NBA MVP 2019-2020: Lakers' Star, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry Are Biggest Threats To Recent Winners

Six players have better than 10/1 MVP odds at the start of the 2019-2020 NBA season. LeBron James is just outside the top five, no longer the best MVP candidate on his own team.

Here’s a look at the top-five MVP candidates with betting odds from FanDuel and DraftKings Sportsbook:

Giannis Antetokounmpo +270

The reigning NBA MVP winner is probably only going to be better this season. Averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in 2018-2019, Antetokounmpo improved his scoring and rebounding numbers for the fifth straight year. His field-goal percentage has gotten better every year that he’s been in the league, reaching 57.8 percent a year ago. As his three-point shot steadily improves, Antetokounmpo becomes even more unguardable. He’s also a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and the best player on one of only two teams that seems to have a real chance of winning the East.

Stephen Curry +450/+500

LeBron James and Curry are the only active players that have multiple MVP awards. Curry won the award in 2015 and 2016, becoming the first and only unanimous winner in his second MVP season. He stopped being a real threat to win the award when Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors. Now that Durant is gone and Klay Thompson might miss the whole season, Curry has a chance to put up numbers that we’ve never seen before. With four seasons of better than 47 percent shooting from the field, 42 percent shooting from three-point range and 90 percent shooting from the free-throw line, Curry can have some crazy stats if he attempts close to 25 shots a game.

Kawhi Leonard +700/+750

Leonard is the best basketball player in the world. He seized that mantle by carrying the Toronto Raptors to their first championship and winning the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. Leonard is an elite defensive player and an efficient high-volume shooter. He averaged 26.6 points per game on 49.6 percent field-goal shooting and 37.1 percent three-point shooting a season ago. The problem is he only played 60 games and is expected to continue his cycle of load management with the Los Angeles Clippers. There are too many great NBA players for someone to be named the MVP when they miss 15 or more games.

James Harden +750

Harden is a perennial MVP candidate and the best regular-season player of the last five years. The guard won the award in 2018 and finished second in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Harden has increased his scoring average in each of the last five seasons. He had a historic 2018-2019 offensive campaign with 36.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game while attempting an average of 24.5 shots. If the addition of Russell Westbrook helps the Houston Rockets earn the top seed in the West, Harden might be the MVP frontrunner.

Anthony Davis +750

In Year No.17, James probably won’t be his team’s leading scorer. Davis is likely to carry the biggest offensive load for the Los Angeles Lakers as James looks to remain somewhat fresh for the playoffs. Davis averaged at least 28.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in two straight seasons before last year’s trade request forced him to sit for much of the year. He seemed to be on the verge of finally winning the award when he finished third in voting for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. Maybe Davis gets over the hump if the Lakers host a first-round playoff series.