Wemby most bet player to win 3 major NBA awards

Odds and data via theScore Bet and ESPN Bet

A player of Victor Wemabanyama's caliber won't hit a sophomore slump.

That's at least that's what bettors believe.

Considered a generational prospect entering the NBA, the 2023 No. 1 pick surpassed rookie-season expectations and is now expected to take a monstrous leap in Year 2.

Wembanyama is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year (-190) and Most Improved Player (+650), and he has the eighth-best odds of winning MVP (+1800).

The Frenchman only collected the Rookie of the Year award last season - he was the seventh unanimous ROY winner in NBA history - but he was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year after making a push to steal it from Rudy Gobert that ultimately fell short. He would have been the first rookie to ever win DPOY.

Bettors are counting on Wembanyama. He's receiving the most bets to win MVP (15%), DPOY (21%), and MIP (14%). Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are receiving the second- and third-most MVP bets with 10% and 9%, respectively. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo has the second-most DPOY bets, and Immanuel Quickley has the second-most MIP bets.

Wembanyama has less of a chance to win MVP than the other two awards because the MVP is typically on one of the league's best teams. The Spurs are favored to miss the playoffs (-700) rather than make it (+400), and it should be noted the last player who won MVP in his second season was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.

The other two awards are more attainable.

Wembanyama led the league in blocks by a sizeable margin last season, and his presence around the rim dissuaded drivers from attempting shots at the basket. Some voters shied away from gifting him DPOY because his team's defense ranked toward the bottom of the NBA, but Wembanyama's backups are at fault for that.

As for MIP, Wembanyama should increase his scoring average to the high 20s and improve his other per-game statistics with increased minutes and more talented teammates.

Wembanyama became the league's first-ever player to reach 1,500 points, 250 blocks, and 100 threes, and he did so while averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 boards, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocks.

The individual success didn't lead to many wins - the Spurs finished with the NBA's fifth-worst record, mostly due to a poor roster that didn't play to Wembanyama's strengths - but it did accelerate San Antonio's rebuild. After witnessing Wembanyama's greatness, the franchise acquired veteran free agents Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, along with other upgrades.

The Spurs' win total is 36.5, meaning oddsmakers expect a 14-game win increase from last year's 22-60 season.

That's the Wemby effect.

Bettors are counting on that impact to manifest itself in the awards market.

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.