NBA awards odds: LeBron James, Anthony Davis head MVP list
Who will win the MVP award in 2015-16? Bovada has released the odds for MVP, ROY, scoring leader, and more.
It's almost time for the start of the 2015-16 NBA season, which means it's time to start predicting who will win awards and be the scoring, rebounding, and assist leaders in the league.
Golden State Warriors' star Stephen Curry won last season's MVP -- much to the dismay of Houston Rockets' star James Harden -- despite being as low as a 40-to-1 bet prior to the start of the season. Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Andrew Wiggins had the second highest odds for Rookie of the Year heading into the season and was the easy pick after Milwaukee Bucks rookie and preseason odds favorite Jabari Parker went down with a torn ACL.
Bovada has released its updated odds for MVP, Rookie of the Year, and some stats category leaders for the coming season. Here are the notable MVP odds with Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James the favorite to take home the award, which would be his fifth. New Orleans Pelicans' star Anthony Davis has the second best odds at 4/1, just ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder forward and 2014 MVP Kevin Durant at 11/2.
Odds to Win 2016-16 NBA Regular Season MVP
LeBron James (CLE) 11/4
Anthony Davis (NO) 4/1
Kevin Durant (OKC) 11/2
Stephen Curry (GSW) 6/1
James Harden (HOU) 7/1
Russell Westbrook (OKC) 12/1
Chris Paul (LAC) 16/1
Blake Griffin (LAC) 20/1
LaMarcus Aldridge (POR) 33/1
Derrick Rose (CHI) 33/1
Kawhi Leonard (SAN) 35/1
Carmelo Anthony (NY) 50/1
Kevin Love (CLE) 50/1
Klay Thompson (GSW) 50/1
John Wall (WAS) 50/1
Jimmy Butler (CHI) 66/1
Paul George (IND) 66/1
Dwight Howard (HOU) 66/1
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) 75/1
Marc Gasol (MEM) 80/1
Kyrie Irving (CLE) 80/1
Dwyane Wade (MIA) 80/1
Chris Bosh (MIA) 100/1
Kobe Bryant (LAL) 100/1
Pau Gasol (CHI) 100/1
Al Horford (ATL) 100/1
Damian Lillard (POR) 100/1
Kyle Lowry (TOR) 100/1
Paul Millsap (ATL) 100/1
Tony Parker (SAN) 100/1
Harden finished second in MVP voting last season and could be in a position much like Curry was in his MVP campaign. The Rockets are loaded this year and their depth could lead to more blowouts, and thus a more dominating season, which, evenif that didn't mean a big boost in Harden's production, his impact could be regarded as great than last season.
As for Rookie of the Year, the odds have Denver Nuggets rookie Emmanuel Mudiay tied with Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor as the favorites at 4/1 odds. Los Angeles Lakers rookie and No. 2 overall pick D'Angelo Russell is third at 6/1, which is tied with Wolves' rookie and No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns.
Odds to Win 2016-16 Rookie of the Year
Emmanuel Mudiay (DEN) 4/1
Jahlil Okafor (PHI) 4/1
D'Angelo Russell (LAL) 6/1
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) 6/1
Stanley Johnson (DET) 10/1
Myles Turner (IND) 10/1
Justise Winslow (MIA) 14/1
Mario Hezonja (ORL) 14/1
Kristaps Porzingis (NY) 18/1
Frank Kaminsky (CHA) 25/1
Willie Cauley-Stein (SAC) 28/1
Jerian Grant (NY) 28/1
Sam Dekker (HOU) 40/1
Bobby Portis (CHI) 40/1
The big sleeper from the rookie odds could be Stanley Johnson of the Detroit Pistons. He's had a very strong preseason and looks to be someone who will play a lot of minutes for Stan Van Gundy right away. The big key is to try to pick the rookie who will lead his class in scoring. The scoring leader almost always ends up winning the award, especially over the last decade.
Speaking of scoring, who will finish as the NBA scoring leader this season? Russell Westbrook had the honors last season after his incredible run over the last few months. But with Durant back from his injured foot, Westbrook has the seventh highest odds to lead the league in scoring. Durant returns as the favorite, which is probably the way to go. He's led the NBA in scoring average in four of the last six years.
2016-16 NBA Points Per Game Leader
Kevin Durant (OKC) 3/2
James Harden (HOU) 9/4
Anthony Davis (NO) 5/1
LeBron James (CLE) 13/2
Carmelo Anthony (NY) 15/1
Damian Lillard (POR) 15/1
Russell Westbrook (OKC) 16/1
Stephen Curry (GS) 20/1
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) 22/1
Blake Griffin (LAC) 25/1
Considering Damian Lillard is the lone star in Portland now, he could be the best odds here. At 15/1, Lillard provides really good value and he's going to get as many scoring opportunities he wants as the Trail Blazers start rebuilding around him. Also, it's notable that Kobe Bryant is 75/1 here.
As for rebounding leaders, Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan are neck and neck as the favorites. Jordan led the NBA with 15 per game last season and Drummond finished second at 13.5 per game. However, when the Pistons went with four perimeter players around Drummond, his per-36 numbers skyrocketed and that's how they plan to play this season.
2016-16 NBA Rebounds Per Game Leader
Andre Drummond (DET) 3/2
DeAndre Jordan (LAC) 2/1
Dwight Howard (HOU) 11/2
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) 11/1
Rudy Gobert (UTA) 11/1
Hassan Whiteside (MIA) 11/1
Kevin Love (CLE) 14/1
Nikola Vucevic (ORL) 16/1
Anthony Davis (NO) 20/1
Tyson Chandler (PHO) 50/1
Nerlens Noel (PHI) 50/1
Kenneth Faried (DEN) 65/1
Pau Gasol (CHI) 65/1
Greg Monroe (MIL) 65/1
Zach Randolph (MEM) 65/1
Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside could be the sleepers here at 11/1 odds, and Anthony Davis may end up being a great value play here if the Pelicans can't keep their other big men healthy and Davis has to go into a Minnesota Kevin Garnett mode to clean up all the misses.
Finally, we have the assists per game leader odds with Chris Paul being a 1/2 favorite to lead the league. He finished first in assists per game at 10.2 last season -- just ahead of Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (10.0). Wall has the third highest odds at 11/2 with Sacramento Kings' new point guard Rajon Rondo at 5/1.
2016-16 NBA Assists Per Game Leader
Chris Paul (LAC) 1/2
Rajon Rondo (SAC) 5/1
John Wall (WAS) 11/2
Ricky Rubio (MIN) 17/2
Ty Lawson (HOU) 16/1
Russell Westbrook (OKC) 16/1
Stephen Curry (GS) 20/1
LeBron James (CLE) 20/1
Reggie Jackson (DET) 30/1
Elfrid Payton (ORL) 30/1
Kyle Lowry (TOR) 50/1
Jeff Teague (ATL) 50/1
If you're buying into the Rondo Renaissance, he led the league in back-to-back years in assists per game in 2012 and 2013.
