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The long-awaited start to the NBA season has not disappointed in the least so far. LeBron James is a Laker, while Jimmy Butler still angles his way out of Minneapolis while playing his heart out on court. DeMar DeRozan is in rude health and possibly the best form of his NBA career, and news of the Spurs' post-Kawhi future has been way overblown.
Across the league, we have seen monster performances through the course of the 8-9 games each team has played thus far, and so, we're looking ahead to finding poster boys who decide the narrative of the season. Who makes the cut for the top 5 in our MVP power rankings for the first fortnight of action? Read on to find out!
#5 Steph Curry
We've all seen it unfold before our eyes - how Golden State has broken the league and revolutionized the geometry of offensive schemes to provide spacing like never before. And while Steph is the darling of millions of basketball fans and the role model for every errant shooter at your local pickup game, I feel he really is underappreciated for how he's changed the league, possibly forever.
What won't go unnoticed in my eyes, however, is his insane start to the season - even by the gold standard of his 2015-16 unanimous MVP campaign. At one point after 7 games, Steph had more 3-pointers made than the Washington Wizards and the Oklahoma City Thunder - 2 teams slated to make the playoffs. Think about that for a second.
For all the talk that Kevin Durant's arrival will eclipse his numbers, Steph is currently averaging 33 points, 5 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting ungodly splits - 54.9% from the field, a staggering 52.9% of his 11.6 3-point attempts (making 6.1 per game) and 91.3% of his free throws. And he's only playing 34 minutes a game at that!
If he keeps this performance up for any longer, even the most one-eyed fans will be unable to stop him catapulting to the top of our leaderboard.
#4 DeMar DeRozan
If you were amazed by DeMar DeRozan's upsurge in assist numbers and ability to play above-average perimeter defense this season, you probably haven't been paying attention to him. Through the course of his career, Deebo has refined his scoring game to the point where everyone now attests to his prowess at it, but of late, he's been focused on helping the team whatever way he can.
That the Spurs are 5-2 so far despite not having a recognized point guard on their active roster is really more of a testament to DeRozan's clutch play and Harden-like facilitating powers than just a product of the Spurs system.
The Spurs will be a playoff team come April, and they will have DeRozan to thank in large part for it. Averages of 27.9 points, 7.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game should not go unnoticed when you note that he's also defending with the same energy that he did earlier in his career.
#3 Anthony Davis
A couple of missed games because of injury and 4 straight losses have dropped AD down what was earlier a landslide pecking order with him at the top, for the first 4 games of the Pelicans' 18-19 season.
In the time that he's been on court, Davis has been a monster defensively, and on a whole other level offensively. He is now a willing passer out of the low post, where he gets double-teamed so often because of his ability to put his primary defender in a blender en route a posterizing dunk. This has made the team a better offensive unit, and reduced his scoring load.
His averages of 25.2 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.2 blocks are staggering by themselves, but they don't tell you how he really has been the best player in the NBA so far this season.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Was there really ever a doubt here? The Greek Freak has been on the rise every single season, and he vaulted himself into fringe MVP contention last year before the Bucks' floundering as a unit deprived him of an opportunity to push it to the forefront. Under coach Bud and a revamped offensive and defensive system that brings the best out of their personnel, the Bucks began with their best ever start to the season at 7-0.
Averages of 25 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks through 7 games are right in line with what we expect from a freak of nature like him. If only he could push up his percentages from midrange and the free throw line, he'd be #1 on our list.
#1 Kawhi Leonard
Who is the best perimeter defender in the league? Which team is off to the rudest start league-wide? Who is the most dominant two-way player on the planet?
If you don't think the answers are Kawhi, Toronto and Kawhi, I'd recommend you to watch some Raptors ball this season. Even as The Klaw eases into his physical peak having sat out basically all of the 2017-18 season and regains his explosiveness, he is unequivocally the one player who can do it all, and deliver in clutch moments on both ends of the floor. Consider this play:
And let me know who else on the planet can think of pulling this off. And who can actually do it.
The Raptors are the second best team in the league right now, and Kawhi is the primary reason for that. He has the stats to back that up, and is only going to get better by the end of the season. Not having won the award before means that the narrative in his favour will also be pretty strong, and that is why he's #1 on this list.
Guess the Lakers players!
