Over the past few weeks at FanDuel Research, we’ve covered some of the contenders with the shortest 2023 NBA MVP odds.

Today we’re going to take a look at some longshots with the potential to win MVP by examining their availability, production, and team situation.

These players all have odds outside of the top-14 players and have difficult and/or unlikely paths to winning the award.

In other words, they’re longshots for a reason.

Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans (+5000)

Entering his fourth season in the NBA, the expectation would have been for Zion Williamson to be a front-runner for this award -- not a longshot. When healthy, Williamson has been an impactful player, demonstrating the unique blend of size and skill that made him one of the most hyped prospects in league history. The issue, of course, is that he hasn't been able to stay healthy.

Williamson is averaging just 38.0 games played per season. In those games, he is averaging 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, shooting 60.5% from the field and 34.3% from behind the arc. Any path to Williamson winning MVP starts with him staying healthy and playing at least 65 games for the first time in his career. If he does that and improves his per-game averages slightly, he could enter the MVP conversation. Embiid won the award last year averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game with 66 total games played. Williamson is within shouting distance of those numbers in a best-case scenario.

From a team perspective, the opportunity is there for a narrative to form around Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. Over the last five seasons, the MVP winner's team has an average finishing position in their conference of 2.8. The lowest finish for an MVP winner's squad during that stretch was the Nuggets, who finished sixth in the West when Jokic won the award in 2021-22. With Williamson missing half the season last year, New Orleans finished ninth in the West with a record of 42-40, but they were just three wins away from the Phoenix Suns in fourth. The pieces are there, with a healthy Williamson, for the Pelicans to take the next step.

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (+5000)

Entering his 20th season LeBron James has accomplished just about everything there is to accomplish. He last won the MVP award in 2013, his fourth in five years. In trying to win his fifth, he will have to overcome the same obstacle Williamson will -- availability.

Since joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, James has averaged 55.6 games per season. James' absences are understandable, given his age, but present a major hurdle to him taking home his fifth MVP. Dating back to 1994-95 (excluding the shortened season in 1998-99), no one has won the MVP award without playing at least 60 games. The fewest games played by an NBA during that span? James, who played 62 games when he won the award in 2011-12.

James' path to winning MVP starts with playing at least 60 games for the first time since 2019-20. If he can do that, the other pieces are there. James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game last season. From a team perspective, the Lakers always have the media's attention, and their odds to win the West (+750) are tied for third-best with the Golden State Warriors.

At this point in his career, James is a longshot for a reason, but he's been defying expectations for years now and is certainly capable of doing so one more time.

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks (+6000)

Entering his sixth season, Trae Young is seeking to become the first guard to win MVP since James Harden in 2018. Availability is not an obstacle for Young; he has played at least 60 games in each season of his career and at least 73 games in each of his last two. For Young to break through and win MVP, he will have to both increase his statistical output and overcome a less-than-ideal team situation.

Young averaged 26.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 10.2 assists last season. Since 2000, eight guards have won the MVP award, and only half of them did so while averaging fewer than 30.0 points per game (PPG). Of those four guards that averaged fewer than 30.0 PPG, three of them were on a team that won their conference, and one was on a team that finished third. The last player at any position to win MVP while averaging fewer than 26.4 PPG? Stephen Curry in 2015-16 -- when the Warriors went 73-9 and set the record for wins in a season.

The pattern is clear, to win MVP while averaging below 30.0 PPG, you likely need to be the leader of a team that wins their conference. That is unlikely for Young. The Atlanta Hawks finished eighth in the East last season at 41-41. They have the eight-best odds to win the East this season (+5500), tied with the Brooklyn Nets. Under new coach Quin Snyder, there is hope for improvement from Atlanta. For Young to win MVP, he will likely need to pair that improvement with the best statistical season of his career, propelling the Hawks to a top-two finish in the East.

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (+6000)

A second-round pick in 2018, Jalen Brunson is also entering his sixth season and, as a guard, is looking to overcome many of the same obstacles as Young. Like Young, availability has not been a concern for Brunson; he has averaged 69 games per season in his career and played 68 in his first campaign for the New York Knicks last season.

