Lauri Markkanen's Odds of Winning Most Improved Player Revealed

We’re down to the home stretch with Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battling it out to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award for the 2022-23 season. FanDuel Sportsbook has the pair at +135 odds to take home the George Milan Trophy at the outset of the season.

Two players sit atop the odds board for Most Improved Player @FDSportsbook...

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +135
Lauri Markkanen +135

Who are you betting on to win the award? 💬 pic.twitter.com/I3kUy3WQdA
— br_betting (@br_betting) February 21, 2023

Gilgeous-Alexander is following up two injury-plagued seasons with career highs in points (30.8), field goal % (50.8), steals (1.6), and blocks (1.1). The former No. 11 overall pick of the 2019 draft made his first All-Star game while leading a team that went from being projected to earn a lottery pick to having a shot of making its first postseason appearance since 2020.

Markkanen is also having a career year averaging 24.9 ppg while hauling in 8.6 rebounds per contest. Utah’s leading scorer is coming off a season where he put up 15.7 ppg with 5.7 rebounds with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Markkanen’s big leap was significant enough to put him in the starting lineup of the 2023 All-Star game, where he scored 13 points in his first-ever appearance.

The pair haven’t played each other this year, but that will end soon. The Jazz and Thunder face off three times in their first five games coming out of the All-Star break, starting Thursday night in Salt Lake City. How these games play out could be the deciding factor in which player comes out on top.

The Jazz are currently a half-game behind the Thunder in the standings, and the team with the better overall record could sway voters to lean in his direction come award time. Other players that are listed but considered long shots are Jalen Brunson (+350), Tyrese Haliburton (+5000), and Nic Claxton (+9000).

The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters that casts a vote for first, second, and third place, with an announcement most likely to be made in the latter half of April.

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