NBA Most Valuable Player Race

Image by The Sporting News

The 2023-2024 NBA is about halfway over, meaning some players are starting to solidify themselves for end-of-the-year awards. Of course, the most important of them all would be the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.

As of Jan 16th, the current MVP odds from Fox Sports are as follows:

Nikola Jokic: +170

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: +280

Luka Doncic: +550

Giannis Antetokounmpo: +600

Joel Embiid: +800

Nikola Jokic

Image by Brett Siegel

The two-time former MVP Nikola Jokic is again the frontrunner for the NBA MVP award. Jokic on the year is averaging 25.5 points per game (PPG), 11.8 rebounds per game (RPG), and 9.3 assists per game (APG). To pair with these already very impressive stats, Jokic is having one of the most efficient seasons in NBA history as he is shooting an outstanding 58.2% and a +/- of +329, which ranks second in the NBA. Although inconsistent at some points this season, there are games such as Jan 14th against the Indiana Pacers where Jokic shows just how productive he can be. Jokic has also shot over 75% from the field in the last 5 games, which shows the NBA why Jokic is truly the “most valuable player” in the league. He makes everyone around him better and is an elite scorer with much fewer shots than his competition, propelling him to the best MVP odds at the moment.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

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With how good Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been this year, it’s hard to believe he’s not even first in the MVP race in his division. Averaging 31.3 PPG, 6.3 APG, and is leading the NBA with 2.4 steals per game (SPG). He’s been the main reason that the Oklahoma City Thunder have been able to thrive this season, along with the rise of center Chet Holmgren. This duo has led the Thunder to the second seed in the Western Conference. Right now there’s not much Shai can do except what he has been doing all season, however, if he wants to improve his odds for MVP Jokic will need to have a cold stretch of games.

Luka Doncic

Image by Associated Press

Just looking at points, rebounds, and assists, the NBA MVP race would go to the Slovenian guard Luka Doncic. Doncic has averaged 33.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 9.1 APG on very good shooting splits. He stands just below the NBA’s scoring leader Joel Embiid in PPG and usage rate, which can be a blessing and a curse when it comes to MVP odds. Both of these players shoot more than any other player in the NBA, which some attribute to the reason that their scoring is as high as it is. The Dallas Mavericks are also in sixth place in the Western Conference which is not a huge difference from the Thunder and Nuggets, however, it is enough to give Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic the advantage.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Image by Michael Reaves

This is another case of just too much to overcome. Similar to Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo is having a dominant season averaging 31.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 5.9 APG. In fact, he is shooting better than Jokic from the field at 60.8%, however, he is again struggling from three compared to Jokic. This has been a hole in Giannis’ game for a while now, and with how some players have “created” the modern NBA it’s very tough to stay atop MVP ladders. Other than this, Antetokounmpo checks every other box as the Milwaukee Bucks are second in the NBA thanks to the help of his new sidekick Damian Lillard.

Joel Embiid

Image by CBS Sports

Oh boy have the Philadelphia faithful been voicing their opinions about this. Joel Embiid is currently fifth in NBA MVP odds and similar to Antetokumpo and Doncic, it is remarkable how someone with his stat line can be this low. Embiid is averaging an unbelievable 34.9 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 5.9 APG, and an imposing 2.2 blocks per game. So with how good he’s been playing, why isn’t he in first place? Simply put, not enough games. Embiid has played in 28 out of the 38 games due to injury, which if continues will drastically hurt his MVP chances.