NBA awards predictions, odds: Expert picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and more for 2024-25 season

The 2024-25 NBA season has arrived. The new basketball season tips off Tuesday night as Celtics vs. Knicks and Lakers vs. Timberwolves open the season. Every team will have played its first game by Thursday night. There are plenty of storylines to watch: Can the new-look Knicks or new-look 76ers challenge the Celtics in the East? Is the time now for the Thunder? Will LeBron James share the floor with his son on opening night?

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

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

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

2024-25 NBA awards predictions: Expert picks

NBA awards odds for 2024-25 season

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

The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama is unsurprisingly the heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year honors. The BetMGM sportsbook has him listed as a -155 favorite. Bam Adebayo (+1100), Evan Mobley (+1200) and Chet Holmgren (+1200) have the next-shortest odds.

As far as the Rookie of the Year race goes, Zach Edey of the Grizzlies is listed as the favorite with Rockets’ No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard not too far behind. Zaccharie Risacher, the Hawks’ No. 1 overall pick, is also firmly in the mix as the season gets started.

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