Russell Westbrook early favorite to win MVP

Russell Westbrook can’t lose.

As we get closer to the regular season, bookies are starting to put out their odds for the various NBA categories. Naturally that includes the race for Most Valuable Player.

The most popular online sports gambling site, Bovada, released their odds for MVP on Wednesday. Russell Westbrook found himself on top of that list for the second year in a row.

This is a bit surprising considering the Thunder added a top-15 player in the league this offseason; Westbrook’s entire candidacy last year was based on the idea that he didn’t have a supporting cast. But when you look at the state of the league as a whole it starts to make sense.

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Kevin Durant is surrounded by three other All-Stars in Golden State. The public is down on Kawhi Leonard’s Spurs. LeBron James doesn’t play for MVP’s anymore. Houston added Chris Paul – James Harden’s assist numbers will shrink. Giannis Antetokounmpo is still only 22. Simply put, there isn’t a clear frontrunner for MVP.

Will Russell Westbrook win his second MVP this season? Westbrook won’t be averaging a triple-double this season, so the Thunder will have to exceed expectations for that to happen.

There is one other point of interest for Thunder fans: Paul George is also in the top ten for MVP odds. The Thunder, Warriors and Rockets are the only three teams in the league with two players in the top ten.

It feels nice to be back in the elite status.