Staff NBA Award Predictions: MVP, Rookie of the Year, and More
Most Valuable Player
Writers' Perspective: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
No big surprise here. We expect the King to win his fifth Most Valuable Player award. In his return to Cleveland, with many offensive weapons around him, James could very well have the best statistical year of his career. On the other hand, this choice was a bit divisive among our 13 votes. He received only one more vote than Stephen Curry and only two more than Russell Westbrook.
There's no one better than LeBron in the NBA, but if Russ or Steph can lead their team to a great record while filling up the stat sheet they can certainly compete for MVP. Many think Curry is poised for a breakout season. He is only getting better as he looks to lead the Warriors back to the playoffs with his sweet jumper and electric offensive game.
But maybe the most interesting takeaway from our vote is the belief that Russell Westbrook will have a breakout season. If not now then when? With KD out of the lineup until December, there's no better time for Westbrook to shine. He should have the ball in his hands a lot - and a lot is an understatement. If the offense can find a way to click, Westbrook could put up some ridiculous numbers as he carries his team into December and even further.
Numbers Perspective: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Now hear me out. I know our own projections have the Pelicans finishing 22nd in the league with a total of 37 wins. However, if we're looking at the most valuable player in a literal sense, Anthony Davis is a great choice.
I began by looking at the top 10 players in our yearly projections. I took a look at our own favorites (James, Curry, and Westbrook) as well as other favorites around basketball media (James Harden and Carmelo Anthony). But then then there was Anthony Davis, sitting at number one in our numberFire player rankings.
So am I saying Davis could win MVP? He sure could. Do I think he will? Probably not. But the numbers say he might have the best statistical season of anyone in the league, and he finished ninth in nERD last year, meaning he played a huge part in the games that the Pelicans did win.
