As we move into the 2023–2024 season, the Boston Celtics will have an MVP for the first time since 1986, when Larry Bird led K.C. Jones’s Cs to the Banner 16 title.

And one person is clearly the favorite to win.

As of October 10, the chances that Jayson Tatum will win the MVP award are the fifth best. Based on the four players they have ahead of Tatum, it’s clear that this will be his year. Nikola Jokic is the favorite, Luka Doncic is in second, Giannis Antetokounmpo is in third, and Joel Embid is in fourth.

While Jokic will have great stats and win enough games, we all know that voters will get tired of him, which will hurt the Finals MVP this season. Doncic may have the best statistical numbers, but the Dallas Mavericks won’t win enough games to give him the championship without adding much to the team in the summer. Giannis says that Damian Lillard joining the Bucks will hurt his numbers and take away from his story.

When they play together, it won’t be clear who the real attacking leader is for that team. A lot of people thought Embid, the current MVP, won the award because voters were tired of Jokic. The issue with James Harden may also have a big effect on the Philadelphia 76ers’ locker room. Embiid will have to deal with voters getting tired of him. Besides that, they might not win enough to give him a chance to win.

Tatum is now the favorite to be the league’s MVP. Tatum can come in and put up the stats to get the votes with a better supporting cast around him that won’t overshadow him like Lillard might Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. He just finished a season in which he averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, and was named MVP of the 2023 All-Star Game.

This team’s record will help Jayson Tatum’s case for MVP.

The Boston Celtics should also be at the top of the NBA standings after adding Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the summer. Tatum’s team’s record will be good enough to make them a candidate for MVP.

One more big thing that will go Tatum’s way? Nobody doubts that this is still his team, even though these stars have been added. A lot of people wouldn’t even say that any of his friends could take that spot. Most likely, those partners won’t want to; they’ll be focused on working together to raise Banner 18.

Tatum is without a doubt the best player on one of the league’s best teams, which makes him a lock for MVP by the end of the 2023–24 season. Everyone ahead of and behind him on the list of betting favorites will either lose votes because they haven’t won enough or because people don’t know who the real star player on his team is.

The Celtics must be thrilled about this season. They might have their first Michael Jordan Award winner and MVP since Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder’s “That’s What Friends Are For” became a big hit.