Being in Toronto this year with no better way to prove himself than being the Most Valuable Player, here are five things that must happen for Kawhi Leonard to win the 2018-19 NBA MVP award.

According to Oddsshark, here are the early odds for the 2018-19 NBA MVP, as of August 8 at BetOnline:

LeBron James +400

Anthony Davis +450

James Harden +500

Giannis Antetokounmpo +550

Kawhi Leonard +800

Kevin Durant +900

Russell Westbrook +1500

Joel Embiid +1600

Kyrie Irving +1600

Stephen Curry +1600

Ben Simmons +2200

Damian Lillard +4000

Donovan Mitchell +5000

Karl-Anthony Towns +5000

John Wall +7500

Victor Oladipo +7500

DeMar DeRozan +10000

Jimmy Butler +10000

Vegas oddsmakers seem to have little faith that Kawhi could win the Most Valuable Player award this upcoming season. Their scepticism is justifiable. From his injury concerns to Leonard’s reported lack of desire to play in Toronto and the competition around him, an initial analysis seemingly puts this award far out of Kawhi’s reach.

Truthfully, however, no one knows how this season will play out for Kawhi. Much like his season could be significantly derailed by his lingering injury, Leonard may also come back fully healthy and dominate all year. In fact, recent reports contradict injury worries and seem to suggest much more positive things about Leonard’s recovery.

Similarly, even though many experts reported Leonard’s lack of desire to play with the Raptors, conflicting reports suggest he will keep an open mind about resigning in Toronto. At this moment, all talk about Kawhi is mere speculation and we must wait until the season tips off in October to firmly decide whether Leonard is a true MVP candidate or not.

Therefore, it is completely realistic to consider that, if everything goes well for Kawhi in 2018-19, he could very well be in the MVP conversation at season’s end.

Along those lines, this article takes a reverse approach and details five things that must happen to give Leonard a shot at taking home the league’s MVP trophy next season.

Let’s get started…