NBA Awards predictions and odds: Experts’ picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and more for the 2024-25 season

new NBA The season has arrived. The 2024-25 campaign kicks off on Tuesday night, with the Celtics, Knicks and Lakers opening the season against the Timberwolves. Each team will have played its first game by Thursday night. There are a lot of Storylines to watch: Can the new-look Knicks or the new-look 76ers challenge the Celtics in the East? Is it time to thunder now? Will LeBron James share the floor with his son on opening night?

All these questions will be answered in due course. But we’re here now to talk about the awards. Specifically, the seven individual awards that will be handed out after the 2024-25 regular season: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, MVP, Coach of the Year, and Most Valuable Player of the Year. team. Sunnah.

CBS Sports’ NBA experts have made their picks. So what do we expect? It looks like it could be a two-man battle for MVP and Rookie of the Year, as Victor Wembanyama runs away with what could be the first of many DPOY awards.

Let’s get to the picks made by CBSSports.com NBA writers Brad Botkin, James Herbert, Sam Quinn, Colleen Ward-Henninger and Jasmine Wimbish, CBS Sports NBA Insider Bill Reiter and CBS Sports HQ analysts Avery Johnson and Ashley Nicole Moss.

2024-25 NBA Awards Predictions: Experts’ Picks

The NBA is giving odds for the 2024-25 season

The sports betting market shows that Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are already the favorites for the MVP award. Doncic, the Mavericks’ star, is +350 at BetMGM, while OKC’s SGA is +400. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who has won the MVP award in back-to-back seasons and three times in the past four years, is third among the candidates with +475 odds.

Not surprisingly, the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. BetMGM Sportsbook has him listed as a -155 favorite. Bam Adebayo (+1100), Evan Mobley (+1200) and Chet Holmgren (+1200) have the next shortest odds.

In terms of the Rookie of the Year race, the Grizzlies’ Zach Edey is listed as the favorite with the Rockets’ No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard not far behind. Zaccharie Risacher, the Hawks’ No. 1 overall pick, is also firmly in the mix heading into the season.

Other nominees include Malik Monk (+550) for Sixth Man of the Year and Wimpanyama (+725) for Most Valuable Player. Fans can use a BetMGM promo code to get in on the action as the season gets underway.