'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The most prestigious individual achievement award in the league is the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The award is a validation and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads the league in MVP awards with six of the same. The award is being handed over to the best performing player since 1955-56. Stephen Curry became the only player to ever win the award unanimously after winning it in 2015-16.
Russell Westbrook won the award in 2016-17 after averaging a ridiculous triple-double over the entire season. He also became the first player to have played for a team that failed to win at least 50 regular-season games since 1982-83.
James Harden is the defending MVP and has won it after finishing his side finished top of the Western Conference last season. We look at 5 players who have a realistic shot at winning this highly coveted award in the upcoming campaign.
#5 James Harden
James Harden finally got his hands on the MVP trophy last season after leading the Rockets to the first seed in the Western Conference. The Houston Rockets finished 65-17 in the regular season, registering a franchise-record in terms of the number of wins. Harden, a 6-time All-Star averaged career-high 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
The Harden-Paul duo worked out really well and the Rockets made it to the Conference Finals. They lost to the eventual champions, Golden State Warriors in a well-fought 7-game series. Chris Paul averaged 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists and took some load off Harden which allowed James to go to the bench and come stronger.
This off-season, the Rockets have added Carmelo Anthony and a large part of team's success and James' own depends on how they shape up as a team. While Anthony can be a better fit on Rockets than he was on Thunder, it will be interesting to see if James' numbers drop because of the new All-Star and if he will struggle to adapt to the situation. If there is someone who can adjust to any situation and make it work though, it is James Harden.
#4 Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook plays everyday like it's his last, has an endless motor and is one of the most explosive dunkers in the league today. Westbrook is a 7-time NBA All-Star and a two-time scoring champion. He became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double over an entire season and won the MVP award.
Last season, he went on to do something more commendable. He averaged a triple-double over an entire season for the second-consecutive season. The Thunder's Big 3 experiment failed miserably last year and resulted in a first-round exit for OKC in the playoffs. The Thunder never needed Melo but more productive role-players.
With Paul George committing to stay with the Thunder and Carmelo leaving the team for Houston Rockets, this season will be very different for OKC. The Thunder front office did well in the off-season and I expect Russ to go beast mode and average yet another triple-double over the season.
Although a triple-double average will not warrant him an MVP award, if the team exceeds the expectation and finishes in the top four seeds in the stacked Western Conference, he might take home his second MVP hardware.
#3 Kawhi Leonard
Toronto has a new star now in the form of Kawhi Leonard. The 2-time All-Star is a top 3 two-way player in the league today. He is a 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and is known to irritate even the best offensive-minded players in the league with his defense.
After only featuring in 9 games last season because of a right quad injury, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP will be looking to get back to the court once again and show his skills, this time with his new team, Toronto Raptors. In the 2016-17 season when Kawhi was fully active, he averaged career-high 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists and finished second in the MVP race.
Toronto Raptors set franchise record last season winning 57 games and clinched the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in the franchise's history. However, their bad luck in the playoffs continued as they got swept by LeBron James' Cavaliers in Conference Semifinals.
With Kawhi's arrival, the team will play with rejuvenated spirits and are sure to make some noise in the playoffs. There are chances that Kawhi ends up winning MVP and potential DPOY awards and sends out a statement announcing his return to the league in fashion.
#2 Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis is a 5-time NBA All-Star and is one of the most dominant centers in the game today. The 2012 NCAA champion set the league on fire last season and averaged a career-high 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He also led the league in blocks with 2.6 blocks per game.
After DeMarcus Cousins went down with Achilles injury, Davis put the team on his back and carried them to the Conference Semifinals. In the playoffs, 'The Brow' averaged 30.1 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Davis' heroics also led to Portland getting swept in the first round by the Pelicans.
Davis finished third in the MVP voting and was also named a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He was the only player up for different awards. Pelicans made some really good moves in the off-season after losing Rajon Rondo in free-agency. They signed former Suns Guard, Elfrid Payton. The Pelicans also added centers Jahlil Okafor and Julius Randle after losing DeMarcus Cousins in free agency.
Sky is the limit for this Pelicans team and if Davis can get this team to another Conference Semifinals or Finals, this may well be the year Anthony Davis gets his hands on the most prestigious hardware in the league. He might also become only the third player to win both MVP and DPOY awards in the same season, behind Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
#1 LeBron James
A name that needs no introduction in the NBA, LeBron James is one of the greatest NBA players of all-time. A career filled with accolades, he is a 14-time All-Star, 3-time Finals MVP, 3-time NBA champion, and the Rookie of the Year in 2002. He led the league in scoring in 2008 when he averaged 30.0 points per game.
LeBron James turned the league upside down this off-season when he decided to take his talents to Los Angeles and join the Lakers. The 4-time MVP finished 2nd in the MVP voting this year. In his 15th season in the NBA, LeBron averaged a ridiculous 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game. He led the league in minutes per game with 36.9 and played all of it with the same intensity. James is only getting better with age and it doesn't look the trend is going to be any different this season.
The 14-time All-Star is arguably the best playmaker in the game today and is known for his ability to make teammates around him better. Playing on the Lakers means that LeBron will have a lot of younger guys on his team who he can advise and develop.
Though the Lakers do not have a lot of really good shooters, the team boasts of players who can create their own shot which will take some workload off LeBron allowing him to go to the bench for a while. James has always been unselfish when it comes to passing and expect his assists to go up further next season. Don't be surprised if LeBron averages a triple-double next year and clinches the MVP award for the 5th time in his career.
Guess the Lakers players!
