LeBron? Harden? Durant?: Predicting the NBA MVP Race

by Preston Tolliver
The NBA season kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Here are my top five predictions for this season’s Most Valuable Player:
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5. Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)

There are a few reasons to expect a lot out of KD this year:

I. He's in a contract year, so he's looking to get the biggest check he can. 

II. After spending the better part of last season sidelined and watching Russell Westbrook go insane, you can bet Durant is going to want to reestablish himself as the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

III. He's Kevin Durant. 

Pretty simple, really. 

4. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)

It's weird to have arguably the best player on the planet this low in the MVP race, but that title isn't for the best player on the planet. It's for the most valuable. Take LeBron off the Cavs, and Cleveland will still be a force in the East. Take anyone else ahead on this list off their teams, and even an 8-seed becomes questionable (or perhaps that's just because they're in the West).  

3. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

A lot of times you see the reigning MVP cool off after a stellar year, but you can probably expect Steph Curry to ride the momentum of last year's championship. There's arguably never been a better pure shooter in the league, and he's not likely to cool off anytime soon. 

2. Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)

Anthony Davis isn't just the star player of the New Orleans Pelicans. He is the New Orleans Pelicans. He's improved as a player every season and has some even arguing that he could soon surpass LeBron James as the world's best player – plus, he just got a major payday and you can bet he's gonna earn every dime. 

1. James Harden (Houston Rockets)

James Harden was edged out of the scoring title last year by Russell Westbrook, and the MVP by Steph Curry, so he's probably going to come into this season with a chip on his shoulder. Plus, he's not only gotten consistently better since his sixth man of the year award in 2012, but he's shown the world that he's ready to lead the team. There was question two years ago after Dwight Howard joined the team who would be the leader of the Rockets – their first year together, there was some imbalance; last year, Harden started to really take the team as his. This year, expect him to be in complete control. 

Who is your MVP prediction? 

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