Denver Nuggets, NBA

Will Nikola Jokic be the MVP again this season?

by stuart Views: 404

Nikola Jokić is having another amazing season playing as the center of the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference of the NBA. Jokić won the MVP award in back-to-back seasons in 2020-21 and 2021-22  It’s hard to believe but the two-time MVP has a chance to win a third consecutive MVP with the Denver Nuggets having such a spotty Playoff history.

Given its not the 27-year-old’s full responsibility that the Nuggets were swept in their only Western Conference appearance (2020), but ultimately, the superstar shoulders the burden for the success and failures of the teams that they are considered the leaders of.

Can Nikola Jokić win the MVP award again this year?

The only three players that have won the MVP in three straight seasons are Bill Russell (1960-63), Wilt Chamberlain: 1965-68, and Larry Bird (1983-86). These are the greatest of the greats. Russell and Bird were multiple-time champions and Russell and Bird are among the players with the most rings.

Not even Michael Jordan ever won three consecutive MVPs – that’s how rare and special it is to pull in a third Michael Jordan Trophy.

Going into the season, the odds were against Jokić. You just can’t win a third MVP without your team at least putting up a good series in your conference finals. In the last two NBA seasons, the Nuggets were eliminated by the eventual champions Golden State Warriors in the first round 1-4 and were swept by the Phoenix Suns  in 2021 in the second round.

But listen no one expected The Joker to do what he’s doing this season. With Jamal Murray back from injury and Aaron Gordon playing like an NBA All-Star, the Denver Nuggets have the second best record in the league all the while Jokic averaging a triple double in the process. As of this post, Jokić is putting up 24.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 10.1 assists per game. ESPN Stats and Info says that Jokic is the tallest player to average a triple-double this late into an NBA season.

Needless to say that what Jokić is doing this season is quite rare.

To better understand how likely Nikola Jokić can win the MVP for the third season in a row, the best thing to do would be to compare the odds from today’s best online sports betting sites to find out what they think.  For example, the latest Comeon odds have Nikola Jokić as the second odds-on favourite NBA player to win the MVP this year behind odds-on favourite Luka Doncic. 

A closer look at the odds

If you were to place a wager right now on Nikola Jokić to win the 2023 NBA MVP award, you would be looking at odds of approximately 9/1 in UK fractional odds. It’s the equivalent of 10.00 in European decimal odds or 900 in American/moneyline odds. It also means that Jokić has around a 10% implied probability rate of winning the award. 

Let’s now take a quick look at some of the other odds for this same market. 

  • Luca Doncic – the odds on favourite to win the MVP award, is currently priced at 4/1 (which is 5.00, or 400) with a 20% chance of winning
  • Joel Embiid – he is currently priced at around 10/1 (11.00, or 1,000), with a 9.10% chance of winning
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo – he is also currently priced at around 10/1 (11.00, or 1,000), with a 9.10% chance of winning
  • Jayson Tatum – he is currently priced at around 12/1 (13.00, or 1,200), with a 7.70% chance of winning

Final note

As you can see, it’s still a close competition, and the MVP award is anyone’s for the taking. However, based on these odds, a safe bet would be to wager on either Luca Doncic or Nikola Jokić. Just remember, when gambling for real money online, always gamble responsibly by not chasing your losses and by not spending money that you haven’t got. 

 

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