There can only be one player who can raise above the rest as the best in the NBA. This award is not just any type of award. This award represents everything about the NBA on and off the court. Anybody can argue on who the best player is all season long, but when this award is handed, the argument will end and somebody’s feelings will get hurt because they were wrong. Steph is better than LeBron or Kobe is better than Jordan. That’s how that conversation gets started, and 100 percent of the time it ends like this. ‘I told you so.’ So here are the "I told you so" guys you should keep an eye out for this season.
1. Russell Westbrook is my number one player to win the MVP award this season. Last season, a ton of NBA fans around the world felt like he was cheated out of the award. He had phenomenal numbers in his 2015-16 campaign. He posted 23.5 PPG, 10.4 APG, 2 SPG and 7 RPG. He is Oklahoma City’s heart and soul. Not only did he almost average a triple double for the season, he tied Magic Johnson for most triple-doubles in a single season with 18. You can call it what you want, but 18 triple-doubles in a single season is monstrous. He will look to continue his rampage this season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the off-season, Westbrook signed a three-year, $85.7 million contract extension. It is safe to say that Russell Westbrook will be a top three player in the 2016-17 season.
2. Paul George is the guy everyone will be talking about in 2017. I give it until the All-Star weekend and everybody will hop on his bandwagon. PG 13 is a complete player with huge upside now that Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and Al Jefferson have been added to the Indiana Pacers roster. Finally, there will be the right kind of help he needs. He had good numbers last season, posting 23.1 PPG, 7 RPG, and 4.1 APG. Not bad for a player coming off a major injury. In Rio, he showed his true talent and helped lead the team to an Olympic gold medal. Paul George is hungry and he wants to show the world he can play with the best players. In All-Star weekend, Paul posted 41 points. He was only one point from breaking Wilt Chamberlain record (42pts) set in 1962. Larry Bird is turning the Indiana Pacers into a more of an offensive minded team. The focus will still be on Paul George, but with the kind of help he has in Indy, he will look to improve his overall game and you will see a boost in his productions. Look for PG 13 to be a top-five player in the NBA 2016-17 season.
3. Kevin Durant is a guy who wants to win. OK, he went to the Golden State Warriors to win an NBA championship. That’s looking like something that will happen. We know they will make it back to the NBA finals unless something extremely crazy happens like they lose to Oklahoma City in the western conference finals. As I said, crazy. So we know why KD is there, but it still remains how he will play. Steph is the leading scorer in the NBA and reigning MVP. Durant has never played on a team with this much talent besides All-Star games and of course, Rio. Durant’s level of play shoots through the roof when there is elite talent around him. Will this carry over to Golden State? You have to treat them like an All-Star team. Who will be the player that will get double-teamed? If you answered Stephen Curry, then how can you not see Durant reclaiming the MVP award? If all of the attention is on Steph, Durant’s 28.2 PPG just got a 2-point boost. Klay Thompson talks about not changing his game, but the way Golden State went after Kevin Durant. Klay’s game will take a back seat to an elite scorer like KD. Even if they had to get rid of him.
4. Isaiah Thomas is the best small guard since Iverson. He has the same killer mentality. He really didn’t start to pop until he joined the Celtics. You can say what you want about the man, but you can’t deny that he didn’t take the Boston Celtics to the playoffs without a big man. You can only imagine what this kid could do if he had a big man who can actually play, With Al Horford now, Thomas's game will receive a major boost. He averaged 6.2 APG last season and you can bet your bottom dollar that state will shoot up with Al Horford in the paint.
5. How do you not mention Stephen Curry? Well, I’m not going to be the fool who leaves him out of a discussion like this. If we’re talking about any top award for a player, you mention Curry. I don’t care if we’re talking about the NFL or MLB most valuable player. You mention Stephen Curry. Anything with M at the beginning, you mention Steph. Curry hit 402 three pointers to break his previous record of 272. That’s inhuman and he averaged 30 PPG. Do you want to know why the Golden State Warriors broke the Chicago Bulls record for most team wins in a season? You want to know why he’s the back to back MVP? Kevin Durant found out the answer and signed with Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors. Remember that when you talk about anybody in the league that is better than him. Stephen Curry can be the 5th player in history to ever win three NBA MVP awards in a row. Find out more about that in this blog, Steph Curry Vs Golden State. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird have achieved this legendary goal.
