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2026 NBA Awards Betting odds with Best Bets and Expert Predictions

by Spencer Toth - 4/2/2026

NBA awards betting Victor Wembanyama San Antonio Spurs

The NBA regular season wraps up in less than two weeks, but several of the awards are still yet to be decided. Predicting the NBA awards can be quite tricky, as the voting process ensures nothing is ever certain until the winner is announced. We don’t have to worry about locking up our capital for several months, as voting is held after the regular season is completed, with the recipients announced throughout the postseason. There aren’t any crazy longshots that have time to pull through like earlier in the season, but there is still plenty of value on the board if you can get a favorable price as the season winds down. 

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MVP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -350

Victor Wembanyama +300

Luka Doncic +3000 

The MVP race has been wide open this season, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, Doncic, and Nikola Jokic all spending time near the top of the list. The NBA’s 65-game eligibility rule looked to have eliminated Victor Wembanyama when he missed 14 games with a calf strain, but he has stayed healthy since. This is virtually a two-horse race between Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, and this will come down to how the voters value defense. There is no doubt that Gilgeous-Alexander is the more gifted offensive player, with 31.6 PPG this season and 20+ points in every game to break Wilt Chamberlain’s streak. His reliance on the free throw line is often criticized, but it is not his fault that all players can do is foul him to slow him down. He gets involved on defense with 1.4 steals, but his impact isn’t anywhere close to Wembanyama’s. 

Victor Wembanyama is a true unicorn, and there is no one else like him on this planet. His 7-5 frame allows him to swat balls away from above the rim, and his presence alone forces opponents to avoid the painted area. His 3.1 blocks per game is far and away the most in the league, with 2nd-place Chet Holmgren closer to 90th-ranked Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s season total than he is to Wembanyama’s. On offense, Wembanyama stretches the floor with his deep ball threat and is far from a slouch with 24.7 PPG, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. 

The name of this award is the ‘Most Valuable Player,' and I think it is fair to say that it is Wembanyama. His defensive impact is like nothing ever seen in the modern-day NBA, while Doncic, Jokic, and others are arguably having a better offensive season than Gilgeous-Alexander. Wembanyama contributes more to his team, is impactful on both ends of the court, and is doing it all in greater than four minutes less playtime than Gilgeous-Alexander. We’ll kick things off with an underdog, as Wembanyama deserves the NBA MVP award. 

Pick: Victor Wembanyama +300

Rookie of the Year:
Kon Knueppel -250

Cooper Flagg +190

If Cooper Flagg did not get taken first overall, this award wouldn’t even be close. Kon Knueppel has led the lowly Hornets to the brink of a playoff spot for the first time in a decade, while Flagg is still anchoring the tanking Dallas Mavericks. Team success isn’t everything, but the way Knueppel has elevated those around him cannot be ignored. In terms of numbers, Knueppel is shattering three-point records. He became the fastest to 100 career threes, the youngest and only 22-year-old to ever score 250 threes in a season, and already set the rookie record weeks ago. He already has the 37th-most threes in a single season and could easily climb into the top 25 with a strong finish to the year. 

On the other hand, Flagg has been solid on both ends of the floor, but nothing spectacular. His ability to defend all five positions hasn’t flourished as it did in college, and his offensive splits are far from impressive. Maybe Flagg will go on to have a better NBA career than Knueppel, but based on the record-breaking numbers from the Hornets' rookie, he deserves the Rookie of the Year honors. 

Pick: Kon Knueppel -250

Most Improved Player:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker -130

Jalen Duren +135

Deni Avdija +2000

This has been a wild race this year, with Alexander-Walker, Duren, Jalen Johnson, and Avdija all spending time as the outright frontrunners. Avdija lost momentum in the second half of the year after going as low as -130 a few months ago. Jalen Johnson was able to take advantage of an increased role before the Hawks got healthy, but has since regressed. That leaves Duren and Alexander-Walker left standing. While Jalen Duren has been a huge part of the Pistons’ rapid rise to the top of the standings, his individual play doesn’t warrant this award. This is only his fourth year in the NBA, so some growth is expected, but he hasn’t taken anything resembling a huge jump. His PPG has gone from a career high of 13.8 to 19.5, while his 10.6 rebounds are right in line with his career average. His assists dropped by nearly a full point, while he dipped under a block a game, too. Team success can be part of the equation, but Duren is not the most improved player by any stretch of the imagination. 

In steps Alexander-Walker. The three-and-D NBA veteran had a previous career high of 11.0 PPG, and that was set in 46 games played with the Pelicans back in 2020-21. He has averaged a single-digit point total in each of his last four seasons, but has exploded for 20.6 PPG this year. He is an everyday starter for the surging Hawks, who have gone 18-3 since the NBA All-Star break. Not only is Alexander-Walker getting more volume, but he is 39.4% from behind the arc while tacking on career highs in rebounds, assists, and steals. Alexander-Walker is now a crucial part of the Hawks' rotation, and the massive jump on the stat sheet should give him a stranglehold on this award. 

Pick: Nickeil Alexander-Walker -130

Coach of the Year:
JB Bickerstaff (Pistons) -250

Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) +260

Mitch Johnson (Spurs) +1200

This might be a controversial one, but Joe Mazzulla deserves this award over JB Bickerstaff. Bickerstaff is in a similar box as Mitch Johnson, as they both have a struggling team full of young talents and have developed them properly to climb up the standings. While what Bickerstaff has done in Detroit is very impressive, it is natural for a team with half a dozen A-chip prospects and an MVP candidate to succeed. What isn’t natural? The Celtics staying in the top-two of the East despite losing their best player for the season. When Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles tear last year, this was expected to be a rebuilding season for Boston. The Celtics were underdogs to make the playoffs, yet they have already clinched with a 51-25 record. Mazzulla turned this team into a defensive powerhouse, slowing down the pace of play and stopping nearly all transition buckets. His game plan, which has been executed to perfection, was to let his shooters shoot and everyone else get back and set up on defense. Jaylen Brown has had plenty of success, but losing Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, in addition to Tatum, left the Celtics shorthanded. There are lots of good teams this year, but only one can be solely attributed to the head coach, and that is the Boston Celtics. 

Pick: Joe Mazzulla +260

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