Top 2022 NBA MVP betting picks & top odds

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers odds to win the 2022 MVP are skyrocketing, and for good reason.

Just two weeks ago at this time the Sixers big man was 50/1 (+5000) to win the 2022 most valuable player award, now they currently sit at 5/1 (+500). The drastic change in betting odds is because of Embiid’s dominant play of late which came to a head against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night where he scored 50 points, tying his career high in only 27 minutes played.

This Klay Thompson-like efficiency is unheard of, especially for a center who made just one three pointer in the game vs the Magic.

Joel Embiid got off to a slow start to the year, which seems to be a common theme around the league. Stars like James Harden, Trae Young and Damian Lillard have all struggled to shoot the ball well this year after the NBA implemented a new ball. It seems as if players are not getting the same grip that they once were which has definitely shown in statistical shooting categories among major stars around the league.

These odds are reflected upon Embiid’s last 12 games where he was held to under 30 points just one time. Embiid has finally found his stroke hitting a midrange jumper almost automatically. The Sixers for the first time in recent years have found success on the road, which is mainly due to Joel Embiid. Embiid’s stellar play travels well as he has scored at least 30 points in 11 straight road games.

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Embiid’s dominance goes back to last season where he was the runner up to Nikola Jokić. Embiid has established himself as one of the best players in a league full of shooters and looks to only be getting better in the midst of his 6th year.

Currently, Embiid (+500) is the third favorite to win the MVP behind Steph Curry (+170) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+300). Kevin Durant was the leader for the majority of the season to date, but with Durant out the next 4-6 weeks with a knee injury it’s possible that any of these three could take the cake to win the award.

From an odds perspective, Joel Embiid might be your best bet as he seems to be getting better and better with each night that passes. While Embiid has been known to deal with injuries throughout the season, he has seemed to avoid the nagging knee injury that we’ve seen in recent years. What he is doing in this recent stretch is nearly unprecedented for a player like Embiid and the odds will only get worse from here on out.

Something to keep in mind is that the NBA has seemingly stopped a lot of the back-to-back games that led to “load management” of star players in the past couple years. The now and then back-to-back still happens, but not nearly as often as it once did. This should result in Embiid and other stars around the league not playing games tired because of a back-to-back or needing the night off all together. The argument against Embiid has always been that he hasn’t played in enough games, this year might change that narrative.

Is it possible that another center could win the award? It’s definitely possible as the “EMVPIID” is scorching hot.

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