With Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner seemingly out of the running for end-of-season hardware after suffering a torn right oblique, the updated betting odds for NBA Most Improved Player now have Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder recapturing the top spot at +125.
Here's a look at where Williams and all other contenders currently rank for the George Mikan trophy, especially after Wagner's injury removed him from the debate.
2025 NBA Most Improved Player Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Jalen Williams | Oklahoma City Thunder | +125 |
| Jalen Johnson | Atlanta Hawks | +425 |
| Dyson Daniels | Atlanta Hawks | +800 |
| Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers | +1200 |
| RJ Barrett | Toronto Raptors | +1400 |
| Norman Powell | Los Angeles Clippers | +1800 |
| LaMelo Ball | Charlotte Hornets | +2500 |
| Tyler Herro | Miami Heat | +2500 |
| Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons | +3000 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | Indiana Pacers | +3500 |
| Jonathan Kuminga | Golden State Warriors | +4000 |
| Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs | +5000 |
| Jaden Ivey | Detroit Pistons | +5000 |
| Jalen Suggs | Orlando Magic | +5000 |
| Gradey Dick | Toronto Raptors | +6000 |
| Payton Pritchard | Boston Celtics | +6000 |
| Christian Braun | Denver Nuggets | +6600 |
| Ivica Zubac | Los Angeles Clippers | +8000 |
| Jakob Poeltl | Toronto Raptors | +8000 |
Odds as of December 8, 2024 at BetMGM
NBA Most Improved Player Favorite: Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder (+125)
Williams' numbers haven't seen the monster improvement like some of his counterparts, yet for an Oklahoma City Thunder squad that's overcome key injuries to maintain the top spot in the Western Conference, the 23-year-old wing deserves a ton of credit for his contributions and numbers which have still been ascending.
His points (19.1 to 22), rebounds (four to 6.1), and assists (4.5) are all up from last season, and Williams' 2.1 steals per game are currently tied for second overall across the Association.
NBA Most Improved Player Darkhorse: Norman Powell, Los Angeles Clippers (+1800)
A hamstring injury sidelined Norman Powell for five games, and then he missed another due to injury management, so be aware of that moving forward because Powell - like all players - must meet the 65-game requirement for eligibility.
Should he stay healthy, though, it's hard not to like this chances. The Los Angeles Clippers have exceeded the admittedly low expectations set upon them by accumulating a respectable 14-10 record SU through 24 outings, with Powell leading the team in scoring at 23.9 points per game. That's an increase of exactly 10 points over last season when he worked as a reserve under head coach Tyronn Lue.
Past 10 NBA Most Improved Player Winners
| Year | Player | Team | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tyrese Maxey | Philadelphia 76ers | +1050 |
| 2023 | Lauri Markkanen | Utah Jazz | N/A |
| 2022 | Ja Morant | Memphis Grizzlies | +3000 |
| 2021 | Julius Randle | New York Knicks | +2000 |
| 2020 | Brandon Ingram | New Orleans Pelicans | +4000 |
| 2019 | Pascal Siakam | Toronto Raptors | N/A |
| 2018 | Victor Oladipo | Indiana Pacers | +2500 |
| 2017 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | N/A |
| 2016 | CJ McCollum | Portland Trail Blazers | N/A |
| 2015 | Jimmy Butler | Chicago Bulls | N/A |
Most Improved Player winners tend to come out of nowhere, and the opening odds never lean heavily in favor of one player because it's such a crapshoot in the end.
As seen here with winners from the last decade, Tyrese Maxey in 2024 was the only player to win after opening with odds greater than 11-to-1.
NBA Most Improved Player Winners By Team
| Awards | Team | Years | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Indiana Pacers | 2000, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2018 | Victor Oladipo (2018) |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | 1991, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2012 | Ryan Anderson (2012) |
| 3 | Washington Wizards | 1992, 1994, 1996 | Gheorghe Muresan (1996) |
| 3 | Phoenix Suns | 1989, 2006, 2014 | Goran Dragic (2014) |
| 3 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1988, 2004, 2016 | CJ McCollum (2016) |
| 2 | Miami Heat | 1990, 1997 | Isaac Austin (1997) |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 2003, 2007 | Monta Ellis (2007) |
| 2 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1995, 2024 | Tyrese Maxey (2024) |
The Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic currently share the record for the most winners of this honor at five apiece, although neither franchise has won since 2018.
NBA Most Improved Player Winners By Position
| Position | MIP Wins |
|---|---|
| Power Forward | 10 |
| Point Guard | 9 |
| Shooting Guard | 8 |
| Small Forward | 7 |
| Center | 5 |
There's no massive gap between any two positions as far as which has had more winners of Most Improved Player, with power forward leading the way at 10 players and point guard right behind at nine.
NBA Teams With Zero Most Improved Player Winners
The following teams have never had an NBA Most Improved Player winner: Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and Sacramento Kings.
How To Read NBA Most Improved Player Odds
When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Player odds laid out like this:
- Jonathan Kuminga +1000
- Evan Mobley +1100
It's like a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+). In this scenario, Jonathan Kuminga is favored despite being at plus money. If you were to bet $100 on Kuminga in the NBA Most Improved Player betting odds and it hits, you would win $1100 – your $100 is returned and you would get $1000 in profit.
If you were to bet on which player will be named Most Improved Player, you would make a futures bet.
What Is A Futures Bet?
This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s Most Improved Player. To make a futures bet, you would first use the handicapping info on this page to make your decision. Our Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the Most Improved Player odds and the amount of money you bet.
