The NBA season is about halfway done, and a few players have already emerged as front runners for this seasons Most Valuable Player Award. With most expecting Stephen Curry to be at the forefront to win this award, there are other players receiving heavy consideration as well. Will any of them beat Steph? Let’s see.
Honorable Mentions
1. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook has been solid this season. He is posting a career high 29.3 player efficiency rating, scoring 24 PPG, assisting on 9.8 APG, which is good for second in the league, and he is leading the league with a career high 2.5 steals per game.
He has been just as good as he was last year, and you could even say he has been better. With Kevin Durant returning to the Thunder, he obviously wouldn’t have to score as many points, but he has made up for that by sharing the ball well and playing outstanding defense. If he keeps up his play, he will have a solid argument for MVP at the end of the season.
2. Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi has done nothing but improve his play and increase his role over the past few seasons, and this year has been his best season yet. Kawhi is averaging a career high 20.1 PPG while shooting 50.6%. He has stayed a monster on defense, stealing the ball twice a game, and he has scored a career best 25.7 PER. In Kawhi’s best year yet, he has played great and he deserves to receive some recognition for the MVP award.
3. LeBron James
How could you give out an award for best player in the league and not have LeBron in the conversation? Not to say that that is the only reason he is here, because he has played excellently on the court this season. LeBron has been able to do it all, averaging 25 PPG, 7 RPG, and 6 APG. He also has a solid PER of 26.4, up from last season, and his plus/minus is 8.3. LeBron is in the midst of another good season, and should be considered for MVP.
Wildcard: Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler has taken over the Bulls and asserted himself as the teams top scorer. He is averaging 22.4 PPG and shooting 45% from the field. He is a phenomenal on-ball defender, and he backs that up by stealing the ball nearly 2 times a game. Jimmy has also shown the ability to completely take over a game and lead his team to victory on two different occasions.
On January 14th, he scored 52 points against the 76ers to lead his team to a comeback overtime victory, and on January 3rd, he scored 40 points in a half. He is the first Bulls player to do that since Michael Jordan. The ability to lead a team to victory like he has is a valuable skill, and it helps Jimmy’s MVP candidacy a ton. Jimmy may not be talked about like the rest of these guys, but he definitely should be in the conversation.
Winner: Stephen Curry
While all of the players on this list have had impressive seasons, none have been as impressive as the defending MVP. Steph won the MVP last year, but this year he has improved massively. Not only do I think Steph is the front runner to win the MVP, but I also think he should be in the conversation for the league’s most improved player. He has been THAT good. He averages 29.9 PPG, which is 6 points more than last season, and he also has more rebounds per game with 5, and he averages 6 APG too. He also has more steals, averaging 2.1 per game, and his PER is 4 points up from last year at 32.2. Oh, and lets not forget about how the Warriors did without Steph. While they played well without him in other games, the Mavericks rolled over the Warriors in a stunning 114-91 game. The Warriors are great, but with Steph on the court, they are much better. Stephen Curry has been better than he was last year, and for that, he is this years front runner to win the MVP halfway through the season.
