The Only 7 Players Who Can Win NBA MVP in 2021
By: Brandon Anderson
Tags: Sports, Culture, Basketball, MVP, NBA

THE MVP FAVORITES

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn

Neither of these candidates is perfect.

Luka Doncic is too young (21) and Kevin Durant is too old (32). Both will score plenty, put up plenty of numbers, and lead every highlight show, but neither is a surefire top-3 seed. Doncic will be on his own to start the season with Porzingis sidelined, and Dallas was only a 7-seed a few months ago. Brooklyn was a 7-seed too, and the Nets have serious 2019–20 Clippers potential for resting guys and coasting through the season.

Expect Doncic to be the MVP favorite at some point, probably at the start of the season. He’s the betting favorite right now and the exact sort of guy everyone loves to get excited about. Doncic will be the only thing remotely resembling a top 50 player in Dallas to start the year. If he comes out hot with a bunch of 30-point triple-doubles and looks great early, he’ll get crowned as The Next Big Thing. Doncic will absolutely win an MVP at some point.

But is it too soon? Dallas struggled in crunch time last year and lost a bunch of close games — that’s why they were the 7-seed, despite having the best offensive rating in league history. The Mavs still don’t have much defense, even with some nice wing additions, and Porzingis is a question mark. Doncic struggled through some injuries last year too.

Can Dallas really get enough wins for Luka to win MVP? Maybe, maybe not. Doncic is going to have the numbers, and plenty of buzz.

But I think there’s one even better candidate, and that’s Kevin Durant.

The narrative is just too easy. Didn’t you notice how much joy it brings you to watch Kevin Durant play basketball again this preseason? We MISSED him. There’s just no one like KD. He looks healthy and happy again, and he looks good. He looks like Kevin Durant, hitting those unguardable pull-up jumpers and controlling the game.

In his last six healthy non-Warriors-freak-show Durant seasons, KD has scored 30, 28, 28, 28, 32, and 28 PPG. He finished top five in MVP voting all six seasons. He won it in 2014 and finished second three other times, all three times to LeBron James. Four times, we’ve decided Kevin Durant was the Best Basketballer on the Planet Who Is Not Also an Alien Life Form.

Did you forget just how good Kevin Durant is? Because that’s the question the media will be dying to ask us all season long as KD drops another silky, effortless 32 like no one else in NBA history. Someone once said Steph Curry kills opponents with a 15-point barrage in three minutes, burning it all down. Durant is more like Dexter, a slow, methodical killer. He just hangs 8 on you every quarter forever and slowly watches you die.

The Mavs were the 7-seed and got a little better and older. The Nets were the 7-seed and added Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn should absolutely be a top seed in the East if they get even remotely healthy seasons from KD and Kyrie, and don’t pretend Kyrie is going to steal MVP luster from Durant. Everyone on the planet knows who the better player is.

The age and injury thing is a concern. It’s been almost five years since we’ve seen MVP Durant for a whole regular season. What does he look like post-Achilles tear? Will he play limited minutes or sit out too many games? It’s very possible, and it’s the biggest argument against Durant as a candidate. Durant isn’t going to play 38 MPG for 81 games like he did in 2014. He won’t run away with this MVP.

But remember, we already have a clear runaway MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo — we just aren’t giving it to him. So this year’s MVP may have to be a flawed candidate, and more narrative driven than usual.

Kevin Durant is +2000 to win MVP at BetMGM as the season tips. The last time we saw him in a meaningful game, he was the best basketball player in the world. He needs a second MVP trophy for his award mantle, and he’s looked like himself in preseason.

Is Kevin Durant our 2021 NBA MVP?

The season tips Tuesday night, and Durant and the Warriors will be there. But this time they’ll be wearing opposing jerseys again. ■