Why Steph Curry Should Win MVP
After 72 games, the NBA regular season is finally over. Right now, all eyes may be on the playoffs, but fans still find themselves debating the MVP race. Nikola Jokic is the front runner, but that does not mean he’s the most deserving. Not after the year Steph Curry had.
Last season, the Golden State Warriors were the worst team in the NBA. Their two best players, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, were injured all year. Thompson never returned this season, but Curry did. And the Warriors went from last place, to a playoff contender.
Curry led the NBA in scoring this season with 32 points per game. This beat his previous record by 1.9 points. Jokic, the Denver Nuggets’ center, scored 26.4 points per game, which for a big man was unreal.
The MVP award isn’t about scoring, it’s about which player was the most valuable. The Warriors didn’t add any big players after finishing in last place. They were counting on Thompson and Curry to come back as strong as they once were. But Thompson never came back, leaving Curry all alone as the offensive weapon for Golden State. They still had Draymond Green, who is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. But when it came to offence, Curry was pretty much it.
The point here is that Curry single handedly turned the Warriors .231 winning percentage into .542. In an era of super teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers, seeing one player turn a team around like that is very rare.
Jokic is very deserving of MVP. There hasn’t been a big man in the league quite like him for some time. His season offensively was one of the best all time for a big man. It could be compared to what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did in his prime.
The Nuggets team is without question stronger than the Warriors. Forward Michael Porter Jr. has a high chance of winning Most Improved Player. Point Guard Facundo Campazzo could make the All Rookie Team. Jamal Murray is one of the best point guards in basketball, although he was injured for the second half of the season. However, the best Jokic was all season was in the first half. Not to say he hasn’t been phenomenal in the second half.
This was the opposite for Curry. He absolutely went off towards the end of the year. In April, Curry made 96 three-pointers, shattering James Harden’s previous record of 82.
Jokic will most likely win MVP. He has had one of the best offensive seasons ever. But he didn’t turn a last place team into a playoff contender single handedly. What Curry did with this Warriors team could be compared to what Kobe Bryant did with the Lakers 2009 and 2010 teams. When talking about the most valuable player, without question it is Curry.
