with Kyrie Irving being sidelined because of his being unvaccinated against COVID-19. It turns out that they’re more than okay — proven by their first-place status in the Eastern Conference — and a big part of that has been Durant’s play this year.
Durant currently leads the entire league by averaging 28.6 PPG. He’s also averaged 5.6 assists while putting up his best rebound stats (7.1) since the 2016-17 season. Another interesting statistic is that his 10.4 field goals made per game are the second time he’s averaged double digits in a season. The first? When he won his first NBA MVP award in the 2013-14 season.
Durant is clearly having one of the best years of his career. The competition is tight, however, his name should be up for consideration as long as Brooklyn keeps thriving under his play.
