The 2021-22 NBA season has brought a lot of basketball entertainment for fans around the world. We’ve seen some players truly step up and carry their team with hopes of being named this season’s Most Valuable Player. While it may be too soon to settle on a winner, NBA MVP odds from sportsbooks like Bovada help paint a clearer picture of what could happen.
Keeping that in mind, here’s a look at Bovada’s latest NBA MVP odds as of Wednesday, Jan. 26.
NBA MVP Odds: Joel Embiid (+250)
When it was announced that Ben Simmons was holding out of the 2021-22 campaign until the Philadelphia 76ers traded him, many wondered how the team would fair. Fortunately, Joel Embiid has been playing the best basketball of his career since just before Christmas and has carried the 76ers to a 28-19 record, which puts them just two games back of first place in the Eastern Conference.
As a result, Embiid is tied for the best odds to be named NBA MVP at +250, as per Bovada. To understand why he’s the co-favorite (along with Stephen Curry), you have to look at his last 17 games. Over that stretch, Embiid has averaged 34.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He’s shot .546 from the field as well as .393 from three-point range, along with a .837 free throw percentage. The 27-year-old has scored at least 30 points in all but two of those 17 games and is showing no signs of slowing down. If he can keep this pace up, this is his award to lose.
NBA MVP Odds: Stephen Curry (+250)
Stephen Curry joins Embiid as Bovada’s +250 co-favorite to be named 2021-22 NBA MVP. The Golden State Warriors superstar has already won the award twice in his illustrious career, so doing it for the third time would make him just the eighth player in league history to accomplish that task.
On paper, it does look like Curry’s having an MVP-caliber season. The 33-year-old veteran is averaging 26.0 PTS/5.3 REB/6.2 AST over 43 games. Yes, those numbers are down from last year, however, his play is a big reason why the Warriors are 35-13 and sitting second place in the Western Conference. Nevertheless, his current play is quite concerning when it comes to his NBA MVP odds.
For whatever reason, Curry has not shot the ball well as of late. He’s averaging .374/.286/.870 shooting splits, which is considerably below his season average of .416/.376/.913. He’s averaged just 21.0 PPG over that stretch and simply doesn’t look like the player who started off the season in dominant fashion. Unless something changes, Curry could fall out of the Most Valuable Player race.
MVP Odds: Giannis Antetokounmpo (+275)
While Embiid and Curry are the +250 co-favorites to be named NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t too far behind them at +275.
Like his counterparts, Antetokounmpo has been — as usual — a major contributor to the Milwaukee Bucks’ success this season. His numbers are up across all major statistical categories compared to last year, averaging 28.6 PTS/11.3 REB/6.0 AST. As a result, the Bucks currently own a 30-19 record and are only one game back of the Miami Heat for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Antetokounmpo has won two NBA MVP awards in the last three seasons, so adding a third to his trophy cabinet in such a short period of time would be impressive. Few players have ever had a stretch like that, which goes to show how impressive the ‘Greek Freak’ is on a nightly basis. We’ve seen him dominate so often that it’s easy to forget just how much better he is than his peers. If he continues this work, he has a chance to overtake Embiid and Curry for the lead.
2021-22 NBA MVP Odds Tracker
Odds via Bovada as of Wednesday, January 26
- Joel Embiid (+250)
- Stephen Curry (+250)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (+275)
- Nikola Jokic (+400)
- Ja Morant (+1200)
- Kevin Durant (+3000)
- DeMar DeRozan (+4000)
- Devin Booker (+4000)
- LeBron James (+4000)
- Luka Doncic (+4000)
- Chris Paul (+5000)
- James Harden (+6600)
Visit Bovada.lv for the complete odds list.
