One of the strangest seasons in NBA history finally concluded in October 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the franchise’s 17th NBA title.
For the second straight season, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo took home the league’s MVP award. Can he become just the fourth player in NBA history to win three straight MVPs?
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Not the Favorite
Surprisingly, Antetokounmpo is not the early favorite to win a third straight MVP. He would become the first since Larry Bird to do so if he could pull off the feat.
After scoring 27.7 points, averaging 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in leading Milwaukee to the best record in the NBA in the 2018-19 season, the Greek Freak came back for an encore in 2019-20.
He actually increased his production in both scoring (29.5 PPG) and rebounding (13.6 RPG) while dishing out 5.6 assists per game. Once again, the Bucks finished with the best regular season record in the NBA.
Milwaukee repeated its performance and exited the playoffs early this season. If the 2020-21 season gets back to some form of normalcy, maybe there is hope for Antetokounmpo to pull off a three-peat.
With numbers like the last two seasons and a trip to the NBA Finals, it would be hard to say no to the Bucks star that is listed second on the board to win the 2021 MVP at +600.
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The Favorite
Heading into a new season, the new favorite to win the league MVP is Dallas star Luka Doncic. So far in his young career, Doncic has won an NBA Rookie of the Year (2019), been selected to the All-Star Game (2020), and earned an All-NBA First Team honor (2020).
Doncic burst onto the NBA scene averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists as a rookie for Dallas in 2018-19. He took his game to a different level last season nearly averaging a triple-double for the season.
The Mavericks star scored 28.8 points a game, averaged 9.4 rebounds, and dished out 8.8 assists. In his first career postseason, Doncic averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in six playoff games.
That’s why, at 21 years of age, Doncic is the odds-on favorite at +500 to win next season’s NBA MVP.
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Others in the Mix
The rest of the field is a who’s-who of usual suspects in the race for league MVP. It starts with the aging but not aging LeBron James. At 35, James earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP by averaging 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in the postseason.
James showed no signs of slowing down and, with his workout regimen, it’s likely he could have another season similar 2020. James is given the same odds, +600, as Antetokounmpo.
Right behind those two is former two-time MVP Stephen Curry at +700. The Warriors, which finished with the worst regular season record last season, should be revitalized with Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all returning at 100 percent. The Warriors will also add a high draft pick to the mix.
James Harden, another former MVP, is listed at +800, and James’ teammate Anthony Davis checks in at +1000. Kevin Durant, yet another former MVP, returns from an Achilles injury to team with Kyrie Irving.
Durant is listed at +1200 while Irving is a real longshot at +3330.
Russell Westbrook, who was the league MVP in 2017 after averaging a triple-double for the season, is also a longshot at +3300.
2021 NBA MVP Odds to Win
Bet on NBA MVP futures at BetOnline or America’s Bookie.
Luka Doncic +500
Giannis Antetokounmpo +600
LeBron James +600
Stephen Curry +700
James Harden +800
Anthony Davis +1000
Kevin Durant +1200
Damian Lillard +1200
Kawhi Leonard +1400
Nikola Jokic +1600
Russell Westbrook +3300
Kyrie Irving +3300
