NBA futures: Jump on Jokic at this price while you can

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and we're here to stuff your stockings with valuable NBA futures bets to ride for the rest of the season. Let's take a look at two prominent player awards and fire on a few futures bets we believe will age quite nicely by April. 

'Tis the season for NBA futures

Nikola Jokic to win MVP (+200 FanDuel)

There's no question Jokic is the best basketball player in the world right now, and he's somehow still getting better. The Denver Nuggets center is averaging career-high marks in points per game (28.8), rebounds per game (13.4) and box plus/minus (15.0). He also leads the NBA in rebounds, BPM, VORP, PER, win shares, offensive box plus/minus and defensive box plus/minus.

You don't have to know what all of that means. Translation: He's really, really good at basketball. 

Not only has Jokic been the best player in the NBA this year, but the MVP is also a narrative-driven award. Voters are still stewing over their Joel Embiid selection last season after how the playoffs unfolded, and many of them will want to right their wrong this time around. Jokic's MVP price is only going to drop as the season goes on, so add this to your futures portfolio before it's too late.

Alperen Sengun to win Most Improved Player (+600 DraftKings)

Tyrese Maxey is currently a heavy favorite to win Most Improved Player, but are we sure he's the best choice this year? Maxey was already a 20-point scorer last season. His usage rate has increased without James Harden around, which is leading to career-highs in points, rebounds and assists per game, but his field-goal percentage and three-point percentage are both lower than they were last year. 

It's possible the voters want to avoid Maxey because he was already one of the best scoring guards in the NBA last year. That's not the case with Sengun.

Sengun was more of a role-playing center last season, but he's turning into a mini Jokic before our eyes. The 21-year-old has upped his scoring average from 14.8 last year to 20.9 this year. He's also leading all Rockets starters in points, rebounds, blocks, field-goal percentage, BPM, VORP and defensive rating.

There isn't much of a difference right now between Sengun's MIP candidacy and Maxey's, but that's not reflected in the betting odds. 

In the news ...

NBA in-season tournament moves to the quarterfinals — The NBA's inaugural in-season tournament has gone past the group stage, and eight teams will now move on to the quarterfinal round. On Monday, The Indiana Pacers will host the Boston Celtics, and the Sacramento Kings will host the New Orleans Pelicans. On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks will host the New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Phoenix Suns. The Celtics are +310 favorites to win the in-season tournament. 

Mark Cuban selling a majority stake of the Dallas Mavericks — Longtime Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is reportedly selling a majority stake of the team to Miriam Adelson at a $3.5B valuation, but he's not giving up full control. The billionaire is expected to maintain control of basketball operations in the deal. Dallas is +2100 to win the NBA title this season. 

Jonathan Taylor to undergo thumb surgery, miss 2-3 weeks — It's a great day to be a Zack Moss fantasy owner but a tough day if you're an Indianapolis Colts fan. The team announced this week that Taylor will undergo thumb surgery on Wednesday and likely miss two to three weeks. The Colts, who currently occupy the No. 7 spot in the AFC standings, are +118 to make the playoffs. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty