| Player | Odds to Win 2020 NBA MVP | SportsBook |
|---|---|---|
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | +300 |  |
| Steph Curry | +525 |  |
| James Harden | +725 |  |
| LeBron James | +750 |  |
| Kawhi Leonard | +800 |  |
| Anthony Davis | +900 |  |
When we’re talking about MVP awards, we should look at the best stories as the best story usually wins the award. We should always look at the teams in a way to visualize them without this player and where they are going to be.
Last year’s NBA MVP trophy winner– Giannis Antetokounmpo is the favorite to win the award once again. Last year, he managed to get many votes from the journalists and given the fact that he is playing in the East where he faces much weaker competition, he can easily become the winner in 2020. Khris Middleton will continue to help him and Mike Budenholzer will continue to run the offense around him. Without Giannis, the team will be a 6th, 7th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Steph Curry is the second favorite to win the award. The Warriors might not even be in the playoff mix in the tough Western Conference without him. He will get the ball in his hands more this year and he will be the only reason for the Warriors’ success/failure. Curry is always a great story and he always produces big headlines, so I believe that he has a true shot at the MVP award.
James Harden is the third favorite to win it but I am not sure why. He will have to share the ball with Westbrook in the backcourt and this will certainly affect his stats. Even though he is the best offensive player in the game at the moment, I am sure that he won’t become the MVP.
Kawhi Leonard is a very good basketball player and he is arguably a top 5 talent. He may lead the Clippers to a championship title this year but the MVP award is something different. It is a very rare occasion for a defensive-minded player to win the award.
LeBron James is expected to be rested for at least 15-20 games this year. This will certainly affect his MVP stock as the season progresses. Even if he is at a certain level at the beginning of the season, the fact that he won’t be playing much will make him an underdog in the race.
Anthony Davis has always had injury problems and he is also expected to miss between 10 and 20 games. He will benefit much from the LeBron James’ contribution but I do not believe that he can become the NBA MVP with so many missing games. If he doesn’t miss much and he plays at the level we are accustomed to seeing him play, I’m sure that he will be in the conversation. He is also my ‘dark horse’ pick.
Prediction: Steph Curry won the NBA MVP award in 2015 and 2016 and I believe that he will create a great story again. He will lead the Warriors to another Western Conference Final and I believe that they will finish near the top in the regular season. He will again be the most talked player and with the absence of Kevin Durant, we will talk more and more about the little magician Steph Curry.