From a production standpoint, Brunson has a way to go to enter the MVP conversation. In his first season in New York, he averaged 24.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. Operating in a leading role (35.0 minutes per game), the points and assists were career-highs for Brunson. He averaged fewer PPG than Young and, unlike Young, did not have elite assist numbers, ranking 25th in assists per game. Young ranked third. Brunson's path to winning MVP starts with him taking a second-year leap in New York and improving his production across the board.

The good news for Brunson is he has a much better team outlook than Young. If he can improve his production, the Knicks are within striking distance of a top-three finish in the East. They finished last season in fifth with a 47-35 record before breezing past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. They currently have the sixth-best odds to win the East (+1600) -- a significantly better outlook than the Hawks. Playing in New York, Brunson also has the advantage of increased media coverage and national attention. If Brunson can take the next step and turn the Knicks into a contender, it is easy to see that narrative being strong enough for him to enter the MVP conversation.

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat (+7500)

Entering his 14th season, Jimmy Butler's availability is an obstacle to his chances of winning MVP. Since joining the Miami Heat in 2019, Butler is averaging 57.8 games played per season and has played over 60 games just once in four years. That season was last season, but it was also Butler's first time playing in at least 60 games since 2018. For Butler to have a chance at taking home his first MVP award, he will likely need to at least match his games played from last season.

The other obstacle in Butler's path is Playoff Jimmy, Butler's superstar persona who always comes to play in the postseason. The issue with Playoff Jimmy is that the MVP award is a regular season award, and Butler's regular season production has been a level below what he's shown in the postseason. Butler averaged 22.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.9 rebounds last season -- solid but not MVP-level. In the playoffs, those numbers jumped to 26.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 6.5 rebounds. That's still not at an MVP level but closer. For Butler to win MVP, he will need Playoff Jimmy to make more regular season appearances.

From a team perspective, Butler is in an interesting place. The Heat's plans to land Damian Lillard in a trade never materialized, and they will enter this season without Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, who signed for other teams in the offseason. Despite that, they still have the fifth-best odds to win the East (+1100), only slightly behind the Philadelphia 76ers in fourth (+1000). The opportunity is there for Butler to lead the Heat on a mini-revenge tour of sorts and compete with the two teams in the East that wound up benefiting the most from the Lillard trade (Milwaukee Bucks) and its downstream effects (Boston Celtics).

It's an extremely difficult task but one that, if accomplished, would provide a narrative strong enough to place Butler into the MVP conversation.

Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers (+7500)

Entering his 12th season, Kawhi Leonard's primary obstacle in his path to winning MVP is his availability. Leonard's struggles with injuries are well documented even when excluding the 2021-22 season which he missed all of with a torn ACL.

Leonard has averaged 53.6 games per season on the Los Angeles Clippers. Last season, he tore his meniscus in his right knee in the playoffs. Leonard has been a full participant at training camp thus far, but he will need that availability to hold for an entire season to win his first MVP award. He hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since 2016-17.

When Leonard is available, he is a difference-maker. Last season he averaged 23.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game in his first full season after tearing his ACL. While those numbers are solid, they are a notch below an MVP level. Even accounting for Leonard's defensive prowess, he would need his production to improve across the board to enter the MVP conversation, an obstacle he shares with most of the long shots on this list.

The Clippers are capable of having the success required for Leonard to enter the MVP conversation, but it will be a difficult task. They have the sixth-best odds to win the West (+1200) after finishing in fifth last season with a record of 44-38. The West provides a gauntlet of difficult opponents with the usual contenders above the Clippers and several teams below them well-positioned to take the next step.

For Los Angeles to finish near the top of the West, Leonard -- as well as Paul George -- will need to be consistently available, something they have failed to do in their four seasons together thus far.

Do you think you know which NBA players will take home hardware this season? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA award odds market to bet any major season-long awards with America's Number One Sportsbook. Be sure to check out other basketball betting options, as well.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.