2021-2022 NBA MVP Odds & Best Bets

Only a handful of NBA players in the history of the league have won the Most Valuable Player Award to be considered in the upper echelon of all-time great players. One player with the Philadelphia 76ers may finally be living up to his potential and has emerged as the odds-on betting favorite for NBA MVP odds.

76ers center Joel Embiid is now the likeliest player to win NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2021-2022 season according to oddsmakers from BetMGM and has -125 odds (55.6% implied probability) to win the hardware. Embiid currently leads the NBA in scoring at 29.6 points per game and is one of 13 players to average double-digits in points and rebounds. 

(Sign up for FTN Bets today for $49.99 a month!)

It seems to be a “Big Man” renaissance for NBA MVP odds as reigning award winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is right behind Embiid with +145 odds. Jokic leads all NBA forwards and centers with 8.1 assists per game while steering the Nuggets to a 40-27 record despite missing their star guard Jamal Murray for the entire season.

Coming in at third for odds to win NBA MVP at +800 is former two-time winner with the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak is second in the league in scoring at 29.7 while leading Milwaukee in points, rebounds and blocks and second in assists. 

A point guard in Memphis is fourth  on the NBA MVP odds list in Grizzlies Ja Morant (+2800). Morant has exploded this season with 27.5 PPG and the Grizzlies are a shocking 45-22 for the third-best record in the league.

Let’s break down why Embiid is the favorite, what needs to happen for him to win this award and if there’s another option we should be considering for odds to win the NBA Most Valuable Player.

(Sign up for our free betting newsletter here!)

Who will win NBA MVP? 

Here are the odds for 2021-2022 NBA MVP, per BetMGM.

Why Is Joel Embiid The Betting Favorite for NBA MVP Odds?

The new wave of centers in the NBA is a sight to behold in the “three-point” era, and no player represents the big men of old like Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. The Cameroonian is one of the largest players in the league and due to his size and skill, he’s able to punish defenders down low while also anchoring a team’s defense. These are the two main reasons why the Sixers drafted him in 2014 and why he’s nearly the prohibitive favorite to win his NBA Most Valuable Player Award at -125.

Being considered an NBA MVP candidate is nothing new for Embiid. He was a frontrunner for the odds to win NBA MVP last season but injured his knee entering the final month of the season. That absence allowed Nuggets center Nikola Jokic to swoop in and take the award but at this rate, it’s Embiid’s trophy to lose.

The seven-footer currently leads the NBA in points scored per game and is one of seven players to average at least one steal and one block per game. The latter stat is why he’s propelled to the top of the MVP odds table because not only can he be the focal point of an offense but also spearhead a defense. All credit to Jokic but defensively, he doesn’t make the same impact on the court.

Another reason why Embiid’s MVP campaign is picking up so much traction is he was accomplishing all of this without a fellow all-star like Ben Simmons, who was shipped off to Brooklyn for James Harden. The presence of Harden on the perimeter could elevate Embiid even more now with less double-teams coming his way due to the Beard being on the court.

The Sixers are currently 40-25 through 65 games and will likely get to the 50-win plateau in a newly-rejuvenated Eastern Conference. At this pace, the only thing stopping Embiid to win the NBA MVP is injury and while banking on that isn’t far-fetched given his injury history, it’s definitely not recommended.

What Happened To Steph Curry for NBA MVP Odds?

After terrorizing opposing defenses through the first two months of the regular season, Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry may have come back to Earth. The former NBA MVP has dropped to +6600 odds to win the trophy after being as low as +120 entering January. Despite having career-lows in field goal percentage this season, the three-point king has still been a nightmare for opponents because of his threat to shoot. He propels this team’s offensive capabilities because he draws so much attention from opposing defenses.  

Writing about Curry’s exploits on the basketball court are tiresome at this point. However, if the Warriors end up with the top record in the Western Conference and Curry is in top-five in the league in scoring, he’s a no-doubt top-three finalist for the award and would likely challenge Embiid for NBA MVP odds.

