NBA Regular Season MVP 2019-20 Betting Odds and Preview

The NBA’s regular-season MVP award is given to the NBA player who was the best performing player of a given NBA season. The award is voted upon by members of the press in the United States and Canada using a point system. The winner of the award is given the Maurice Podoloff trophy.

The award has been handed out since the 1955-56 season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won the most awards with six. Bill Russell and Michael Jordan won the award five times each while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James won four MVPs each. Only Wes Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain won the award as rookies while only Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, and Giannis Anetokounmpo are the non-Americans to take home the trophy. Antetokounmpo is the 2019 NBA MVP and he is also the betting favorite to win the award again next season.

Here are the odds to win the 2019-20 NBA Most Valuable Player award. These odds were taken from Betonline.ag as of 8/5/19:

Who are the Favorites?

Giannis Antetokounmpo won the 2019 NBA MVP award after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the best regular-season record in the league last season. The Greek Freak has improved year after year and at the age of 24, there is no doubt he will continue to improve next season. Antetokounmpo’s worth ethic and dedication are second to none and after that bitter loss to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, you bet he’s coming back for vengeance next season. The Bucks have retained the core of the 2019 team and lost only Malcolm Brogdon in free agency. With the Bucks favored to win the East, Giannis is the NBA betting favorite to win the MVP for the second straight season.

Stephen Curry won back to back MVP awards in 2015 and 2016 during the Golden State Warriors’ rise as the NBA’s best team after the break-up of Miami’s Big 3. Curry emerged as the Warriors’ top gunner and his partnership with Klay Thompson produced the Splash Brothers. With the arrival of Kevin Durant in 2017, Curry took the backseat and Durant became the Warriors’ chief scorer but with KD transferring to Brooklyn last summer and Klay Thompson expected to sit out the coming season with an Achilles injury, Curry is expected to carry the load in Dub nation and with that should come big numbers that could propel him to a third MVP award.

James Harden was the 2018 NBA MVP and if not for a man named Giannis, he would most probably be the MVP last season. Harden’s 30-point streak last season was proof of his remarkable consistency. He has been the Houston Rockets’ main offensive weapon, topping the team in scoring and assists. Last season, Harden also showed an improved defense and if he continues to move forward in that department, he is going to be a complete player. However, the arrival of Russell Westbrook in OKC could cut some of Harden’s numbers and affect his statistical production which is one of the gauges for the NBA MVP award.

Kawhi Leonard turned the NBA around last season. The NBA had been ruled by the Western Conference but after his trade from San Antonio to Toronto, the balance of power shifted to the East. Leonard led Toronto to the second-best record in the East and they eliminated the Top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals. The Raptors got a break in the Finals after the Golden State Warriors self-destructed with the injuries suffered by Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Leonard signed with the L.A. Clippers last summer and he is eager to prove that he is the best player in the league right now.

Anthony Davis had a controversial 2018-19 season where he demanded to be traded. The New Orleans Pelicans kept him until season’s end and after the won the draft lottery and picked transcendental talent Zion Williamson with the #1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, they traded AD to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team on top of his wishlist. Davis joins LeBron in Lala Land but it is expected that Davis will be the main producer for the Lakers with James believed to preserve his aging body for a deep playoff run. As for AD, he follows the footsteps of George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Pau Gasol. Those are big shoes to fill but Davis is more than capable to do that and more.

LeBron James is a four-time MVP winner and he is expected to be in the conversation this year with the upgrades his Los Angeles Lakers made during the offseason. James’ first season with the purple and gold last year was a disaster as he missed the playoffs. But after the Lakers overhauled their lineup and added the likes of Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley among others, the Lakers will be in the mix of title contention. James remains a force despite his age.

Who Wins?

Giannis is a legit choice here to win back to back MVPs. Back to back winners aren’t uncommon with Curry winning in 2015 and 2016. There is no doubt Antetokounmpo will even be better this year but my worry about him is his health. He may be the Freak but given the load he carries in Milwaukee, I’m concerned if he can play the full season. Look, I’m not hoping he gets hurt but given his pace, I won’t be surprised if he is.

Steph Curry will most definitely produce better numbers this season and those numbers should be MVP numbers. But the question is if the Warriors will be successful enough to merit him and MVP award. I’m not even sure if the Dubs make the playoffs this coming season. Really!

Harden is also a great choice but given Westbrook’s presence, his numbers could take a dive. Same with LeBron, AD’s presence in Los Angeles could force the King to take a backseat when it comes to production. We can also stake the same claim with Kawhi in Clippers-land because he will share the limelight with Paul George.

That leaves us with Anthony Davis who will be entering his first season with the Lakers. Now, AD is a guy who has been quietly dominant in recent years but he’s been unable to enter serious MVP conversation because of his team’s inability to find success. But with James and the new-look Lakers, AD’s looking at a deep playoff run that could earn him his first MVP award. So yeah, it’s Anthony Davis for me. Prediction: Anthony Davis

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