Is Kevin Durant the MVP?

It’s been a while since we have written a feature and since Kevin Durant has been a topic of contention among our writers, each of us will disclose our feelings on KD’s MVP prospects. 

Joshua Biers: Do I like Kevin Durant? No, not really. Did I make a bet on whether or not the Oklahoma City would fall to fifth place in the Western Conference during Russell Westbrook’s absence? Yes, definitely. Do I feel tremendously stupid at ever questioning Durant’s ability to carry the Thunder? Without a fucking doubt.

The ‘Durantula’ has scored at least 30 points in EIGHT straight games, including a 54-point effort against the Golden State Warriors and two 40+ point games against the Portland Trailblazers and Utah Jazz. He has averaged close to 14 free throw attempts each game during this streak, and is shooting 52% (98-187) from the field. There is no one in the league hotter than Durant right now, and his incredible stretch of basketball has given Oklahoma City sole possession of first place in the Western Conference. I should be pissed that I lost 50 bucks, but watching Durant dominate every single player that is thrown to him is well worth the loss.

That brings me to the broader question: If the league MVP were to be decided today, would Durant win?

I believe he would. LeBron James might be the best player to ever play the game of basketball, but right now, no one can rival the force that is Durant. To complete the thought, the Miami Heat have lost four of their last seven (with a completely healthy roster), while the Thunder have won five of the last six without their second best player and starting point guard. Oklahoma City has defeated top teams during this stretch, including the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, and Golden State Warriors. There was a point during Durant’s 54-point outburst against the Warriors that when he had the ball, I couldn’t process the possibility that he might miss. It was guaranteed points. Durant abused Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, Golden State’s top two perimeter defenders. I truly felt sorry for the two, as they were subjected to an array of brilliant drives, pull-up jumpers, and high-arching three’s that were undoubtedly going in. As of today, Kevin Durant is unquestionably the MVP of the National Basketball Association.

Ryan Rodriguez: After Kevin Durant dropped 46 points against the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this week, I got to wondering, is what KD is doing right now actually vaulting him to the top of the MVP race? All year long, I have maintained the mindset that LeBron is the best player in the game (duh), and, by proxy, have also believed that there was no way anyone could challenge him for MVP. LeBron, in my eyes, had proven to be so far superior to everyone in the league that I felt dumb asking if someone was really more valuable than him, and so I never entertained anyone who suggested that someone besides LeBron should be MVP. However, KD is seriously getting me to reconsider my stance with the play he has exhibited this season, especially in the last 15 games since Russell Westbrook went down. This fact, coupled with LeBron seemingly conserving (a term that J. A. Adande smartly has been using instead of coasting) his energy for the playoffs, I think this question is about as real as it has been since 2007-2008 (you can say 2010-2011 when Derrick Rose won, but I contend that LeBron should have one that year anyway).

Many people have their own definitions of how to define and determine Most Valuable Player, and all of these definitions can lead to varying ideas of who deserves the award. However, in basketball, where the best player plays both sides of the ball, thus affecting the game in all ways, it is usually the best player who doubles as the most valuable. So really, by my thoughts, LeBron should basically go unchallenged in his quest for a third straight MVP since he still is the best player in the league. But it would be short-sighted if people just immediately dismissed what we are seeing with our eyes, team context, and how people are performing in given situations. For this reason, I am currently siding with KD as the MVP halfway through the season. This is not solely based on how KD is playing or how LeBron is conserving but rather assessing both of these situations, and, in my eyes, I can’t fully justify giving the MVP to someone who is noticeably picking his spots.

The part that makes part of this feel wrong, is because I completely understand why LeBron is doing what he is doing, he knows after three super long seasons, he needs to be at his best in May and June to reach his goals and is adjusting his in-season play accordingly. KD’s current play has almost been thrust onto him because of Westbrook’s surgery, but I can’t just dismiss the current mindset he is in and has to play with right now, because he has more than answered the call in a way that only a most valuable player can. We give Bron credit for improving his game, constantly increasing his scoring efficiency, learning how to play on the block, and understanding his teammates strengths and seemingly morph his game to whatever is needed at the precise time, but sometimes, I feel we dismiss the gains KD has made. Improvements such as averaging over 5 assists for the first time in his career, as he completes the transformation from scoring extraordinaire to complete offensive extraordinaire. Or how about him averaging 2 more shots than last year (1 more three) and still shooting the exact same percentages as he did last year when we were beside ourselves that a jump shooter by nature could shoot this well. Some people are still hung up on the James Harden trade when assessing the Thunder (basically the Thunder can’t win a title because they lost an All Star and got little in return), but in doing so, they are severely discrediting how much better KD has gotten since the Thunder made it to the Finals two years ago.

All this improvement is great, but if it doesn’t get him into the same stratosphere as LeBron, it would be all for naught when debating the MVP. And that’s the best part about KD now, he has actually vaulted himself into the conversation with LeBron, albeit a conserving LeBron, but still he is now in the King’s realm. Just looking at some stats this year, it is showing to me that my eyes are not fully deceiving me. Take PER (Player Efficiency Rating), where KD has improved to 30.7, or what PER creator John Hollinger says is a Run Away MVP candidate, while LeBron is at 28.9, or a strong MVP candidate. We can also look at True Shooting Percentage, something that takes into account free throws, two pointers, and three pointers, and find that KD is at 64% while LeBron is at 66.1%, otherwise known as a small margin.