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With the NBA regular season now only a month away, teams are gearing up for yet another ride as they assign roles based on the talent distribution on their respective rosters. In the backdrop of a quirky offseason, experts and analyst predictions are all over the place. However, one constant among the heap of variables is presented by the distinctive talent pool consisting of injury-free, fit players raring to go.
As far as the MVP award goes, recent seasons hold ample proof the hardware has not been monopolised by a certain someone through the years. So naturally, the possibility of a newer deserving candidate emerging during the upcoming campaign can never be ruled out.
With that in mind, it makes sense to count other megastars not named LeBron, Giannis, Harden, Kawhi or Curry for the coveted award. With that in mind, here's a trio of bold but sensible projections ahead of 2019/20 - who all have something to prove:
#3 Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard took his time, but an eventual arrival on basketball's world stage has been announced loud and clear over the past few seasons. A four-time All-Star, he quickly established himself as the Trail Blazers' leading scorer after being drafted as the sixth overall pick in 2012.
Naturally, the franchise placed their utmost faith in the point-guard's talents, retaining him through thick and thin - including five successive seasons without a proper postseason run. However, their expensive gamble has paid dividends of mammoth magnitude in recent years.
Lillard has averaged at least 26 points and 6.6 assists per game for the past two seasons, on over 44% shooting from the floor. Evolving into one of the most efficient long-range shooters league-wide, he posts reliable conversion rates from deep on a consistent basis, particularly in crunch situations.
Possessing the heart of a champion with nerves to justify his clutch play, it'd be no surprise if he was named the 2019/20 MVP given the right circumstances as part of an unpredictable Western Conference.
#2 Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid: the Cameroonian carries the skill, athleticism and body frame to end his career as one of the greatest bigs to ever play basketball. Only if JoJo could steer clear of unnecessary injuries and manage to remain fit throughout the 82 games, he's capable of doing serious damage to the opposition in every game he plays.
His numbers from the past season were on par with the reigning MVP, but despite the stat-sheets screaming of his impressive feats, he didn't end up in the final discussion for the award. Embiid averaged a monstrous 27.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game last year, but was not as effective in making his teammates better as Giannis was.
He averaged almost six assists per game - the same as Kemba Walker, a legitimate point-guard - which is very impressive for an athlete his size. The final leap Embiid must overcome which separates him from glory, is playing the facilitator role as well, which could result in collective 76ers success and hopefully more individual accomplishments.
#1 Kyrie Irving
Kyrie has admitted on multiple occasions he takes full responsibility for his trainwreck campaign at Boston. However amidst all the false promises and questionable leadership, we seem to forget that he's already a six-time All-Star at just 27-years-old.
Irving has always housed the aptitude necessary to play a crucial role in a title run, if not lead from the front. He was averaging over 25 points and six assists per game, on 47% shooting when deciding to leave LeBron for the Celtics. All things considered, he's still more than capable of being as effective.
There is no doubt Kyrie could've soared higher after winning his first ring, but even after losing two years of his prime to a multitude of poor decisions, he still has enough left in the cylinder to be the world's best player. The MVP award for Irving next year appears too far-fetched, but that's only because we haven't seen him shine in recent seasons. Which could mean the best is yet to come.
