Does Devin Booker Have Value to Win NBA MVP With Chris Paul Out?
By Peter Dewey
Devin Booker is going to have a lot on his plate for the Phoenix Suns as they try to keep the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference without Chris Paul for potentially the rest of the regular season.
Suns star Chris Paul has suffered a right thumb avulsion fracture and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 21, 2022
Booker has shown he can carry Phoenix before, specifically in the playoffs last season when Paul was out due to COVID-19, and this time around he could put himself in the conversation for the league’s MVP award while he’s at it.
That’s right, Booker has some serious value as an MVP dark horse this season at WynnBET:
Latest Odds to Win NBA MVP This Season
- Joel Embiid: +150
- Nikola Jokic: +280
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: +400
- Steph Curry: +800
- Ja Morant: +1200
- Luka Doncic: +2000
- Devin Booker: +2000
How Can Devin Booker Win NBA MVP This Season?
Booker’s path to MVP is relatively straightforward with the Suns already holding the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, but he will need some other players to fall off as well.
However, since 2000, 16 of the league MVP award winners have come from a team that held the No. 1 seed in its respective conference. This is huge for Booker, as he could follow this trend by keeping the Suns in the one spot and holding off Curry, Jokic Morant and Doncic.
Not only that, but Embiid and Antetokounmpo are both still vying for position in the Eastern Conference, and there is no guarantee either player will end up with the top seed in the East.
Now, getting the No. 1 seed doesn’t automatically make Booker the MVP, but it is a start. This season, the former University of Kentucky guard is averaging 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
His assists have been down the past two seasons with Paul running the show, but Booker has a chance to improve on those numbers with Paul and Cameron Payne both banged up.
We saw in last year’s playoffs that Booker could really thrive in a playmaking role, and this could be a way for him to show that the Suns are more dependent on his play, rather than Paul’s, for success.
Still, Booker is a long shot pick until Embiid or Jokic seriously falls out of the running, but at +2000 odds there certainly are worse options to pick to win MVP.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.