Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum, but now will he win the NBA Finals MVP?
After a strong showing in the first two games of the Finals in Boston, Brown has now jumped to the favorite at multiple sportsbooks in the odds to win this award. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic trails Brown and Tatum, who are in the driver’s seat with Boston up 2-0 in the series.
Odds to win NBA Finals MVP at #BetMGM
Jayson Tatum +145
Jaylen Brown +145
Luka Doncic +600
Jrue Holiday +650
Derrick White +5000
Kyrie Irving +8000
PJ Washington +50000 pic.twitter.com/0CjfgEeQS4— John Ewing (@johnewing) June 12, 2024
At DraftKings Sportsbook, Brown is the favorite over Tatum (+140 vs. +150) in this market after he was sitting behind him after Game 2.
There has been a lot of discourse around Brown, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon all discussing on a recent episode of the Hoop Collective Podcast that they’d have Brown well above Tatum in an MVP conversation.
Why is that important?
This award is voted on by people covering the Finals, so if they are feeling that Tatum isn’t the MVP, it’s going to take him changing their mind in the next few games to win this award.
Tatum has struggled shooting the ball in this series (31.6 percent from the field), and it is overshadowing some of the other impressive parts of his game.
The All-NBA forward has done everything else (passing and rebounding) for Boston, but when you compare the stats between the two — it’s not close.
|
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
FG% |
3P% |
SPG |
BPG |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jaylen Brown |
21.5 |
5.0 |
4.5 |
55.6 |
27.3 |
3.0 |
1.5 |
|
Jayson Tatum |
17.0 |
10.0 |
8.5 |
31.6 |
28.6 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
Brown has scored extremely efficiently from the field in this series, and his defensive impact can’t be underestimated.
The Eastern Conference Finals MVP is picking up Luka Doncic in this series, a lot of the time nearly full court, and he’s averaging 3.0 steals per game and 1.5 blocks per game in the process.
Tatum has played a much different defensive role, guarding the bigs in this series, and he’s responded by dominating the glass for the C’s.
Right now, Brown seems like the right bet to win the MVP, especially if Boston ends this series in four or five games. If there is less time for Tatum to put together some big scoring showings, it’s going to be hard to make up for his 12-for-38 shooting through the first two games.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
