NBA Futures: 76ers finals odds, plus the race for MVP, DPOY, and Most Improved Player Awards
With just 10 games remaining in the 2021-22 NBA season, we are inching closer to finding out who will be walking away award winners, while crowning a new team finals champions.
Joel Embiid has been a consistent leader in MVP Award voting and also finds himself in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. Tyrese Maxey should be considered for the Most Improved Player Award, while the 76ers as a whole find themselves in the Top 5 best odds to win the NBA Finals.
As mentioned, the 76ers have the fifth best odds according to BetMGM, and the addition of James Harden has driven them up the list. After their win last night the Sixers find themselves in the second spot in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind the East-leading Miami Heat.
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NBA FINALS WINNER
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Philadelphia has had an up and down season and still have the fifth best odds to come out of this season as the NBA champions. They rank behind both the Brooklyn Nets, currently the eighth seed in the East, and the Milwaukee Bucks as the Eastern Conference representatives on this list.
Even with just 10 games remaining, there is a lot that still needs to be decided in the East, with the top four teams the conference being separated by less than two games.
NBA MVP WINNER
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After what some may consider a snub last season, Joel Embiid has solidified himself at the top of the MVP race. Barring any unforeseen circumstance this will be Embiid’s award at the end of the season and rightfully so.
Embiid’s offensive ability has changed the way that defenses operate. He’s averaging 29.8 points per game with 48.8/35.8/81.9 shooting splits as a center who works primarily out of the post and mid-range.
Embiid is currently second in the league in scoring, and could be the first big man since Shaquille O’Neal to average over 30 points per game if he ends the season continuing to play at an elite level.
Many thought that last season might have been Embiid’s peak, but his improvements in ball handling, passing, and shot creation has thrusted him to a new level of domination.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
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76ers fans were already hip to Tyrese Maxey after the flashes he showed last season, but the entire league has been put on notice this year with the tremendous leap in progression from the 21-year old 76ers point guard.
As it currently stands, Maxey has the seventh best odds to win the Most Improved Player Award. His stats tell the story, more than doubling his points per game going from 8.0 to 17.5, and significantly improving as a shooter all while taking more than double the attempts.
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Maxey went from a 30% three point shooter with just over one attempt per game, to a 41.7% shooter on almost four attempts per game.
That type of transformation doesn’t normally happen over the span of a single offseason, but as we all know now Tyrese Maxey isn’t your normal player.
Read More: Tyrese Maxey Most Improved Player Award Snub >>
All the players in front of Maxey on this list aside from Desmond Bane, who was drafted nine picks after Maxey, are already highly touted players. Guys like Ja Morant, Lamelo Ball, and Jaren Jackson Jr were selected in the top five of their class and had the expectations of stardom coming out of college.
Maxey hasn’t just improved his projection as a player, he went from a potential role player to a potential star in the span of a season and that is what should be considered for his candidacy for this award.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
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On top of being arguably the most dominant, and unguardable offensive threat in the league, Joel Embiid is also an elite defender. Embiid is a game altering shot blocker, but he goes beyond just rim protection. At times, you’ll see Embiid switch onto guards and hold his own on the perimeter, flashing on screens and trapping a shooter 35+ feet from the basket.
More importantly, Embiid provides the 76ers with the safety of rim protection by averaging 1.4 blocks per game. He has sealed multiple games this year with amazing defensive stops at the rim.
Along with the MVP, Embiid has been on record of wanting to be the Defensive Player of the Year as well, and he’s making his case this year.
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A sleeper on this list is our very own Matisse Thybulle who is widely regarded as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Throughout this season, Thybulle has put on a defensive clinic on some of the best guards in the league including guys like Steph Curry, and Trae Young.
In just over 25 minutes per game Thybulle notches 1.7 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 3.7 deflections per game. His length and defensive prowess makes life difficult for any offensive player, and while he likely won’t be a finalist for DPOY this year, he will be in that conversation for years to come.
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Mandatory Credit: Sports Illustrated
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