LeBron James, a four-time MVP in the NBA, will not get the award ever again. There you go, I said it. Some might think otherwise, but the facts are plain to see: he is not the young superstar who singlehandedly carried his team to the Finals back in 2007. Though James is still capable of performing at an elite level, he's getting older and there are too many young, talented superstars in the running.
1. Anthony Davis.
Davis is entering his fourth year in the NBA and coming off a season where his per game averages were 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and 1.5 steals. On top of having a career year, Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans made their first playoff appearance since their formation back in 2013. Despite being injury prone, Davis provides so much on the basketball court and is more than deserving of an MVP award at this point. Teammates Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday might be out of the lineup for some time after a knee-surgery and stress fracture surgery, respectively. Anthony Davis, thus, is going to have a lot on his plate in order for his team to succeed. He'll be getting most of, if not all, the touches on the court and will have a lot of responsibility for scoring and defending alike.
2. Stephen Curry.
Stephen Curry won MVP last season. With per game averages of 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, and a career-high two steals, why wouldn't he? It doesn't hurt that his team had the best record in the NBA after going 67-15 to end the year. Granted, he had the help of Klay Thompson who also had a career year in most statistical categories, and Draymond Green, who was the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. Steve Kerr, a rookie coach this past season, also contributed greatly to the Warriors' success, and their bench players equally made a great impact for the team. Long story short, the team flourished in all ways possible, and they deserved the championship they so easily won. With that behind him, Curry is expected to be just as ferocious and deadly on the court this season, and will definitely be a top contender for MVP once more.
3. Kevin Durant.
It seems like ages since Durant last won MVP, and as one might assume from the picture above, he's pissed he didn't get the chance to even contend for the award last season. In his 2013-14 MVP season, Durant had per game averages of 32.0 points, 4.1 assists, and 6.6 rebounds. During the following preseason, Durant injured himself, fracturing his foot. When he returned to the court for the OKC Thunder, Durant showed signs of his MVP performance in just a few games, but his season would fall short due to a setback from his previous surgery. This year, Durant is coming for blood, so I'd expect him to put up a hell of a fight to reach that MVP threshold once more.
There is no question that LeBron is still one of the best to ever grace the court, but he's closing in on the end of his prime, and these young guys are just entering theirs. It's up to them to prove themselves for that MVP award now, and I think we're going to see a great season out of all three of these basketball studs.
