The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to improve leaps and bounds this coming season after signing the planet’s best player, Mr. LeBron James. Just how much the Lakers improve will depend as much on James’ ability as his lesser-known teammates finding the right roles in Hollywood.
But it’s readily apparent that James is going to be the focal point here. Much like his stints in both Miami and Cleveland, the King will dictate whether his squad is merely a playoff team or a top-end championship contender.
Las Vegas seems to agree. In their first set of odds relating to the 2018-19 NBA MVP, Bovada has James as the overwhelming favorite to take home the hardware for a fifth time in his career.
LeBron's year? Opening NBA MVP odds via @BovadaOfficial. Russell Westbrook at 14/1. Paul George at 125/1 pic.twitter.com/F7RG1Z5gb1
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) August 15, 2018
James being favored shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Though, it’s rather shocking that Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo come in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Both play for squads that are not seen as top-end NBA title contenders.
Reigning NBA MVP James Harden comes in with the fourth-best odds at 11-to-2. Meanwhile, two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant rounds out the top five.
Looking a bit further down on the list, Joel Embiid is unlikely to be happy with his slot. The always hilarious Philadelphia 76ers big man has apparently thrown his hat into the MVP ring this offseason. We can expect a tweet countering Bovada’s odds in the matter of minutes.
In terms of overall money, this one scribe would be willing to put a solid stack on Kyrie Irving with 16-to-1 odds. Now that his former teammate, King James, is in the Western Conference, there’s no reason to believe the Boston Celtics won’t dominate back east this coming season.