NBA Awards Watch: The Final Ballot
By Brad Rowland
Most Valuable Player
- Stephen Curry, PG Golden State Warriors – This should be unanimous. Steph Curry just completed one of the greatest seasons in the history of the NBA and, well, he was the best player on a 73-win team. Curry led the league in scoring (30.1 points per game), PER (31.5), steals per game (2.1), true shooting percentage (66.9%), win shares, VORP and ESPN’s RPM. To take things a step further, he shattered the NBA record for three-pointers made in a season (402) and he did it all while playing a highly reasonable 34.2 minutes per game. I could recite statistical brilliance for Curry from now until the end of time, but he was the best player in the league by a comical margin and it would be nearly impossible to generate any argument to the contrary.
- Kawhi Leonard, SF San Antonio Spurs – As referenced above, the gap is considerable between Curry and everyone else, but Leonard’s case remains very strong. He is the best defensive player in the league in my mind, and while Leonard’s offense lagged considerably behind prior to this season, that is no longer an issue. Kawhi unleashed a devastating three-point shot this year (44.3% on four attempts per game) and that allowed him to become an uber-efficient offensive force on the way to a career-high 21.2 points per game. It is fair to say that Leonard still isn’t on the offensive level of any other legitimate MVP candidate, but his defense stands out to a degree where that difference evaporates, and it certainly helps that he was the centerpiece of a 67-win team in the West.
- LeBron James, SF Cleveland Cavaliers – Filling out an MVP ballot this year is extremely difficult, with the exception of Curry in the top spot. Leonard is a solid number two for me, but others certainly disagree, and the third spot is wildly open with LeBron, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul in the mix. For me, Durant and Westbrook (unfortunately) cancel each other out a bit, paving the way for LeBron, who quietly had yet another dominant season while dealing with weird circumstances in Cleveland. His numbers are undeniable (25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists per game with a 58.8% true shooting) and James’ singular presence basically ensures a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals (or even the NBA Finals). There is no question that his overall play has slipped a bit due to age and consistency (read: effort) questions on the defensive end, but at his peak, no one outside of Curry can match him, and LeBron deserves a ton of credit for buoying the Cavs to the number one seed yet again.