Everybody thinks Stephen Curry will win the 2016-17 NBA MVP Award for the third straight season. There’s also Kevin Durant in the Golden State Warriors. And we can’t count LeBron James out either. But the Cavaliers star tends to slow things down in the regular season. It’s safe to say he might not win an MVP award again.
All of them are worthy candidates for the Award. But the favorite to win the Award is no other than Russell Westbrook. The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is coming off a career year, but all signs point towards him having an even better individual season.
Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds last year. The numbers itself are good enough for an MVP award, but we need to consider he did this while sharing the offensive load with Durant. But now he’ll be the alpha dog in OKC, and there’s no question he’s going to be the top option on offense. It’s a no-brainer to think he’ll improve his numbers since he’ll get more touches. And averaging a triple-double isn’t out of the question, especially since he collected 18 of those last season.
We know the MVP typically goes to the best player in one of the best teams in the league. So Westbrook will have two choices. Either he comes out swinging and averages an historic season numbers-wise. Or the Thunder somehow manages to beat the Warriors in the standings. It’s safe to say the second won’t happen, though.
Talent-wise Westbrook might not be the best player in the league. But he’s one of the most complete guards in NBA history. He already deserved the MVP last year, and his chances will increase this season with him as the top option in his team.
We know he has the talent. But can he thrive and take another step in his development? That remains to be seen.