The NBA Playoffs are a mere six days away from beginning. Lottery teams are winding down (or tanking, to be precise) and playoff bound teams are getting as healthy as possible for the run in. Award season is also just around the corner, and for the most part they are a foregone conclusion.
LWOS Hoops: 2015-16 NBA MVP Rankings
Let’s be real for a second; Steph Curry is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. It can be spun in any way, every single ending will be the same. Curry is the league’s best player this season. Whether he is overall is still a subject for debate, but it is not part of this one. He’s been the league’s most dominant player on the league’s most dominant and historically great team. Someone may steal a first place vote, but the award is going to Curry.
The real debate has come however for who will get second place. There are compelling cases. Russell Westbrook’s triple double storm in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant’s better than ever play since returning from serious injury. LeBron James’s leading of the Cavaliers to the top of the East despite adversity on all fronts. Or Kawhi Leonard’s emergence as a top 5 player.
Last Word Hoops has ranked it’s top five finishers in this year’s MVP race. With apologies to Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry and Draymond Green, they didn’t do quite enough to make the list.
1. Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
Averages: 29.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 6.7 apg, 2.1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 50-45-90 shooting splits, 34.2 mpg.
Advanced: 31.1 PER, .665 True Shooting, 32.4 Usage Rate, 17.1 Win Shares, .311 WS Per 48 Minutes, +21 Net Rating.
The foregone conclusion. Curry has far and away been the best player. Last season it took a while longer for the former Davidson product to cement his first MVP award, but his second MVP will be close to unanimous. He’s an improved defender (3.9 defensive win shares) and his shooting is historic.
An incredible scorer, his brilliance on the perimeter is aided by a crazy set of handles and footwork that send defenders into fits. Curry’s gravity allows his scoring and incredible passing to thrive. If you consider the improvements he’s made in the last twelve months, the sky is the limit. Can anyone stop him?
2. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Averages: 21.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.9 bpg, 51-45-88 shooting splits, 32.9mpg.
Advanced: 26.1 PER, .621 True Shooting, 25.7 Usage Rate, 13.4 Win Shares, .280 WS Per 48 Minutes, +26 Net Rating.
Quite simply Leonard is now the premier two-way player in the entire league. His efficiency offensively is tough to match (outside of the MVP candidates) and has become the focal option in San Antonio’s offense all the while well being the lynchpin of not only the best defense in the league, but one of the best defense’s of all time.
The strides the Spurs forward has taken this season have been incredible, to the point where he is so good it is easy to forget Leonard is only 24. There’s a good chance he is only just getting started, and a second straight Defensive Player of the Year award is not a bad consolation to missing out on his first MVP.
3. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Averages: 28.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.2 bpg, 50-38-90 shooting splits, 35.9 mpg.
Advanced: 28.0 PER, .632 True Shooting, 30.6 Usage Rate, 14.1 Win Shares, .265 WS Per 48 Minutes, +17 Net Rating.
It’s good to have him back. A year without Kevin Durant was a year the NBA lost one of it’s greats. But the Thunder star continues to go from strength to strength. He is quite simply the most complete scorer in the league today, leading the league in points per post up while being an incredible scorer inside and outside.
His defense continues to be underrated, and the most scary part of Durant’s season is that he appears to be sitting a gear below what he is really capable of. Will we see the Slim Reaper return in full kill mode come playoff time? Let’s hope so.
4. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Averages: 23.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 10.4 apg, 2.1 spg, 0.3b pg, 46-30-81 shooting splits, 34.5 mpg.
Advanced: 27.6 PER, .555 True Shooting, 31.7 Usage Rate, 13.9 Win Shares, .245 WS Per 48 Minutes, +13 Net Rating.
Russell Westbrook is simply incredible. The one man human dunking vine machine has taken his skills to another level this season, and may be garnering way more MVP attention in a non-Curry season. He leads the league with 17 triple doubles, tied with Magic Johnson for the most in modern NBA history.
He is the best rebounding point guard in the league by miles, while also being arguably the best assist man there is. A one man offense, there is nobody quite like the former UCLA guard. Some may take surprise at Westbrook being below Durant, but Durant’s absences have proven that he is still the most valuable member of the Thunder.
5. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Averages: 25.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.6 bpg, 52-30-73 shooting splits, 35.7 mpg.
Advanced: 27.3 PER, .584 True Shooting, 31.4 Usage Rate, 13.3 Win Shares, .238 WS Per 48 Minutes, +13 Net Rating.
Feels almost criminal to have LeBron James fifth on the MVP Ballot. However the brilliance and performance of the four men above him leaves King James lying in fifth place. Despite Kyrie Irving’s struggles after his long layoffs, and Kevin Love’s struggles to fit into the Cleveland system James has led the way.
They fall apart when he rests, but can be as good as anyone when he gets it going. Sure he takes possessions off and his leadership has to be called into question, but he is still amongst the very elite. Cleveland can only go as far as he takes them.
What an incredible season of basketball. Five worthy MVP’s (not even including Chris Paul), who all could win the award in different seasons. Who will rise to the top come Playoff time? Or better yet, can anyone rise to Curry and the Warriors’ challenge?
All statistics are from Basketball Reference as of 4/11/16 unless otherwise stated.
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