Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was finally named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The guard began the season with +600 odds to win MVP on DraftKings Sportsbook and never saw longer odds for the rest of the season. His odds got shorter every month, all the way down to -4000 on April 2, which is a direct result of his brilliant play and the Thunder’s incredible success.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Odds on DraftKings Sportsbook
| Date | Odds |
| Opened | +600 |
| December 18 | +275 |
| January 1 | -155 |
| January 22 | -300 |
| February 5 | -550 |
| February 19 (post-ASG) | -500 |
| March 5 | -650 |
| March 19 | -700 |
| April 2 | -4000 |
The general idea is that the NBA’s MVP should always be the best player on the best team and that was exactly the case with Gilgeous-Alexander. The superstar led the NBA with 32.7 PPG in the regular season, while also averaging 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 52% from the field and led the league in net rating among all players who averaged at least 20 minutes per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with a 34.8% usage rate and, with the guard dominating the featured role, Oklahoma City finished with a league-best 68-14 record. This is the seventh-best record in NBA history and the Thunder’s 12.87-point differential is the best of all time. The Thunder led the NBA in net rating by a mile and, while they ranked third in offensive rating, their defense was their back bone, as Oklahoma City easily led the NBA in defensive rating at 106.6, which is the best the league has seen in four years.
Not only did Gilgeous-Alexander account for 38% of the Thunder’s scoring this season, via his scoring and assists, but he was a huge part of the Thunder’s success on the defensive end, as well. His 1.7 steals ranked 11th among all players and Gilgeous-Alexander’s 1.0 blocks per game ranked fourth among all guards. Furthermore, the Thunder’s defensive rating was nearly one point better with Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, which is a testament to his impact on that side of the ball.
Oklahoma City only lost consecutive games once and they had winning streaks of 11 and 15 games. This 15-game winning streak took place from December to January and this is when many bettors decided to bet on Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP market, as from December 18 to January 8, his odds for the award shifted from +275 to -155.
After their momentous regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder now find themselves up 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals and only seven wins away from the franchise’s first NBA championship. Gilgeous-Alexander is only 26-years-old and, with Oklahoma City likely to be one of the best NBA teams for many years to come, due to their elite young core and plethora of future draft picks, Gilgeous-Alexander has a great chance to win multiple MVP awards before his career is over. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Thunder are a -200 favorite to win the NBA championship this season and they also carry the best odds to win next year’s NBA championship at +220.
