It took nine years and 30.4 points per game, but James
Harden finally won his first NBA MVP Award last season. "The Beard"
will be among the favorites to win it again in 2019, but some of the game's
rising stars are finally starting to crack oddsmakers' top five contenders.
We'll count down the top 20 and start in Minnesota...for now.
THE MVP CHANTS START NOW
It took nine years and 30.4 points per game, but James
Harden finally won his first NBA MVP Award last season. "The Beard"
will be among the favorites to win it again in 2019, but some of the game's
rising stars are finally starting to crack oddsmakers' top five contenders.
We'll count down the top 20 and start in Minnesota...for now.
JIMMY BUTLER
Timberwolves' All-Star forward Jimmy Butler did not mince
words this summer when he said he wanted out of Minnesota. The front office is
trying to make a deal with the Heat, but Butler has yet to return to practice
as he continues to rehab from offseason wrist surgery. As much of a mess as
this is, if Butler does join the Heat, he would be "the man" and have
a chance to carve out a role as the face of the franchise.
CHRIS PAUL
Can he stay healthy? It's the annual $64,000 question. Paul
missed 24 regular-season games and Game 6 and 7 of the Western Conference
Finals last year. His 18.6 points and 7.9 assists per game of a season ago are
nice, but he really needs to enter triple-double category to be considered an
MVP candidate in this day and age.
NIKOLA JOKIC
About to enter his fourth NBA season, the 23-year-old
stretch center truly embodies what today's NBA big man is all about. On top of
the 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, Jokic averaged better than six
assists per game and can shoot from beyond the arc. He's a long shot, but he's
definitely a guy to watch out in Denver.
DEMAR DEROZAN
DeRozan can shoot. There's no debating that, as he's
averaged better than 20 points per game in each of the past five seasons.
However, what else does he bring to San Antonio's table? If Kawhi Leonard
enjoyed playing for the Spurs, DeRozan isn't there and he'd remain one of
several solid players on the Raptors' roster. Now, he's one of several solid
players on the Spurs. Needs more sizzle.
JOHN WALL
After averaging career highs in both points (23.1) and
assists (10.7) per game in 2016-17, Wall missed half of last season due to
different knee injuries. It's safe to say that by sharing the floor with
Bradley Beal, who some may argue is better than Wall, the nine-year veteran out
of Kentucky will continue to have the odds stacked against him in the MVP race.
VICTOR OLADIPO
If you want to back a long shot, Oladipo may be your guy. In
his first season with the Pacers, the 26-year-old averaged a career-high 23.1
points and 2.4 steals per game. You may also remember that he played out of his
mind during the Eastern Conference Playoffs when he averaged 23 points and
eight rebounds per contest. Oladipo took a huge step last season and with
LeBron out of the East, he'll earn even more recognition as one of the
conference's top stars.
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
While Jimmy Butler wants out, Karl-Anthony Towns isn't going
anywhere. The Timberwolves locked up their franchise player for the next five
years. If Butler departs, watch for Towns' scoring average to return to around
25 points per game, where it was before he arrived. If he really wants a shot
at the MVP, though, he'll have to cut down on a career-high 3.5 fouls per game,
which kept him on the bench and limited stat-sheet stuffing.
DAMIAN LILLARD
To borrow an analogy from another sport, we could be looking
at a Barry Sanders/Calvin Johnson type situation out in Portland. Lillard may
spend his whole career up in the Great Northwest and leave the game with not
much to show for it except for an array of sexy stats. The guy is a star, and
he's averaged 27 points per game over the past two seasons. However, like DeMar
DeRozan, you need a little bit more juice to contend with the MVP favorites.
DONOVAN MITCHELL
Surprise, surprise, surprise, Mitchell and Ben Simmons not
only fought for last season's hotly contested Rookie of the Year Award, but
they now share the same 2018-19 MVP odds. Mitchell is a 22-year-old NBA
sophomore, so it'll be interesting to see how much he improves as a scorer Last
season's 20.5 points per game on 43 percent shooting may be enough to contend
for R.O.Y. but far from enough to be hearing MVP chants.
