NBA Futures: Can Lillard Win MVP With The Bucks?

News of the Portland Trail Blazers trading Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks did more than just rock the NBA world last week. It shifted odds in a number of futures markets, making the Bucks the favorite to win the Eastern Conference (+165) and NBA Championship (+390).

The trade paired Lillard with one of the best players in the league, Giannis Antetokounmpo, giving him a legit shot to not only make the postseason, but make a legit run at his first title. Playing alongside Giannis also makes me think that we could see an elevated version of Lillard - if that's even possible.

The former Blazer has the 12th shortest odds to win MVP this season, sitting at 22-1, which I think is a bet worth considering.

Damian Lillard +2200 To Win MVP (DraftKings)

The Bucks have been and will continue to be Giannis' team, so you might think taking the Greek Freak to win MVP makes more sense. But the value is nearly tripled by backing Lillard and sharing the court with Giannis is only going to make Lillard better. The two-man game between them is going to be unlike anything Lillard has experienced. Not to mention, he's not going to be the primary scoring threat for the first time in his career. With defenses having to pay attention to more than just Lillard, that's going to open up scoring opportunities for the guard like he's never seen before.

Lillard averaged 32.2 points per game last season while shooting 46.3% from the field and 37.1% from deep. I could see those numbers going up seeing as he can be more selective with his shots because the entire scoring load isn't going to fall solely on his shoulders. Maybe his average points will decrease slightly, but I'd expect his shooting efficiency to improve. I also think his assists number could increase from the 7.3 he averaged a season ago. Feeding the ball into someone like Giannis who shot over 53% from the field in 2022-23 certainly won't hurt.

In terms of the market size that Lillard will be playing in, moving from Portland to Milwaukee is a pretty lateral shift. However, Giannis attracts a lot of national media attention, as does the Bucks' status as serious title contenders. Lillard will likely be featured on national television more than in previous seasons and the media will be watching closely to see how this new "big two" works together. All eyes will be on Milwaukee this year and that's extremely important in the awards market.

Lillard has been in search of his first championship and MVP title for the last 11 seasons. Is this the year he finally accomplishes both?