NBA Most Improved Player Odds 2025

Of all the various futures bets you can make on an NBA player to win an award, the yearly award given to the NBA’s Most Improved Player is as challenging as it is fun.

Essentially, the NBA’s MIP award is given to a player who bounced back after having a bad season or even a bad start to their career, before piecing together a great season to put themselves back on the radar of NBA fans and pundits alike.

In this article, we will go over everything you need to know before betting in the NBA Most Improved Player futures market, including how the award is selected and the best odds you can find after the midseason All-Star break.

Note: Odds were correct at the time of writing.

How is the Winner Decided?

The NBA Most Improved Player Award is given out each season to the player who has shown the most significant improvement from their previous season.

A panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters from the United States and Canada votes for the award, with each voter selecting their top three choices and ranking them in order from first to third.

Each first-place vote is worth 5 points, with second-place votes worth 3 points and third-place votes worth 1 point.

The player with the most total points among the 100 ballots wins the award, meaning there are various scenarios where a player could have more second-place votes than first-place votes but still ultimately win the award.

Notably, the award typically trends toward a younger player making a leap rather than established stars. So when handicapping the list of options out there, this is something to keep in the back of your mind.

NBA Most Improved Player Betting Odds

The 2024-25 NBA season has provided multiple worthy candidates to bring home the Most Improved Player award this season, but that group has been pared down significantly as we come out of the All-Star break.

Here are the main players to watch as the season winds down.

Cade Cunningham (-105) at DraftKings – The Favorite

The No. 1 overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft has had to endure a lot of losing in his first few seasons in the Motor City, but new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has seemed to finally unlock all the skills of his 6-6 do-it-all point guard.

Cade is the short favorite to be named the 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Player, and for good reason, as he’s been the straw that stirs the drink for a Pistons team that entered the All-Star break with a 29-26 record, roughly double the number of wins the Pistons had all of last season.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy is on pace to set career highs in points (25.4 PPG), assists (9.4 APG), and rebounds (6.3 RPG), and take the Pistons back to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Norman Powell (+110) at BetMGM – Close Behind

Cade Cunningham would probably be running away with the NBA Most Improved Player Award race if it weren’t for the play of Clippers guard/forward Norman Powell.

We mentioned above that typically the NBA MIP Award goes to a younger player making a leap in his career; however, Powell is proof that there’s always an exception to the rule.

The 12-year NBA veteran has been tasked with not only picking up the slack for Paul George, who departed this past summer in free agency, but also picking up the slack for the oft-injured Kawhi Leonard.

As a result, Powell is posting career highs in points (24.2 PPG), while chipping in a modest 3.6 rebounds per contest.

He’s also shooting a blistering 43 percent from three-point range and is a big reason why the Clippers have remained competitive in a deep Western Conference all season long.

The race between Cade and Norman figures to come down to the end, and the odds reflect that, with each player being offered around even money to bring home the award this season.

Tyler Herro (+1900) at FanDuel – One To Watch

If there is a third name that will get involved in the mix of winning the MIP Award this season, look no further than Miami’s Tyler Herro, who, after the Heat traded Jimmy Butler to Golden State right before this season’s trade deadline, has become the focal point for Erik Spoelstra’s offense.

However, it may be too big of a hill for Herro to climb this season, as Cade Cunningham and Norman Powell have established themselves as the clear favorites to win the award.

The Heat entered the All-Star break on a four-game losing streak and are in danger of slipping out of playoff positioning altogether if they continue their subpar play following the break.

While that isn’t a direct indictment of Herro’s play this season (23.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.5 APG), it could lead voters to look more at what Cunningham and Powell are doing for teams that are in the playoffs.

The Long Shots

For any of these four names to climb into the mix to win the NBA Most Improved Player Award, they’re going to need quite a bit of help and to go at a torrid pace to close out the season.

Each of these four names has had really good seasons for their respective teams, but the names ahead of them have been better throughout the entire campaign.

If you’re looking for a name to sprinkle a small wager on that isn’t Cade Cunningham or Norman Powell, Tyler Herro is likely your best bet, opposed to any of the super long shots still available at every sportsbook.

Player	Team	Betting Odds
Christian Braun	Denver Nuggets	+5000
Evan Mobley	Cleveland Cavaliers	+6000
Dyson Daniels	Atlanta Hawks	+6000
Amen Thompson	Houston Rockets	+6000

Recent NBA Most Improved Player Winners

Year	Player	Team
2023-24	Tyrese Maxey	Philadelphia 76ers
2022-23	Lauri Markkanen	Utah Jazz
2021-22	Ja Morant	Memphis Grizzlies
2020-21	Julius Randle	New York Knicks
2019-20	Brandon Ingram	New Orleans Pelicans
2018-19	Pascal Siakam	Toronto Raptors
2017-18	Victor Oladipo	Indiana Pacers
2016-17	Giannis Antetokounmpo	Milwaukee Bucks
2015-16	CJ McCollum	Portland Trail Blazers
2014-15	Jimmy Butler	Chicago Bulls

How To Bet On The NBA Most Improved Player Award

To bet on this award, follow this step-by-step guide:

1. Go to your favorite sportsbook and log into your account.

2. Select the ‘Betting On NBA’ tab.

3. Go to the ‘Player Futures’ drop-down menu.

4. Click on ‘Most Improved Player.’

5. Submit your bet in the bet-slip window.