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Stephen Curry, the two-time winner of the NBA’s most valuable player award, is back in the mix to win it again. Curry’s three years playing with Kevin Durant effectively nerfed both players’ chances of winning the award in that both were at such an absurd level, that there was no real way to crown one as the “most valuable” when Durant and Curry had comparably massive value to the Warriors.
But, with Durant’s departure to the Brooklyn Nets this summer (his Achilles tear also would have sidelined him all year if he had returned to the Warriors) and Klay Thompson unlikely to return until the final third of the regular season, Curry, even with the recently acquired D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green, has his first real shot at winning another MVP since Durant arrived.
According to Bleacher Report’s MVP odds, only Giannis Antetokounmpo has a better chance to win the award, which is likely a factor of his youth and the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks are built entirely around him.
Will the Greek Freak repeat as MVP? ?
(via @br_betting) pic.twitter.com/gabrp1cyde
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 17, 2019
The questions for Curry, of course, will be, will he play enough games and play at that high-20-point per game and high-efficiency level that won him the first two awards, and will the Warriors have enough success this season for him to be in the running? The second and third questions are probably answered with a yes, but with a weird season ahead in which the Warriors are not the favorites, the Warriors could end up struggling. It also seems likely that Curry (and Green) will receive more rest than they’ve been accustomed to throughout the regular season, so the number of games played could be a huge factor.