NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Deni Avdija, Jalen Johnson, Keyonte George Top List

There is an odds-on favorite to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award at the All-Star break.

All-Star forward Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers is currently -120 to win the award, but there is an intriguing chasing pack behind him, including my preseason pick – Atlanta Hawks wing Jalen Johnson.

Johnson was also named an All-Star this season, and he and Avdija are the two leading candidates in this market while Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (+800), Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (+1000) and Detroit Pistons All-Star Jalen Duren (+2000) round out the top five.

Houston Rockets wing Amen Thompson entered the season as the favorite in this market, but he’s dropped all the way down to +40000 in the odds after showing little offensive improvement – especially with his shooting – in the 2025-26 campaign.

Here’s a look at the odds and a breakdown of some of the leading candidates to win MIP this season.

NBA Most Improved Player Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Deni Avdija: -120
Jalen Johnson: +240
Keyonte George: +800
Nickeil Alexander-Walker: +1000
Jalen Duren: +2000
Anthony Black: +4000
Ryan Rollins: +5000
Dillon Brooks: +6000
Jaylon Tyson: +6000
Collin Gillespie: +6000
Michael Porter Jr.: +7000
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: +40000
Amen Thompson: +40000

Since the 2019-20 season, all but one winner of the MIP (Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Ja Morant, Lauri Markkanen, Tyrese Maxey) all earned their first All-Star berth the season they won this award.

Dyson Daniels bucked that trend last season, but he also finished second in the voting for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. So, with that in mind, let’s break down each candidate for MIP at this point in the 2025-26 season.

Deni Avdija

Avdija is having a massive season scoring the ball, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game as the lead option in Portland. The Blazers are firmly in the Western Conference play-in mix, and Avdija has led them to a 22-24 record in the 46 games he’s appeared in.

One concern is that a lingering back injury has caused the former lottery pick to miss nine games already, which could put his MIP case in jeopardy if he misses another long stretch in the second half of the season.

Avdija is a deserving favorite at the moment, but I wouldn’t recommend betting on him at this price with so much time left in the regular season.

Jalen Johnson

Johnson’s Hawks are in the play-in race in the Eastern Conference, and the first-time All-Star is averaging a double-double in the 2025-26 campaign. He’s putting up 23.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field.

Johnson has not scored as much as Avdija, but he’s been a more efficient player and has contributed more across the board as the No. 1 option. I actually think he’s a little undervalued at +240, even though he showed signs of his breakout late in the 2024-25 season.

That could hurt Johnson’s case, but he’s ascending into perennial All-Star status with his play this season.

Jalen Duren

Duren is the last player on this list that made the All-Star team this season, and he’s certainly made a leap as a scorer, averaging 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference.

Since Duren is the second-best player on a clear playoff/title contender, it may vault him higher in this conversation for some voters.

Keyonte George

Jazz guard Keyonte George has put together an impressive year scoring the ball, averaging 23.8 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3.

He is putting up big stats on a bad team, but I think Utah’s recent tanking measures – sitting Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. late in games – are a death sentence to George’s MIP case once he returns from an injury. The young guard could see his minutes dip, which would likely hurt his overall production.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

A free-agency addition by Atlanta this past offseason, Alexander-Walker has blossomed into a key piece for the team, and the Hawks decided to end the Trae Young era partially because of how well NAW fit alongside Johnson on this roster.

The former first-round pick is having a career season scoring the ball, averaging 20.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from 3.

After being a key bench piece in Minnesota, Alexander-Walker has certainly taken advantage of an expanded role in Atlanta this season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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