Can Steph be an MVP candidate after her Olympic heroics? It's complicated Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
There was not one more valuable The best basketball player on the planet this summer is Steph Curry for his legendary performance to propel Team USA into the gold medal game at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics for the first time and avoid an upset of epic proportions, and then capture gold on the game's biggest heat test of all time.
Curry's value to the Warriors and the game as a whole at age 36 couldn't be more evident.
What he did in Team USA's No. 4 jersey hasn't earned him recognition as an NBA MVP candidate in Golden State's No. 30 jersey at the end of the offseason, either. First, let's make a clear distinction: There's a big difference between being viewed as a top-10 player in the NBA and a top-10 MVP candidate. To be sure, Curry is still a top-10 player, at the very least. This is a regular-season award, and there are a handful of factors standing in Curry's way.
Age is the most obvious. The oldest player to win the award was Karl Malone, at 35, in 1999, and he only had to play 49 games because of the lockout. Only one player 30 or older since the turn of the millennium has been named MVP. That was Steve Nash, at 30 and 31, when he won the award in consecutive years in 2005 and 2006.
The fact that Curry is being ruled out as an MVP candidate isn't so much a slight toward him, but rather toward how the outside world views the Warriors after falling to No. 10 in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs. Should the Warriors be one of the top four teams in the West, or possibly even one of the top six teams to avoid the play-in tournament, Curry will find himself right back in the MVP race.
Until then, these players (a list that doesn't include the reigning Finals MVP, the rise of Victor Wembanyama, the return of Ja Morant and more) could stand in their way.
Level 1: Last season's finalists
Nikola Jokic, center, Denver Nuggets: Widely regarded as the best player in the world, the only thing stopping Jokić from becoming just the fourth MVP in history two seasons ago was finishing second to Joel Embiid. The Joker then became just the ninth three-time MVP winner in history last season, averaging a near triple-double. Jokić over the past four seasons, finishing with three MVP awards and one runner-up finish, has averaged 26.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game on 58.8/36.4/82.8 shooting percentages.
At 29, Jokić is in his prime and doesn't look like he'll be slowing down. The Nuggets were defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs and then lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. Jokić might have to do more than ever to keep his Western Conference competitors at bay as he's primed for another MVP run.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G, Oklahoma City Thunder: The best player on the best team in the Western Conference. That's usually the recipe for adding an MVP trophy to the list. For SGA, it meant finishing second to Jokić last season.
But the Thunder should be even better this season after adding Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, and Gilgeous-Alexander has become nothing short of a superstar. Over the past two seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander has finished fifth and second in MVP voting. The MVP candidacy is a no-brainer for the 26-year-old.
Luka Doncic, G, Dallas Mavericks: Since winning Rookie of the Year in 2019, Dončić has been a preseason favorite to win the MVP award. And every year since, he has come close to winning, but has fallen short. Over the past five seasons, Dončić has finished fourth, sixth, fifth, eighth and third in MVP voting.
The Mavs reached the conference finals for the second time in three years last season and were Western Conference champions for the first time since winning it all in 2011. Dončić has a secondary star in Kyrie Irving and now has another offensive weapon with the addition of Klay Thompson. The already historic offensive great will one day take home an MVP, and it could be this upcoming season.
Level 2: Repeat winners
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers: The only obstacle to Jokić winning three straight MVPs came as he was on his way to winning a second straight title before his campaign was cut short for an extended period. Through Jan. 30, Embiid had played in 34 of the 76ers' 46 games and was averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He played in just five more regular-season games.
Health has been, and always will be, Embiid’s primary concern. When he plays, however, Embiid is nothing short of dominant. Embiid has played eight seasons and has only reached the NBA’s new 65-game threshold for major award eligibility twice, playing 68 games in 2021-22 and 66 in 2022-23. The addition of Paul George and the stellar rise of Tyrese Maxey should set him up for another MVP run — if healthy.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, power forward, Milwaukee Bucks: After winning back-to-back MVPs in 2019 and 2020, Antetokounmpo has finished in the top four in MVP voting in four straight years. He averaged a career-high 6.5 assists per game last season while putting up 30-plus points for the second straight year and 10 or more rebounds for the seventh straight season. All while the Bucks' season was viewed as a complete disappointment.
Another coaching controversy isn't expected in Milwaukee. Year two for Giannis and Damian Lillard should be better than year one. The reality is that if the Bucks live up to their expectations, Antetokounmpo will once again be at the center of MVP conversations.
Tier 3: Featured Hero
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards: No one will be surprised by the Timberwolves this season, and Edwards is ready to accept any challenge that comes his way. Everything is in his favor to be the next face of the league. The shoes. The attitude. The talent. The highlights. It's all there for Ant, and don't be surprised if he takes it.
After a summer in which he followed his idol Kevin Durant’s every move and won gold alongside him on Team USA, Edwards is primed to take another leap forward at just 23 years old. Edwards doesn’t take nights off, instead he’s taking social media and talk shows by storm with his athleticism and ability to rise to the occasion. The fact that he has areas to improve his game is a positive, and Edwards will undoubtedly be an MVP candidate in the years to come.
Level 4: Big Bong!
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks point guard: Far from his days of playing second fiddle in Dallas, Brunson has become an absolute star in the Big Apple. He has literally gotten better every year of his NBA career and if that trajectory continues, there's no reason he can't be a bona fide MVP candidate.
The Nova Knicks brought in Mikal Bridges to complete their mission of college buddies making Spike Lee and Action Bronson the happiest people on Earth, and a full season of OG Anunoby could have the Knicks competing for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Even with Bridges and Anunoby, Brunson, who averaged a career-high 28.7 points and 6.7 assists, will have the full power of the Knicks' offense. Tom Thibodeau coaches every game like it's the fourth overtime of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, which will only serve as a boost to Brunson's MVP chances.
Level 5: The Two Faces of Team USA
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker: Steve Kerr called Booker the unsung MVP of Team USA’s run to gold, and it was easy to see why. Booker made shots, dove for loose balls and did all the dirty work necessary to complete the task at hand. He was named to his second All-NBA team last season, a year in which Booker played out of his position.
The addition of point guard Tyus Jones should do wonders for Booker. While Booker has improved as a point guard, having a true point guard like Jones should allow him to continue making elite shots. If the Suns take a step forward and Booker builds on his performance with Team USA, he should be a big player in the MVP conversation.
Jayson Tatum, forward, Boston Celtics: What Booker was to Team USA, Tatum was the complete opposite. He was distrusted, relegated to the bench and unable to shoot when given opportunities. Now comes the revenge tour for the defending champion.
Being the best player on the best team wasn’t an advantage for Tatum last season when it came to MVP voting, as he finished sixth behind Jokić, Gilgeous-Alexander, Dončić, Antetokounmpo and Brunson. Then it was his teammate, Jaylen Brown, who won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP. There’s always a story behind the game’s biggest award, and history is already building for Tatum if the Celtics have another dominant regular season.
