Fansided

5 DARK horse NBA MVP candidates (I MEAN DARK)

By Roje Smith

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 09: DeMarcus Cousins
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 09: DeMarcus Cousins /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 07: DeMarcus Cousins #15 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball during a game at Smoothie King Center on March 7, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – MARCH 07: DeMarcus Cousins #15 of the Sacramento Kings shoots the ball during a game at Smoothie King Center on March 7, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

1. DeMarcus Cousins – Sacramento Kings

Whether you like him or not, there’s no denying the immense talent that DeMarcus Cousins possesses. He is in a very unfortunate situation where he’s arguably the best big man in the game, but plays for one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, the Sacramento Kings have been so bad that they haven’t made the playoffs in a decade. The last time that they won 50 games or more, Cousins was 14 years old. They are far removed from the glory days when Chris Webber and Mike Bibby led them to consistent playoff appearances.

Entering the 2016-17 NBA season, Sacramento has a very small chance at making the playoffs. However, this doesn’t mean that Cousins can’t be a viable MVP candidate. The two-time All-Star averaged 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game last season. Those are easily MVP numbers and Boogie seems to be getting better each year. In particular, his ability distribute the ball is starting to improve. This is proven by him averaging 3.6 and 3.3 assists per game over the last two seasons. If the Kings were even a borderline playoff team, DeMarcus would receive way more national recognition than he currently does.

With Dave Joerger as the new head coach of the Kings, this could be the beginning of a franchise turnaround. Joerger has playoff experience from his coaching days with the Memphis Grizzlies. he is also implementing a different offensive scheme that Cousins seems to love already. This is a good sign since his relationship with former head coach George Karl was rocky at best. It also means that the Kings may have a season with 40-plus wins for the first time since 2005-06.

The only player in history to win the MVP award without his team making the playoffs was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976. His Lakers were 40-42 that season and barely missed the postseason. However, Kareem’s play that year was too dominant to ignore and he won the award over Bob McAdoo.

Cousins has a chance to join Adbul-Jabbar if he continues to improve on his dominant play and Sacramento barely misses a playoff spot. The odds are against him, but it’s not impossible. However, if they shock the world by winning 50-plus games, then Boogie will easily go from the biggest dark horse MVP candidate to a top-3 candidate.

Home/NBA