NBA 2020-21 MVP Trends: Bettors Backing the Favorite

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The start of the NBA regular season is creeping up quickly, as we’re now less than two weeks away. To get you ready leading up to the opening tip, let’s take a look at the latest odds and trends for various William Hill futures markets—starting with 2020-21 NBA MVP.

When William Hill first released NBA MVP odds on Nov. 10, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo were the +550 co-favorites. Now, the Mavericks’ third-year sensation is solely atop the board at +450, followed by the Bucks’ two-time reigning MVP at +500.

“There could be some Giannis voter fatigue this season,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “I think if it’s close, I think they’ll give it a new guy over Giannis, tie goes to the new guy basically. Luka had a great year last year, and he’s only 21. He still has room to grow.”

LeBron James has the third-lowest odds at +700, followed by Stephen Curry at +800 and Anthony Davis at +850. Then Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Nikola Jokic are all at 15/1 apiece.

“There are just so many superstars today in the NBA,” Bogdanovich said. “Obviously, whoever has the big year, stays healthy, takes his team to where few thought he could take them has a great shot of winning it. I definitely would look for someone with a little more juice than the Greek Freak or Luka. I just think the race is so wide-open.”

William Hill bettors, however, are rolling with the favorite. Doncic leads the way with 13% of the total number of tickets and 26% of the total dollars wagered. Antetokounmpo is second in total dollars wagered at 17%, while Durant is behind Doncic in total number of tickets at 10%.

Yet, the player who ranks third in each category opened as a longshot.

“The other day, I went lower on [Devin] Booker,” Bogdanovich said. “We’ve been taking some bets on him. He was 50/1 and I thought that was way too high for a guy who can score 70 in any given game, so I moved him down to 30/1. I do think he’s definitely live.”

The Suns guard has attracted 9% of the total number of tickets and 13% of the total dollars wagered. Besides Booker, some other notable movers include Damian Lillard (25/1 to 20/1), Jimmy Butler (25/1 to 40/1), Kyrie Irving (40/1 to 60/1) and Booker’s new teammate Chris Paul (200/1 to 100/1).

Check out William Hill’s latest odds and trends for 2020-21 NBA MVP futures below.

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