The 2024-25 NBA season is quickly approaching, and NBA fans are in for another exciting MVP race. An international player has won the NBA MVP award for the last six years. For the 2024-25 NBA season, the odds are pointing to another foreign-born Most Valuable Player. Although he has yet to win one, the Luka Doncic MVP odds place him as the favorite to win the 2024-25 NBA MVP award.
2024-25 NBA MVP Odds: The Case For Luka Doncic
*All NBA MVP Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook*
2024-25 Most Valuable Player Award Odds:
The current MVP odds are as follows:
Doncic +350
Nikola Jokic +400
Joel Embiid +650
Anthony Edwards +1400
Jalen Brunson +1500
Victor Wembanyama +1800
Jayson Tatum +2700
Luka Doncic plays but they keep getting more insane 🤯🍿 pic.twitter.com/1h9XJS3GLY
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) September 6, 2024
History of the MVP Award
Jokic has dominated the MVP conversation over the last few seasons. He has three of the last four MVP awards, and in the 2022-23 season, he was the runner-up. Jokic led the Nuggets to the second seed in the Western Conference last season and once again put up ridiculous numbers. Jokic averaged a near triple-double, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and nine assists. Basketball Reference currently gives Jokic a 56.5% chance to win his second straight back-to-back MVP. Doncic is second in their predictions, with a 15.2% chance of winning.
In the Paris Olympics Nikola Jokic ranks:
– 1st in points
– 1st in rebounds
– 1st in assists
– 1st in stealsWill he win the Olympic MVP? 🤔
(via @statmuse) pic.twitter.com/HvSEPSqxHe
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 10, 2024
Doncic finished third in MVP voting last season behind Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander. The case for a Doncic MVP will have a lot to do with how the votes have gone over the last few seasons. Before Jokic was dominating the votes, Antetokounmpo was the most common name on the NBA MVP voting slips.
Giannis won back-to-back MVP awards in 2018-19 and 2019-20. He finished in the top three for the award in 2021-22 and 2022-23 as well. Giannis had a solid case to make the top three last season but likely was the victim of voter fatigue. This could happen to Jokic next season, opening the door for a new star to grab the award.
The Luka Doncic MVP Case
Luka has been spectacular since he entered the league at the age of 19. The Slovenian already has five All-NBA selections and All-Star Game appearances since winning the Rookie of the Year award in the 2018-19 season. Last season, he led the NBA in scoring, averaging an insane 33.9 points per game, along with 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds. Doncic won the scoring title with the 18th-highest scoring average in NBA history.
The heroic play of Doncic didn’t end with the regular season. Dallas’s 50-win season only supplied them a fifth seed, but that didn’t matter. Doncic led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals since 2011, dominating the playoffs with a Mavericks roster. Even with the help of Kyrie Irving, the Mavs roster was seemingly less talented than others in their conference. This didn’t stop Doncic from carrying the team to a five-game NBA Finals loss to the 64-win Boston Celtics.
Most Games Played With Luka Doncic (Regular Season + Playoffs)
He's made the Conference Finals Twice and the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/nwBv0eNNH3
— Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) September 16, 2024
The Doncic MVP odds have him as the current frontrunner at +350. He had career-high averages in points and assists last season and only seems to be improving. The addition of Klay Thompson will certainly help take pressure off Doncic, and a full training camp with the newer players to the Mavericks roster will help, too. All things point to the Slovenian guard having a great chance at winning his first MVP award.