Is It Worth Betting on Giannis Antetokounmpo for NBA MVP Odds?

Although the betting fatigue kicked in last year for Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s NBA MVP odds chances, he’s making it near-impossible to overlook him early in the season. The Greek Freak has continued his rampage following a dominant NBA Finals and is putting up stats across the board to impact a game. 

Antetokounmpo’s scoring is on pace with last year’s mark through 60 games (29.4) and that’s likely because the Bucks haven’t had secondary scorers like Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday in the lineup each night. It’s the rebounding and defense that makes him stand apart from other NBA MVP contenders.

Aside from guarding the opposing team’s top big man or perimeter player, Giannis has also been initiating the offense and is second on the Bucks with 6.1 assists per game. The two-way play is why he has vaulted back to the top of the NBA MVP odds rankings and if the Bucks can regroup and get a top-three seed in the East, it’ll be hard to deny Antetokounmpo’s candidacy as the best player in the league. 

Can Luka Doncic still win NBA MVP?

Even before entering the NBA with the Mavericks, guard/forward Luka Doncic had been a star. The 22-year-old was dominating in the Euro leagues before entering the draft and was considered a can’t-miss prospect. With his flair for the dramatic and improvement each year, Doncic is regarded as a top-five player in the league now and should be a top candidate for NBA MVP odds.

The Slovenian wunderkind has led the Mavericks in points scored, assists and rebounds in each of the last two seasons and his impact on every game is obvious to even the most casual NBA viewer. That’s why he opened as the betting favorite for NBA MVP odds in the last two offseasons. Doncic finished last season averaging 27.7 points per game, good for sixth in the league, while his 8.6 assists per game were also good enough for sixth. He and Damian Lillard were the only two players to rank in the top 10 in both categories, but Doncic has the edge on him because he nearly doubles his rebounding output (8.2 to 4.2)

In the 2021-2022 season, Doncic is already averaging a near triple-double and we all know by now what he can do on the basketball court, but in order for him to be a good bet for NBA MVP odds, his impact needs to translate to more wins in the standings. 40-26 is a decent record for a team in the Western Conference, but the MVP typically goes to a player who puts up stats and is also on a winning team. That’s why Nikola Jokic ended up winning this past season — his stats were better, and the Nuggets finished with a better record than the Mavs.

In a conventional 82-game season, only one player over the last 20 years has won MVP and didn’t have at least 50 wins: Russell Westbrook in 2016. Even though Doncic can put up triple-doubles like the best of them, the stat achievement of averaging a trip-dub for an entire season is a bit hollow now that Westbrook has done it in four of the last five years.

If the Mavs win 50 or more games, have a top-four seed in the Western Conference and Doncic is putting up his typical 28 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists per game, he’ll be in contention for his first MVP award. That just seems like such a tall order given how stacked the West is with teams like the Grizzlies, Jazz, Suns and Warriors all ready for another playoff run.

(Sign up for FTN Bets today for $49.99 a month!)

How to Understand NBA MVP Odds & Betting

The time has come where you want to place a bet at a legalized sportsbook in your state for NBA Most Valuable Player odds but aren’t sure what the odds or numbers mean. No sweat because FTNBets can help you understand what you’re seeing to help you make a quality decision for odds to win NBA Most Valuable Player.

When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, like DraftKings, you’ll notice 2021-22 NBA MVP odds laid out like this:

Luka Doncic +380
Joel Embiid +700
Trae Young +2000

These numbers beside them with plus signs (+) are considered American odds and equate to what you would be rewarded if you place a $100 bet on the respective option. The player with the lowest number is considered the favorite.  In this case, it’s Doncic at +380. If you were to bet $100 on Doncic in NBA MVP betting odds and it hits, you would win $480 – your $100 is returned and you would get $380 in profit.

There are lots of things to consider when placing NBA Futures or MVP odds bets so make sure to do lots of research with my notes above and place your bet before the season. Once the season tips off and a player starts hot or cold, these NBA MVP odds will shift dramatically.