BEN SIMMONS
It may not be this year, but Simmons possesses a unique
skill set that could lead him to an NBA MVP one day. If he can improve his outside
shooting, he may have a shot, as Steve Nash proved a pass-first point guard can
win this award, even if Simmons is eight inches taller.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK
Mr. Triple-Double, Westbrook averaged double-digit points,
rebounds and assists for a second consecutive season. He's about to enter his
11th NBA season and with Paul George by his side, there's little doubt
Westbrook could post a trib-doub three-peat. But it'll be interesting to see
how the now 29-year-old handles the stat stuffing vs. winning now, as his hour
glass begins to run low on sand.
KYRIE IRVING
One of the game's best ball-handlers of all time, Irving
returns to a fully loaded Celtics starting lineup. Although he missed 22
regular-season and every playoff game last season, Irving still managed 24
points and five assists per game. However, that was without an active Gordon
Hayward and before Jayson Tatum emerged as the franchise's next big star.
There's too many mouths to feed in Boston for Irving to win the MVP this
season. If an MVP matters to him, he should return to Cleveland.
JOEL EMBIID
Playing in 63 of 82 games last season, Embiid's 22.9 points
per game ranked fourth among fellow power forwards. If he can increase his
minutes per game and performs at the same rate as a season ago, he'll be the
talk of the NBA on a regular basis.
STEPH CURRY
If ever a picture so perfectly defined Steph Curry's play,
it would be this one. Sometimes it feels like the guy is floating over the
court. After winning back-to-back MVP honors in 2015 and 2016, Curry has
endured a two-year dry spell. But then again when the Warriors added future
Hall of Famer Kevin Durant to the roster, most knew it would be tough for Curry
to remain the center of attention. Curry remains one of the game's greats, but
depending on how you define MVP, he's not the most valuable on
his own team anymore.
KEVIN DURANT
Durant shot 41.9 percent from beyond the arc last season,
which was the second-best rate of his career. He also saw an uptick in points
and assists per game during his second season with the Warriors. Golden State
is focused on winning titles and creating a dynasty and because of this; it'll
be hard for any one member of the team to earn MVP-favorite status.
KAWHI LEONARD
Leonard is a great defender and has proved to be a consistent
shooter/scorer in the past. But after missing all but nine games last season
due to a quad injury, the jury is out on whether or not he can capture MVP
honors as a member of the Toronto Raptors. Don't forget: Kyle Lowry can fill it
up too.
JAMES HARDEN
The Chris Paul-James Harden two-man game works well and
allows for the latter to remain an MVP favorite. He just has to hope Carmelo
Anthony's arrival doesn't dampen those expectations.
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
"The Greek Freak" is one of league's rising stars
and must-see talents on the court today. Last season, he saw his
points-per-game average jump four points to 26.9 and rebounds per game average
tick up to 10 boards per contest. He won't turn 24 years old until December and
has Milwaukee in position to contend for an Eastern Conference crown.
ANTHONY DAVIS
Whispers of Davis joining the Lakers have started, but he
still has to finish strong with the Pelicans and do so without tag-team
partner, DeMarcus Cousins. However, Cousins' decision to sign with the Warriors
opens the door for Davis to average 30-plus points and 13-14 rebounds per game
while maintaining a 50-percent-or-better shooting percentage. Those stats
scream MVP, and what are the Pels without Davis?
LEBRON JAMES
Despite taking the Cavs to the NBA Finals four consecutive
years and nearly averaging a regular season triple-double in each of the past
two while also shooting better than 52 percent from the floor, King James
hasn't won an NBA MVP Award since 2013. The Lakers missed the Western Conference
playoffs by 12 games last season. If James can get them over the hump and into
the playoffs in his first season while maintaining the stats he posted in
Cleveland, the MVP will be his once again.
No comments:
Post a Comment