Basketball is not a fair sport.Year after year, completely undeserving players are given awards, players tat were supposed to dominate the NBA deal with horrific injuries, underdogs emerge, and bad teams pull of unlikely playoff upsets. This also applies to most valuable player (MVP) voting , because everyone has their own opinion about who deserves the honor most. In order for these opinions to at least be well informed, we bring you this years early MVP candidates.(Note: players who are currently severely injured will not be included in this article).
LeBron James
You can never have an MVP conversation without mentioning the name of LeBron James. Although his statistics are not as incredible as last year, he has still found a way to average 24.8 points per game even though he is sharing scoring and ball handling duties with teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Other areas of his game have also remained superb, as he is averaging 7 rebounds while dishing out 7 assists a night. While it is true that his chances of actually winning the prized award have slimmed due to the arrival of his new all -star caliber teammates, he is still the best player on the planet and will lead the MVP race as long as Kevin Durant remains injured.
Stephen Curry
Is there anything Stephen Curry can't do? The 6 foot 3 sharpshooter from Davidson has excelled in all aspects of the game this season even though he is being double teamed on a nightly basis. He has vastly improved his work on defense ,(3.5 steals and 6.3 rebounds per game this season) while maintaining his excellence on the more glamorous aspect of the game. Curry has also been driving and getting to the free throw line at a career high rate, and converting these freebies at an unbelievable 97.3% clip. He has averaged a career high 27.7 points while maintaining his incredible efficiency, shooting almost 50 % from the field. The turnovers have definitely been a problem for the young point guard, but they will not have a large affect on the MVP race if the Warriors continue to rack up wins.
Anthony Davis
If Anthony Davis were to reach his full potential, there wouldn't be an MVP race. There would not be a doubt in anyones mind he is the most deserving of this award. But since this is not the case, Davis remains yet another contender, and is unlikely to actually win the award.(although a top 3 voting is not out of question). In any other era, the 22 year olds statistical dominance would have guaranteed the award. Davis is fourth in the NBA in scoring with 25 points a night, while leading the league in both rebounds and blocks and shooting 51.8 . He has a higher player impact estimate(PIE) this season than that of LeBron James, who is considered the favorite to actually win MVP. Yet in today's NBA, there are a couple factors working against Davis. First of all, Anthony Davis is a Center in a league where the position has lost all glory. Big men have become soft and weak, preferring to take jump shots instead of using post moves like those of the 90's. Al Jefferson Demarcus Cousins, and Davis are the only statistically dominant big men today, and they are the last of a dying breed-playing in a game dominated by point guards. Also, Davis is just 22 years old. All voters will assume that he will have plenty of time to win the award, and therefore will be hesitant to vote for Davis. They would much rather vote for someone like James, who does not have many years left in his prime. Lastly, David has yet to even make the PLAYOFFS. Would you really want to give such an important award to someone who-for now- is nothing but a guy with good statistics on a bad team? The Unibrow will probably be denied the honor of an MVP award this season, but watch out world, because Davis will only get better, and at some point there is going to be no denying that he is the best player in the game.
Honorable mentions and why they were excluded
LeBron James
You can never have an MVP conversation without mentioning the name of LeBron James. Although his statistics are not as incredible as last year, he has still found a way to average 24.8 points per game even though he is sharing scoring and ball handling duties with teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Other areas of his game have also remained superb, as he is averaging 7 rebounds while dishing out 7 assists a night. While it is true that his chances of actually winning the prized award have slimmed due to the arrival of his new all -star caliber teammates, he is still the best player on the planet and will lead the MVP race as long as Kevin Durant remains injured.
Stephen Curry
Is there anything Stephen Curry can't do? The 6 foot 3 sharpshooter from Davidson has excelled in all aspects of the game this season even though he is being double teamed on a nightly basis. He has vastly improved his work on defense ,(3.5 steals and 6.3 rebounds per game this season) while maintaining his excellence on the more glamorous aspect of the game. Curry has also been driving and getting to the free throw line at a career high rate, and converting these freebies at an unbelievable 97.3% clip. He has averaged a career high 27.7 points while maintaining his incredible efficiency, shooting almost 50 % from the field. The turnovers have definitely been a problem for the young point guard, but they will not have a large affect on the MVP race if the Warriors continue to rack up wins.
Anthony Davis
If Anthony Davis were to reach his full potential, there wouldn't be an MVP race. There would not be a doubt in anyones mind he is the most deserving of this award. But since this is not the case, Davis remains yet another contender, and is unlikely to actually win the award.(although a top 3 voting is not out of question). In any other era, the 22 year olds statistical dominance would have guaranteed the award. Davis is fourth in the NBA in scoring with 25 points a night, while leading the league in both rebounds and blocks and shooting 51.8 . He has a higher player impact estimate(PIE) this season than that of LeBron James, who is considered the favorite to actually win MVP. Yet in today's NBA, there are a couple factors working against Davis. First of all, Anthony Davis is a Center in a league where the position has lost all glory. Big men have become soft and weak, preferring to take jump shots instead of using post moves like those of the 90's. Al Jefferson Demarcus Cousins, and Davis are the only statistically dominant big men today, and they are the last of a dying breed-playing in a game dominated by point guards. Also, Davis is just 22 years old. All voters will assume that he will have plenty of time to win the award, and therefore will be hesitant to vote for Davis. They would much rather vote for someone like James, who does not have many years left in his prime. Lastly, David has yet to even make the PLAYOFFS. Would you really want to give such an important award to someone who-for now- is nothing but a guy with good statistics on a bad team? The Unibrow will probably be denied the honor of an MVP award this season, but watch out world, because Davis will only get better, and at some point there is going to be no denying that he is the best player in the game.
Honorable mentions and why they were excluded
- Kevin Durant-Jones fracture
- Kobe Bryant- plays on a bad team, health issues
- Blake Griffin and Chris Paul- votes will be split between them, so neither one will garner enough votes to win the award
- James Harden-plays alongside Dwight Howard, terrible defensive reputation
- Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving- play alongside LeBron James
- LaMarcus Aldridge- lack of popularity, statistical output very good but not incredible
- Derrick Rose-Health