The NBA season started last night and everyone is already debating who could be the NBA MVP. Names like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are all being mentioned. Although all these players are capable of winning the NBA MVP award Damian Lillard is not being given enough credit.
This will only be Damian Lillard’s fifth season in the NBA but he is already one of the most talented guards in the league. Last season he averaged 25.1 PPG 6.8 APG and 4.0 RPG but after one game this season it is easy to tell he has improved. Last night, against the Utah Jazz, he scored thirty-nine points, grabbed nine rebounds, and tallied six assists. His scoring outburst was something fairly unexpected by most casual NBA fans, but it seemed almost easy and something he could consistently do.
But besides Lillard’s talent there is also the reality of most current MVP candidates. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, two of the best players in the NBA, are now on the same team. With both amazing players being on the Golden State Warriors they will naturally take away from each others stats and will not be true MVP candidates. Secondly James Harden does not have as good of a team as Damian Lillard and even failed to make an All-NBA team last season. Finally we have seen that LeBron James coasts during the regular season and waits until the playoffs to truly dominate the league. With this reality, the biggest candidates are truly Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and Damian Lillard. If Lillard can lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a top four or five seed in the western conference there is a big possibility we will see him win the NBA MVP award.
