NBA Finals MVP Odds: Jayson Tatum Leads the Pack

The NBA Conference Finals stage is set, with the Boston Celtics taking on the Indiana Pacers in the East and the Minnesota Timberwolves squaring off with the Dallas Mavericks out West.

Over on FanDuel Sportsbook, you can find Eastern Conference Finals odds, Western Conference Finals odds, and the NBA Finals odds. Within the Finals odds, there's NBA Finals MVP odds, which is what we'll focus on here.

Only one of the remaining teams (Boston Celtics) has made a Finals appearance in the last decade, and we’ve yet to see any player who remains win an NBA Finals MVP award.

With some exciting options in this market, let’s take a look at the NBA Finals MVP odds and see which players should be on our radar.

All NBA odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NBA Finals MVP Odds

Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics (+115)

Boston currently owns -150 odds to win the NBA Finals, so it’s no wonder why Jayson Tatum owns short odds in this market.

From the outset of the season, the Celtics were the chalk to compete in June. That expectation looks primed for reality, as Boston touts -1200 odds to win the ECF.

Tatum serves as Boston’s leading scorer and rebounder, both in the regular season and the playoffs. He leads Boston in Player Impact Estimate (PIE) and ranked third overall in plus/minus (behind Nikola Jokic and Derrick White) during the regular season.

If the Celtics can make good on their -150 odds to win it all, we could likely see Tatum add a Finals MVP to his resume.

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves (+320)

Past Tatum and the Celtics, it’s probably apt to hone in on Minnesota.

Neither Indiana nor Dallas are particularly scary foes for the Celtics, but Minnesota could serve as a super tough draw in what has been an otherwise unchallenging postseason so far for Boston.

Even though Kristaps Porzingis is expected to be back with the team sooner rather than later, the Celtics still have a size issue. Karl-Anthony Towns (2024 All-Star), Rudy Gobert (2024 Defensive Player of the Year), and Naz Reid (2024 Sixth Man of the Year) round out the bigs who helped the Wolves transform into the best defensive team in basketball.

Those players could all have a huge role in taking down Boston, and we’ve yet to even mention Minnesota’s main star, Anthony Edwards.

Edwards has been the breakout star of this postseason, making a name for himself on and off the court. He’s already scored 40-plus points in a trio of playoff games and would be the most likely candidate to win Finals MVP should the T-Wolves get the job done.

In the regular season, the Celtics and Timberwolves played in a pair of overtime contests, with each side taking one victory. When we checked in on the NBA Finals market in February, Minnesota owned +2500 title odds while they came in at +1900 odds heading into the playoffs.

Their +270 odds going into Conference Finals play proves that this is an underdog story, but I still think they are undervalued when considering how they match up against a team like Boston, making Edwards a worthwhile target in this market.

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (+650)

Perhaps we could see a world where Jaylen Brown outshines Tatum in the Finals.

While a Celtics championship victory heavily relies on Tatum’s performance, Brown is no stranger to huge outbursts. He averaged 27.0 points per game in March and went a combined 41 for 67 (61.2% FG%) in the first four games of the second round of the playoffs.

Brown also played a big role in those two games against Minnesota this season, averaging 30.5 points and 9.0 boards.

His overall numbers aren’t too far behind Tatum's, and he could have the added bonus of drawing an easier defensive matchup. If you think Boston’s -150 championship odds are right on the money -- or maybe even short-selling it -- then this is a solid place to find value.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves (+3200)

Among all the long shots in this market, no one is catching my eye more than Towns.

He is one of just six players left who made the All-Star team this year, and I am much more encouraged by his chances to be in contention for this award than any of Luka Doncic (+600), Kyrie Irving (+3600), or Tyrese Haliburton (+3600).

KAT showed up big for Minnesota in last night’s Game 7, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 boards. Edwards, meanwhile, scored just 16 points off 6-for-24 shooting. While this was a rare dud performance from Ant, it proves that the T-Wolves are well-rounded enough to win huge games despite a poor showing from him.

If Minnesota and Boston end up facing each other in the Finals, KAT has an awesome chance to leverage his size and excellent three-point shooting against a small-ish team Boston that lets up a ton of threes.

If the Wolves are on your radar to win it all, backing Towns could be worth a dart throw.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.