With just a couple of months left of the 2023-24 NBA season, the race to be crowned MVP is heating up. Previous year’s winner Joel Embiid cruelly suffered an injury to his left meniscus on 30th January 2023 but following surgery and a lengthy rehab period, the Cameroonian returned to action just over two months later. The time off the court not only threatened the Philadelphia 76ers’ chances of making the play-offs, but also ruled Embiid out of contention to earn back-to-back MVP awards.
As a result, some of Embiid’s rivals have stolen a march in the MVP favorites list. Embiid’s objective for the rest of the season is to help the 76ers into the playoffs and finish the season as best possible. A fully fit Embiid will surely be back in the running for the MVP award on NBA betting markets at Cloudbet next season, but for one season at least, the 76ers Center will have to relinquish his crown. The odds for MVP at the beginning of a season can be a close-run thing, but for this season at least, it seems there is a runaway leader in that betting market.
Joy for Jokic
Two-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic looks an absolute certainty to add a third award to his collection after being voted MVP in 2021 and 2022. The Joker is not topping the points charts, like in the two previous triumphant seasons, but he is still playing at over 26 points on average per game. More importantly though, Jokic is leading the Denver Nuggets to another Western Conference title after they sealed the division in 2023 with a resounding 4-0 win over Lebron James’ Los Angeles Lakers. There is still a lot of basketball to be played but the Nuggets also feature towards the top of the favorites list to win the NBA Finals, only behind the Boston Celtics.
Of the other players to feature on the MVP favorites list, Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) is probably the closest to beating Jokic to the award, although he is a few courts back still. Doncic is currently leading the way in points scored, averaging over 33 points per game, but it seems the sports writers and broadcasters are not backing him this season to win his first MVP award. The same can be said for Shai Gilgeous-alexander, Jayson Tatum, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (two-time MVP).
Dates for the diary
Unless a miracle occurs, it seems that Nikola Jokic will be picking up his third MVP award of his career. However, the Eastern and Western Conferences are still up for grabs, with the NBA Finals kicking off on 6th June. Perhaps it will be a triple delight for Jokic.
