The 2022 NBA regular season MVP race has all the same faces but in a different order. Steph Curry has been replaced as the favorite, and LeBron James has been seemingly forgotten.
Looking at the number of players listed on FanDuel Sportsbook, you can see plenty of names to keep in mind.
TOP TEN ODDS FOR NBA REGULAR SEASON MVP WINNER
- Joel Embiid: +145 (previously +3000)
- Nikola Jokic: +270 (previously +1500)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: +390 (previously +850)
- Stephen Curry: +1200 (previously +135)
- Ja Morant: +1800 (previously +3000)
- DeMar DeRozan: +2000 (previously +4000)
- Devin Booker: +2000 (previously +7000)
- Luka Doncic: +3000 (previously +7000)
- Kevin Durant: +6500 (previously +220)
- LeBron James: +16000 (previously +3300)
JOEL EMBIID (Philadelphia 76ers) +145
Joel Embiid has rocketed up the rankings after putting the Sixers on his back and carrying them into the East's top three. Embiid finished January averaging 34 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks a game. His February has largely looked the same, as he's still averaging over 30 points, five-plus assists, but has upped his rebounds to over 13 a game. This year, the big man in Philly has been a force and he's done it throughout all the Ben Simmons drama.
Embiid leads the league in scoring, averaging 29.6 points, he's eighth in rebounds with 11.2, and he's second among centers in assists with 4.5 a game. Embiid is the favorite right now to win, but with his injury history and the players right behind him, +145 isn't the best value.
STEPHEN CURRY (Golden State Warriors) +1200
Stephen Curry has fallen off from where he was the last time we did an update, but signs of this were starting to show back then. Curry had the microscope on him when he passed Ray Allen to become the all-time three-point king. Curry still shoots more threes than anyone in the league, but his three-point shooting percentage continues to lag behind his career-high.
He's fallen from sixth in the NBA scoring to ninth, but he's the kind of player that can get into a groove and never miss.
Curry's stock might have dropped too far to rise back up to the ranks of MVP favorite again, but +1200 on a former two-time NBA MVP who still shoots lights out isn't that bad a deal.
KEVIN DURANT (Brooklyn Nets) +6500
Kevin Durant was leading the league in scoring, but now he's nursing an injured knee. The 12-time All-Star is arguably the best player in the league when he can stay on the floor. His 29.3 points per game are still third-best in the NBA, but he can't help his team from the sideline. If Durant returns and ushers the Nets into the playoffs, his stock could soar in the home stretch.
Durant at +6500 is well worth the risk. He's shown he can come back from injury in the past and still be effective right out of the gate. GM Sean Marks says his star could return in a week.
DEMAR DEROZAN (Chicago Bulls) +2000
It doesn't seem like NBA MVP voters like DeMar DeRozan. He's averaging a ridiculous 35.8 points a game in February to up his season average to 28.1 points per game, fourth in the NBA. Interestingly, in a very three-heavy league right now, DeRozan isn't shooting that many from beyond the arc. One knock against DeRozan is he's pretty much a pure scorer. He only averages 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists a night. However, nobody is scoring like he is right now.
DeRozan has been simply unstoppable throughout February and if this continues the voters will have no choice but to take notice. It'll be tough for DeRozan to keep up this shooting tick, so we'd hope for a little more value than +2000.
LEBRON JAMES (Los Angeles Lakers) +16000
Is there a player that people want to hate more than LeBron James? It doesn't seem to matter what King James does on or off the floor people are looking for a reason to critique him.
Just look at these numbers: 27 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks a game. Oh, sorry, those are his career averages.
Let's look at these numbers: 26.8 points, eight rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks a game. Damn, those are his stats the last time he won the NBA MVP.
Oh, here's this year's numbers: 29.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and one block a game.
James is 37-years-old and currently third in the NBA scoring. The one major knock against him is he can no longer drag a team into the playoffs.
I get it, people don't like LeBron, voters don't like LeBron, but LeBron with these numbers is a steal at +16000. If the Lakers have a significant turnaround down the stretch, the only thing people will be talking about is LeBron James and the NBA MVP award.
All NBA predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid. For more NBA futures content coming out of the All-Star break check out our Eastern Conference and Western Conference NBA Conference Title odds updates.
