Last year’s NBA season saw the crowning of a new MVP, with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic having a career year to claim the award. That marked the third straight year that a European player has won MVP after Giannis Antetokounmpo took the title in the previous two seasons.
Jokic is currently not one of the top five favourites to win the award this season, according to SBOTOP odds. Neither is LeBron James, which tells you just how competitive this year’s race is. But Europe’s hold on the MVP trophy could very well continue with a young superstar favoured to claim the coveted title.
Read on below as we break down the early top five contenders for this year’s NBA MVP award.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Despite another stellar season (28 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists per game), Giannis fell short of winning a three-peat of MVPs last season as he only finished fourth in voting. However, the Greek Freak still got the last laugh as he won the Finals MVP after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title.
With no notable additions to Milwaukee’s roster this offseason, Antetokounmpo will continue to carry much of the load on both ends of the court as the Bucks try to defend their title this season, which should lead to more big numbers – and potentially, another MVP – for the Greek Freak.
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry turned back the clock with a vintage season at age 32. The two-time MVP led the league with 32 points per game for the Warriors, who missed out on the playoffs after losing to the Lakers and the Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.
Nevertheless, Curry still garnered a good deal of MVP votes as he finished third in voting, and he also got the second-most first-place votes with five.
While Splash Brother Klay Thompson is finally set to return from his long absence at some point in the season, Curry is still expected to be the central figure in the Warriors’ offence this year as they look to make one last title run with their legendary core.
And if Curry comes anywhere close to the season he had last year and continues to make fantastic NBA 2021 highlights, he also figures to be right in the MVP race once again.
3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid finished a distant second to Jokic in last year’s voting, but he very well could have won the MVP last year had he not gotten hurt late in the season.
The Sixers star had a terrific campaign as he averaged 28.5 points (a new career-high) and 10.6 rebounds in 51 games while playing elite-level defence to lead Philadelphia to the best record in the East.
Unfortunately, injuries will always be an issue with Embiid when it comes to the MVP race as he struggles to stay healthy for an entire season. But when he’s right, Embiid is undoubtedly one of the best in the game, which is why he is priced at 6.50 to win this year.
And if the Sixers can get a great return in a trade for disgruntled star Ben Simmons, Embiid’s game could reach an even higher level this season.
2. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
After suffering a serious Achilles injury, Kevin Durant returned last season and showed he is undoubtedly the best player in the world when he very nearly defeated the eventual champion Bucks despite his two All-Star team-mates – Kyrie Irving and James Harden – both going down to injuries in the playoffs.
And Durant cemented his status further by dominating in the Tokyo Olympics en route to another gold medal for the United States.
Durant has incredibly finished in the top five of MVP voting just once since he won the award in 2013-14. But the NBA 2021 odds have Brooklyn as the team to beat for the title mainly because of him.
So if Durant remains healthy and plays a decent number of games, the Nets will win a lot of games – and he will be a top contender for the award this year.
1. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Two Europeans have won the last three MVPs in the NBA, and Luka Doncic is looking to make it four in a row this season. The Slovenian is currently the 4.00 favourite to win the award at SBOTOP, which is a bit of a surprise.
Having said that, the Mavericks superstar has been nothing short of magnificent since entering the league three years ago. For his career, he is averaging 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game, and has finished in the top six in MVP voting in each of the last two seasons – at age 20 and 21, which is unheard of.
With the Mavs failing to make significant upgrades to their roster this offseason, they will be counting on Doncic to take another step up this season. But the 22-year-old has continuously shown how special he is, so discount his ability to keep the European MVP winning streak alive at your own risk!
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