The MVP Award is one of the most iconic and impactful awards in the NBA. The best players the league has ever seen typically have won it once or multiple times at some point in their career. According to Caesars Sportsbook, Nikola Jokic leads all candidates with +375 odds to win the MVP Award, followed by Doncic at +500, next is Giannis Antetokounmpo with +550, followed by Joel Embid at +850, and lastly, Jayson Tatum at +900. If you’re an NBA fan, more specifically a Hawks fan, aren’t you a little curious as to why Trae Young isn’t in the top 5 when it comes to the MVP odds?
Trae Young is not a star in this league who puts up prolific numbers, he has had the same success as someone such as Doncic. In addition, Young will be in a perfect situation next year where his production will be needed if the team wants to succeed and win. Dylan Mathews from the Hometown Take alluded to this when discussing the MVP odds, “He’s got all the tools to do it, he’s got all the skills to do it, he’s got the swagger to do it, he’s got the name to do it, literally he just has to win.”
If Young and this team can stack up wins early on in the season, I would watch out for those MVP odds. Team success as Dylan mentioned, is the key for those odds to change in favor of Young. The stats, the brand, the style of play, is all there for Young, team success is the next box to check.