Last year, Russell Westbrook opened the season as the favorite to win NBA MVP and fulfilled those expectations, winning the award for the first time in his career while becoming the second player in league history to average a triple-double.
This year, a familiar face tops the list of preseason favorites.
In the latest odds released by Bovada, LeBron James is the favorite to win the award for the fifth time in his career, with Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant not far behind.
Here is Bovada's full list of favorites along with the odds each player has:
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LeBron James +400
Kawhi Leonard +450
Kevin Durant +500
Russell Westbrook +600
James Harden +800
Giannis Antetokounmpo +800
Stephen Curry +1200
Kyrie Irving +1600
Anthony Davis +1600
Isaiah Thomas +2500
Paul George +3300
Chris Paul +3300
John Wall +3300
Karl-Anthony Towns +3300
Joel Embiid +3300
Nikola Jokic +3300
Blake Griffin +5000
DeMarcus Cousins +5000
Damian Lillard +5000
DeMar DeRozan +5000
Andrew Wiggins +6600
Ben Simmons +6600
Jimmy Butler +6600
Carmelo Anthony +8000
Draymond Green +8000
Kristaps Porzingis +8000
Kemba Walker +10000
Kyle Lowry +10000
Bovada doesn't seem to believe that Westbrook or last year's runner-up James Harden will be able to duplicate their efforts from last season, as both don't even crack the top three favorites. However, both players welcomed new All-Star players to their teams this offseason, and Vegas thinks those players hurt their chances of repeating last year's performances.
Ben Simmons is the only rookie who made the list.
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