Updated October 19, 2023By Dean Etheridge
One of the more popular NBA betting markets is who will win the MVP award. Last year it was Cameroon center Joel Embiid who got the award. But this year he is not expected to double up as the NBA betting sites have installed Nikola Jokic as their favorite in the latest NBA futures betting market.
The NBA regular season starts this Tuesday (October 24th), and runs until April 14th, 2024
Nikola Jokic is a two-time MVP winner and is +400 to make it three wins in four years
His closest rivals are Luka Doncic (+550) of the Dallas Mavericks and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+650) of the Milwaukee Bucks
Like Nikola Jokic, Antetokounmpo is already a two-time MVP award winner (2019 and 2020)
After leading the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever NBA Championship win last season, Nikola Jokic has been installed as the favorite to win the MVP award in 2024. The giant Serb was instrumental in driving the Nuggets and was virtually unplayable during the 2023 postseason.
The Nuggets look set to be competitive again this season, and no doubt the 28-year-old Dokic will be at the heart of everything they do. If the Nuggets have a good season, Dokic will be a serious contender to win the award for the third time in four seasons.
Betting to win the 2024 NBA Championship
Before we look into the betting to win the MVP award in more detail, how about we have a quick check on the betting to win the NBA Championship in 2024?
The Nuggets were the original off-season favorites at +400. But since then, there has been plenty of trading activity, and the best NBA finals betting sites now make the Milwaukee Bucks the favorites at +400, with the Boston Celtics next at +450. The Denver Nuggets are at +600, joint-third favorites with the Phoenix Suns.
The main reason behind the changes at the top of the betting is the impressive trading activity of the Bucks and the Celtics.
When the Bucks landed Damian Lillard from Portland, it was seen as a game-changer. The prospect of seeing Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo together at the Milwaukee Bucks prompted the betting sites to make the Bucks the new favorites at +400.
As a result of Lillard landing at the Bucks instead of Miami, Jrue Holiday was traded from Milwaukee and (via a four-day stay at Portland) ended up in Boston. This saw the sportsbooks briefly make Boston the favorites, also jumping ahead of the Nuggets.
Anyway, things have settled down a bit more now, and it looks like it will be Milwaukee who will start the regular season as the betting favorite to win the NBA Championship in 2024.
Betting to be 2023/24 Regular Season MVP
Now, onto the betting to win the 2024 regular season MVP award. As we’ve already mentioned, Nikola Jokic is the +400 favorite to take the award for the third time. According to the best NBA betting sites, his closest rival is Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic (+550).
Another two-time winner, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the third betting favorite at +650, with 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum both at +800.
More MVP betting is available on our Basketball odds table. You can read more about the bookmakers we have used on our online sportsbook reviews page.
The Main Rivals to Jokic
It’s far from a shoo-in that Nikola Jokic will win the MVP in 2024. But the fact he didn’t get it in 2023 when he was the best player in the NBA may impact decisions made next year.
His closest rivals will have to do something special, and when you see names like Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo close behind in the betting, you know that there is unbelievable talent out there.
Legendary names like Kevin Durant (+1400), Steph Curry (+1600), and LeBron James (+2200) barely get a look in against the youngsters. And as the stats say that only one player over 30 has won this award in the past 20+ years, we can see why their odds are so long.
Best Bets to win MVP
To start with, we feel that Joel Embiid is out of the running to go back-to-back. We don’t see his Philadelphia side doing enough to put him in the limelight. We also don’t see any of the legends mentioned above winning again. And while Luka Doncic is an extraordinary talent, he will be relying on his Mavericks team to perform well this year.
17 year-old Luka Doncic put on a show in 2016 when Real Madrid faced OKC in Preseason action.
Luka returns to Madrid with the Mavs to face his old team on Oct. 10 (2:45pm/et on NBA TV) 👀 pic.twitter.com/7IKmMm04Oj
— NBA (@NBA) October 4, 2023
Expect the Bucks and the Nuggets to have strong seasons. That means that the likes of Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo will feature heavily. And it may also be the case for Damian Lillard.
At +2000, we feel that Lillard may be worth an outside bet. He is 33, and that goes against our stat. But we’re happy to place a small wager and see if the old man can win the award.
For our main pick, we are struggling to see past Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is already a two-time winner, and it would be no surprise to see him make that three in 2024.
Damian Lillard.2024 MVP Award Winner
+2000
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Giannis Antetokounmpo.2024 MVP Award Winner
+650
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Check below for our list of the top sportsbooks where you can wager online:
About the Author
Dean Etheridge
Over the last 10 years, Dean has sharpened his expertise in crafting and revising content for his soccer and cricket betting platforms. Driven by his passion for sports betting and writing, he embarked on a journey of writing about sports wagering.
Although Dean’s preferred areas of focus are the English Premier League and cricket, his extensive sports knowledge enables him to tackle nearly any sport.
Gone are the days of traveling the world to witness events like FIFA World Cups and Ashes cricket, as Dean now prefers the comfort of his own home while enjoying sports.
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