Mavs' Luka Doncic Picked As 2022 NBA MVP Favorite

When setting the early odds for the 2022 NBA MVP Award, DraftKings Sportsbook has Mavs' Luka Doncic as the favorite.

DALLAS - It's never easy winning the NBA MVP award, but Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic will widely be considered a serious contender for many seasons to come. 

For the 2021-22 season, the way-too-early betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbook already have Doncic slated as the favorite to take home the honor. 

As it currently stands, Doncic (+400) is the favorite to win the award with Joel Embiid (+700), Kevin Durant (+800), Giannis Antetokounmpo (+800), and Stephen Curry (+800) all round out the top five. 

In an NBA season marred with injuries to countless notable players, the race for the 2021 MVP felt just as much about health as it did about impact on the court. 

That's not to say that Nikola Jokic was not well-deserving because he certainly was. Leading a team to the third seed in the Western Conference while posting averages of 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists is incredible. 

Doncic was the favorite to win the 2021 NBA MVP prior to the start of this season. The slow start the Mavericks got off to ended up putting him out of the minds of voters. Finishing with the fifth seed was not quite enough, either. 

Related NBA Stories

• KAWHI LEONARD FREE AGENCY: The Dallas Mavericks had been linked to Kawhi Leonard ahead of NBA free agency as the ‘most serious suitor’ if he were to depart from the LA Clippers. He underwent surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. Does that change the Mavs’ plans as they pursue a co-star to pair with Luka Doncic? READ MORE.

• WILL MAVS TRADE KRISTAPS PORZINGIS: On this episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, Dalton Trigg is joined by his DallasBasketball.com colleague Grant Afseth for another installment of our offseason series "Upgrading The Mavericks." This episode focuses on how Dallas can upgrade from the Porzingis situation specifically. LISTEN HERE.

• MAVS TRACKER: JOHN COLLINS LINKED: The Dallas Mavericks reportedly are among the teams that are expected to have interest in John Collins during the offseason. The soon-to-be restricted free agent is set to earn a major payday and it will take on in order to pry him away from the Atlanta Hawks, who managed to pull off a surprise run to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. READ MORE.