NBA Finals MVP Odds Suggest Kristaps Porzingis Will Return for Celtics

Boston Celtics star big man Kristaps Porzingis has not played since the first round against the Miami Heat due to a calf injury, but it appears he could return for the NBA Finals.

NBA insider Shams Charania reported that there is "optimism" that the versatile center will be able to play by Game 1 of the Finals, which would be a huge boost for Boston against Dallas or Minnesota.

While Porzingis hasn't officially been cleared for Game 1, his odds to win the NBA Finals MVP award may tell us that he will be.

As of now, KP has the third-best odds of any Celtics player -- ahead of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford -- to win the award.

NBA Finals MVP Odds

• Jayson Tatum: –115
• Luka Doncic: +270
• Jaylen Brown: +600
• Anthony Edwards: +1500
• Kyrie Irving: +2200
• Kristaps Porzingis: +4000
• Derrick White: +4500
• Karl-Anthony Towns: +7000
• Jrue Holiday: +7000

Even though he is third amongst C's players, Porzingis is still a long shot bet at +4000.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (who won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP) are the likely candidates to win this award, especially with Boston heavily favored to win the title.

This season, Porzingis proved to be one of the missing pieces for Boston, stretching the floor from the center postion and scoring in a myriad of ways in an high-powered offense. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in the regular season while shooting an impressive 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

If he returns, he'll be in the mix to win the Finals MVP award, but he's certainly not the safest bet you

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.