{"id":98921,"date":"2024-10-02T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=98921"},"modified":"2026-03-11T00:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T04:21:31","slug":"2024-25-nba-mvp-odds-sga-could-win-his-first-mvp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/02\/2024-25-nba-mvp-odds-sga-could-win-his-first-mvp\/","title":{"rendered":"2024-25 NBA MVP Odds: SGA Could Win His First MVP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> is a bonafide superstar. Since being drafted in 2018, he has improved year after year, culminating in the 2023-24 season. Last season, SGA averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. He was voted second in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/21\/2024-25-nba-mvp-odds-embiid-wont-win-another\/\" target=\"_self\">MVP voting<\/a> behind <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a> and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a number one seed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/10\/nba-odds-breaking-down-the-favorites-in-the-pacific-division\/\" target=\"_self\">Western Conference<\/a>. This <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/01\/2024-25-nba-betting-preview-timberwolves-win-total-odds\/\" target=\"_self\">2024-25 NBA preview<\/a> will determine whether the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/26\/2024-25-nba-mvp-odds-lebron-james-mvp-days-are-over\/\" target=\"_self\">MVP odds<\/a> for SGA are worth taking as your best NBA bet for next season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>2024-25 NBA MVP Odds: SGA Could Win His First MVP<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div class=\"input-box\" spellcheck=\"false\">\n<div id=\"waffle-rich-text-editor\" class=\"cell-input editable disabled-input\" dir=\"ltr\" role=\"combobox\" contenteditable=\"false\" aria-autocomplete=\"list\" aria-label=\"B6\" tabindex=\"0\">[tgdcta items=&#8221;1&#8243; id=&#8221;170476&#8243;]<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>Narrative Building\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Thunder have dramatically improved since SGA\u2019s arrival. They have emerged as a Western Conference powerhouse and are currently favored to win the West. During the 2023-24 season, with the league\u2019s youngest roster, they went 57-25, good for the second-best record in the NBA. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder&#8217;s rapid rise to excellence set the scene for SGA\u2019s MVP narrative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">SGA put on a MASTERCLASS performance in OKC&#39;s overtime win against the Warriors \ud83d\udcaa<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd25 40 PTS<br \/>\ud83d\udd25 7 REB<br \/>\ud83d\udd25 6 AST<br \/>\ud83d\udd25 62% FG <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/e96UQtlLid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/e96UQtlLid<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA\/status\/1726095832963850740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 19, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s 2023-24 season was already a near-perfect showcase of his skills. He overperformed expectations, propelling OKC far beyond their win projection, and still fell short of winning MVP. What more can SGA do to secure the award? There may be little room for him to improve on his already stellar numbers, which could provide challenges when building his MVP narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That being said, SGA is, without a doubt, one of the most valuable players in the NBA. SGA averaged over 30 points per game while leading the league in steals, showing his dominance on both sides of the floor. His ability to score with remarkable efficiency, despite his unconventional style of play, sets him apart from other top ball-handlers in the league. This two-way excellence separates him from some of his MVP competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZachLowe_NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ZachLowe_NBA<\/a> is ALL IN on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder next season \ud83d\udc40 <\/p>\n<p>&quot;I will be surprised if the Thunder are not the No. 1 seed in the West. Very surprised.&quot; \ud83c\udf7f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/A9PxFmWzc9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/A9PxFmWzc9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNNBA\/status\/1838670252311183485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 24, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div class=\"input-box\" spellcheck=\"false\">\n<div id=\"waffle-rich-text-editor\" class=\"cell-input editable disabled-input\" dir=\"ltr\" role=\"combobox\" contenteditable=\"false\" aria-autocomplete=\"list\" aria-label=\"B8\" tabindex=\"0\">[tgdcta items=&#8221;1&#8243; id=&#8221;180848&#8243;]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>2024-25 MVP Odds and Competition<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to oddsmakers, the top three most likely 2024-25 MVP winners are <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Doncic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/19\/2024-25-nba-mvp-odds-can-nikola-jokic-win-a-fourth-mvp\/\" target=\"_self\">Nikola Jokic,<\/a> and SGA. Luka is the favorite at +360, Jokic is +400, and Gilgeous-Alexander is +500 to win the award. Jokic has now won the award three of the last four years. The MVP voters could certainly be losing interest in voting for Jokic, especially if the Nuggets aren\u2019t at the top of the Western Conference standings. Luka could certainly win his first award, but with +360 odds, there is significantly less value than taking SGA at +500.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Team Improvement Equals Better Chances<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OKC is poised for significant improvement in 2024-25. They picked up <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carusal01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Caruso<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harteis01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a> over the offseason, improving their defense and size. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/holmgch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chet Holmgren<\/a> is likely to make a big leap in his second year. With SGA at this point, OKC will likely be one of the best teams in the West. They are currently +330 to win the conference and have an over\/under of 56.5 wins this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SGA\u2019s trajectory is undeniable. He has established himself as a legitimate superstar, and as OKC continues to improve, so too will his MVP chances. While the narrative-driven nature of the award makes anything possible, Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s on-court brilliance and the Thunder&#8217;s rise make him a perennial candidate. Whether or not he ultimately captures the award in 2025, SGA has found his place among the NBA\u2019s elite.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a bonafide superstar. Since being drafted in 2018, he has improved year after year, culminating in the 2023-24 season. Last season, SGA averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. He was voted second in MVP voting behind Nikola Jokic and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a number one seed in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5284,"featured_media":98963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49087,1608,62,1248,22],"tags":[3723,564,1489],"class_list":["post-98921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball-betting","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-season-previews","category-thunder","tag-nba-betting","tag-nba-mvp","tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181067,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98921\/revisions\/181067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}