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2019 MVP Odds See LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Giannis Ahead of the Pack

Ryan Murphy

by Ryan Murphy in NBA Basketball

Updated Mar 30, 2020 · 8:17 AM PDT

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is closing in on his first NBA MVP award. Photo by Keith Allison (flickr).
  • LeBron James enters the 2018-19 NBA season with a slight edge in the NBA MVP race
  • Will James win the award in his 16th year in the league?
  • Are Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo ready to usurp the king?

The 2019 NBA MVP Award is shaping up to be a three horse race. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James leads the pack with average odds of +350, but is followed closely behind by New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis at +410, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo at +440.

LeBron is Still the King

LeBron has been the favorite among bookmakers since NBA MVP odds first became available on August 9th, and has done little to shake their confidence.  He toyed with the Nuggets and Kings during his first two preseason appearances and dropped 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists against the Warriors in his final tune-up.

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It’s not worth reading too much into meaningless games this early in the year, but LeBron has looked at ease with his new teammates and decidedly more chiseled than in years past. His muscular frame will be put to good use as Luke Walton uses him as a nominal five in the Lakers small ball lineups.

2019 NBA MVP Odds

Player Odds
LeBron James (Lakers) +400
Anthony Davis (Pelicans) +425
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) +425
James Harden (Rockets) +800
Kevin Durant (Warriors) +1000

The Brow Will Be Big in 2018-19

Anthony Davis also saved his best for last during the preseason, erupting for 36 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks against the Raptors.  Afterwards, he told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that he considers himself to be the NBA’s alpha dog.

“Honestly, I see myself as the best player in the league, most dominant player in the league,” he boasted. “I think it’s time for that step. You only get a short window. And, I don’t want that window to close, so I think my time is now.”

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It’s hard to argue with Davis after the way he eviscerated the Trail Blazers and Warriors in the 2018 NBA Playoffs. The five-time All-Star averaged 30.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game in the two series and routinely dictated play at both ends of the court. Davis finished the year third in balloting for the NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards and should continue to wreak havoc this season in the Pelicans’ turbo-charged space and pace offense.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is Improving by Leaps and Bounds

The biggest preseason performance of all this year belonged to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who torched the Timberwolves for 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in just 25 minutes. It was the most efficient display of basketball mastery this side of the Harlem Globetrotters, and you can be sure it prompted Tom Thibodeau to guzzle an econo-sized bottle of TUMS immediately afterwards.

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The Greek Freak has increased his scoring and rebounding average in each of his five seasons in the NBA and should get even more clean looks at the basket in 2018-19 thanks to Mike Budenholzer’s free-flowing motion offense. The former Coach of the Year has a knack for getting the most out of his players and has already found new and inventive ways of unlocking Antetokounmpo’s enormous potential.

Where’s the Value in the NBA MVP Race?

James Harden is being dramatically undervalued at +800. The Beard won NBA honors by a wide margin in 2018 and has finished in the top two in MVP balloting three times in the last four years. He’s likely to play on a divisional winner, which still matters to many voters, and is just entering his prime.

Oh, and he’s also invented some new moves that even NBA officials can’t quite wrap their heads around.

Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James (twice), and Steph Curry have all won back-to-back MVP awards since 2002 and there’s no reason why Harden can’t join their ranks in 2019. Overlook him at your own peril.

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