NBA: 5 best value bets for when the league returns to play

The 5 best value bets when the NBA resumes play next month

Assuming the NBA returns to play as scheduled at the end of July, that means the return of the only thing better than the actual sport itself: betting.

So go ahead and take a break from your bets on obscure international soccer leagues and 2K simulations because real betting is about to come back. And while it might be tough to predict what the games will ultimately look like once they get started in Orlando, there’s some really good value on the board.

(*All odds are courtesy of the Action Network)

NBA’s best odds: LeBron James to win MVP (+1148)

For the record, I think Giannis is the MVP of the league, but these odds are too good to pass up. It feels like years ago now, but LeBron was generating some real buzz for MVP before the season was postponed. The Lakers had recently completed a weekend sweep of the Bucks and Clippers where LeBron outplayed both Giannis and Kawhi Leonard on national T.V.

And, fair or unfair, people put a lot of value on nationally televised games at the end of the regular season. We’re all prisoners of the moment and love a good narrative. LeBron had both on his side before play stopped.

If and when the NBA resumes in Orlando, it will be the Super Bowl for prisoners of the moment. If LeBron and the Lakers play well in their final eight games while Giannis and the Bucks struggle to get up to speed again, then voters could very well weight those 8 games more heavily. Again, that’s probably (definitely) not fair to Giannis, but when has the MVP ever really been that fair?

It’s an award that often ignores who is actually the most valuable and rewards good seasons with a better story to attach to it.