With the NBA quickly approaching its post-season and the Playoffs upon us, it’s time to look forward to the next MVP. This individual award is the most desired by players, because it stands as a testimony of how well a player fared in the season and how high did he bring his team. It is always interesting to check the race for the most valuable player and this year it is much more so, since we may be on the verge of a generational clash.
The race for the title is getting more and more exciting, with a generational showdown the likes of which we haven’t seen in a long time. For those eager to bet on the young talent Wembanyama as this season’s MVP, they can find the best betting odds on oddschecker, allowing them to make the most of their budget for this and other bets on NBA’s team and individual awards.
The case for Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is making it clear: He wants to win the NBA’s MVP award this season. The San Antonio Spurs’ star said in an interview with the Associated Press that he thinks he deserves the award. It is difficult to believe otherwise. Wembanyama was the key factor in the San Antonio clinching of the Southwest Division.
Mere moments after they secured their first place, beating the Miami Heat 136-111 for their win number 22 in the last 24 games, Wemby said to the interviewer: “I have thought about the MVP title. I believe right now there is a debate. There should be one, even though I think I should be leading the race. I’m trying to make sure that, at the end of the season, there isn’t a debate anymore.”
Wembanyama has some numbers to back up his claim. He is averaging 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and the same amount of blocked shots per game. In NBA history, only six players finished a season with such numbers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who did it five times); Hakeem Olajuwon (twice); Shaquille O’Neal; Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. Now the Spurs star did it, but he needed only 46 games.
Is SGA still the Alpha-player?
The other smart choice for the award seems to be the reigning most valuable player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He led the Thunder to the first place in the West and is keeping them there, just like last season, showing once again what kind of an asset he may be on the court.
SGA is the prototype of a player that a team can build around, using him as the centerpiece of the rotation. His problem is that he’s not as physically gifted as The Alien, who possesses a unique blend of height, length and basketball skills. Wembanyama may very well become the best basketball player of his time and lead the pack of a new generation of phenomena. Rick Carlisle, who coaches the Indiana Pacers, recently said during his media availability that there’s never been a player like him, on both ends. SGA is part of this group, of course, but Wemby seems to be on pace to become the Alpha-dog and his main menace may not be the OKC guard, but a young and talented wingman playing in Texas.
Cooper Flagg’s present and future dominance
Cooper Flagg is in his first year in the NBA but is already rewriting the book of records. He just overtook Kobe Bryant as the teenager with most 20+ point games and reached the thousand points threshold faster than anyone in NBA history.
He is already dominating the league and managed to resurrect the Mavs after the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, last season. He is already in the MVP conversation but since this is only his first year he probably won’t win the award. Starting next season, though, he will always be part of that debate Wembanyama was talking about.
