Handicapping the MVP race

Vegas loves Luka, but Coach Thorpe has another star in mind

Sep 15

BY DAVID THORPE

Do a quick survey of popular sportsbooks today, and you’ll find Luka Dončić is the early favorite to win this year’s MVP. That news might rankle Joel Embiid, who has finished second in each of the past two seasons. MITCHELL LEFF/GETTY IMAGES

Rotowire has published a giant table combining the MVP odds of 64 different players—all the way down to Clint Capela! As we have written, the road to the NBA Finals has never been more congested. MVPs tend to come from contenders, so it makes sense that Vegas oddsmakers also have a wide array of candidates.

The top of the list got me thinking:

Luka Dončić
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joel Embiid
Nikola Jokić
Kevin Durant
Stephen Curry
Ja Morant
Jayson Tatum
LeBron James
Kawhi Leonard
Devin Booker
Zion Williamson
Trae Young
Jimmy Butler
Anthony Davis
Karl-Anthony Towns
Damian Lillard
Anthony Edwards
Donovan Mitchell
Paul George
DeMar DeRozan
Kyrie Irving
Bradley Beal
LaMelo Ball
Pascal Siakam
Jaylen Brown
James Harden
Chris Paul
Brandon Ingram
Zach Lavine

My list would be a little different.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to TrueHoop to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.