2021-22 NBA scoring champion odds: Giannis Antetokounmpo favored over (current leader) Joel Embiid, LeBron James

About the lone thing lacking from the Hall of Fame resume of the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo is a regular-season scoring title, and oddsmakers list the Greek Freak as a +190 favorite to win his first this year even though he comes out of the All-Star break slightly behind Philadelphia's Joel Embiid (+200) on the scoring list and with LeBron James (+240) also in the mix.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.4 points per game, just shy of his career high of 29.5 in 2019-20 when James Harden won the scoring title at 34.3 ppg. In February, Giannis has two games of at least 44 points and is averaging 33.4 ppg. The only Bucks player to win a scoring title was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar twice, last in 1972.

Embiid, the +140 MVP favorite, leads the league at 29.6 points per game – no center has won the scoring title since Shaquille O'Neal in 1999-200 when he won his lone MVP. Embiid is averaging 31.8 ppg in February but might not have to score as much once James Harden makes his 76ers debut – expected to be Friday in Minnesota. The last Philly player to win the scoring title was Allen Iverson in 2001-02.

Someone who may need to score more is the 37-year-old LeBron with Anthony Davis expected to miss four weeks with a foot injury suffered right before the break. As amazing as James has been, his lone scoring title was in 2007-08. Including playoffs, he already has more points than anyone in history.

The only other players below +2000 to lead the NBA in scoring are the Mavericks' Luka Doncic (+1000), Bulls' DeMar DeRozan (+1200) and Hawks' Trae Young (+1800). DeRozan is fourth at 28.1 ppg and has an NBA-record streak of seven straight games with at least 35 points and 50 percent shooting coming out of the break. Young is at 27.8 ppg and Doncic 27.5. Dallas has never had a scoring champion.

This could be the first season since 2014-15 that the scoring champion doesn't average at least 30.0 ppg. Russell Westbrook won it that year at 28.1 ppg. 

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