Jonquel Jones favored to the 2021 WNBA MVP

With the Summer Olympic break officially now in the books, it is a good time to look at the state of the WNBA headed into the final stretch before the playoffs. The league opened up the second half of the season with 2021 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup on Thursday night, which was won by the Seattle Storm in dominating fashion over the Connecticut Sun.

The Sun are led by All-Star forward Jonquel Jones, who has dominated this season and is one of the main reasons why Connecticut could win the WNBA Finals. But Jones has a ton of competition for the league MVP as former MVPs Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson are in contention, along with Tina Charles, who has been an amazing addition to the Washington Mystics this year.

Earlier today we broke down favorites and sleepers to win the WNBA title. Below we’ll look at the latest odds from DraftKings Sportsbook to identify the favorite for MVP and a sleeper that could potentially shake things up.

Favorite — Jonquel Jones, Sun (+130)

It is only right that Jones is the favorite for the MVP as the Sun are only sitting 1.5 games behind the Storm for the best record in the WNBA. Jones, who was named to the All-Star team this season, has been tremendous on both ends of the floor.

She is averaging a career-high in points and a double-double for only the second time in her career. Jones is the second-leading scorer in the WNBA at 21 points per game, while shooting 54% from the field and 43.7% from three-point range on 4.7 attempts per game. The WNBA All-Star also has a career-high offensive rating of 109.0 and a 82.4 free-throw percentage. Jones also possesses a career-best 90.8 defensive rating and is averaging 11.1 rebounds per game. Simply put, she has been the best player in the league and is the catalyst for the Sun’s success.

Sleeper — Tina Charles, Mystics (+300)

It feels strange to say that Charles is a sleeper for the MVP, but she isn’t the betting favorite, despite leading the league with 26.3 points per game. She’s also averaging 10 rebounds per game, giving her fifth double-double of her 10-year career.

With the Mystics not having Elena Delle-Donne, Emma Meesseman, and Alyssa Thomas, Charles has had to be the offensive catalyst. Did I also mention that former first overall pick leads the WNBA in points in the paint with 13.6? When Charles gets her positioning in the low post, no one is stopping her from getting to the basket.

The Mystics are currently sitting in eighth place in the playoff standings with a 8-10 record. However, they are only one game out of fifth, which is currently being held by Chicago Sky, who many thought would be better than they are. If the Mystics can move up the standings, then it will only help Charles’ already strong MVP resume.

2021 WNBA MVP odds, Top 20

Jonquel Jones: +130
Breanna Stewart: +180
Tina Charles: +300
A’ja Wilson: +450
Liz Cambage: +1600
Brittney Griner: +1600
Jewell Loyd: +1800
DeWanna Bonner: +2000
Betnijah Laney: +2000
Napheesa Collier: +2000
Sabrina Ionescu: +2200
Sylvia Fowles: +2500
Candace Parker: +3000
Ariel Atkins: +3500
Arike Ogunbowale: +5000
Kayla McBride: +6000
Skylar Diggins-Smith: +6000
Chelsea Gray: +6500
Nenka Ogwumike: +7000
Courtney Vandersloot: +8000
Tiffany Hayes: +8000

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