Who Should Win NBA MVP?

Who should come out on top as 2016-17 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP)?

Well, let’s hop right into this. I’m going to start with who I think shouldn’t win, then end with who I think should capture the NBA MVP Award.

Let’s start with Kevin Durant. Now, Durant has really been a name in the NBA and on social media this year, but not all in a good way. First, KD announced that he was leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to go to the Bay Area. Bad decision? No, not necessarily. Durant has been very outstanding this year, teaming with the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and others. Now, the recent injury KD has sustained is a major setback to him, so it makes me think he has the least chance of winning this year’s MVP Award. But hey, there’s always next year right?

The next person I don’t see having a huge chance of winning it is Steph Curry. I say this because this year he’s been a really off and on all-around player. Some may disagree, and that is because the people around him will bail him out of a lot of situations. Will they come out of that game with a win? Not all the time. Just look at his stats on the year. He is shooting a career-low of 39.7 percent behind the 3 point line, averaging around 25 points per game, which isn’t bad, but last year he was averaging around 30 PPG. He’s really played a role in Durant’s success this year but with him gone, who’s Curry gonna assist off of all the time?

Next man up, LeBron James. This was actually kind of a harder decision than the others, but he shouldn’t be the MVP. I think this because LeBron has also had more of an up and down season, but not as a player, as a team. They just don’t have that guy that can click with him every single game. Kyrie Irving will help, but not all the time. LeBron can’t win MVP this year, there’s too much talent ahead of him this year. LeBron isn’t always helping his team. Then you have Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard. So LeBron, you might want to start working for MVP next year, it’s not coming to you this year.

Who’s filling in the third spot to talk about? James Harden. He’s playing very well this year, averaging 28.9 PPG, 11.2 APG, and 7.9 RPG. But on the defensive side of everything? Yeah, let’s not talk about it. He’s not the best defensive player, he’s probably one of the worst. I feel if Harden cleans up his defense and starts playing it, he’ll be a threat to NBA teams and to the MVP ballot.

Now down to the final 2, what a hard decision to make.  I’m going to leave it up to anyone that wants to throw their opinion out there. I’m going to be talking about Kawhi and Westbrook in this final part. Let’s start with Kawhi. He has been filling a big role this year with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s playing extremely well on offense and defense. He’s being a great unselfish player and he plays really good defense. This is why I think he’s more of a threat than James Harden. Remember, defense wins games.

Now it’s time for Westbrook. Being honest, I feel this is the person everyone think will win in a landslide, which I see why people think that. Russell Westbrook has really been taking off this season, probably having one of his best seasons he’s ever had. I think KD leaving really lit a fire under him. As of now, he is leading the NBA in triple-doubles having 31 of them. I can see him winning over Kawhi for this reason. Westbrook doesn’t really have any playmakers around him. He is what is keeping OKC alive this year. If Russ left OKC they would be like the Detroit Pistons, who actually beat the Cavaliers last night. Now that I’m starting to think about it, I think Westbrook should be the 2016-17 NBA MVP of the year. He’s shown what he can do without Durant. Give him the award already!

If you think there should be someone else capturing the MVP award or this list should be in a different order, comment and tell me who you think, I’d like to know everyone’s opinion!