2021 NBA MVP Odds: Luka Doncic, Giannis, Anthony Davis Early Betting Favorites
There will be a new MVP in the NBA this season. Well, at least if oddsmakers are to be trusted.
FanDuel currently has Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic (+410) as the favorite to win the 2020-21 MVP award with two-time defending winner Giannis Antetokounmpo a close second (+480). Those two are the prohibitive favorites, followed by a slew of other star players:
- Anthony Davis: +850
- Stephen Curry: +850
- James Harden: +1000
- Kevin Durant: +1300
- LeBron James: +1500
- Damian Lillard: +1900
- Kawhi Leonard: +1900
- Jayson Tatum: +2600
- Joel Embiid: +3000
Leonard looks like a sneakily strong play, at least initially, though his history of load management to remain healthy throughout the regular season hurts his chances. Likewise for Embiid, though it's probably too ambitious to expect him to be in the MVP running regardless.
Durant coming back from a ruptured Achilles makes him a risk, as does James likely managing his workload during the regular season. No one knows where Harden will end up playing his whole season or how happy he'll be.
Davis and Curry are always threats to win the award, though if Doncic makes another leap like he did last year (28.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 8.8 APG, 1.0 SPG), it will be a moot point.
Consider that and some voter fatigue regarding the Greek Freak after two straight MVPs, and it's easy to see why Doncic is the early favorite.
