NBA 2018-19: Top 5 early regular season MVP contenders
The NBA free agency witnessed the King finding a new home, Paul George staying put, Kevin Durant re-signing with the Warriors and to the fury of many, DeMarcus Cousins also joining the Warriors. Now that the NBA free agency is almost settled and the mega-trade involving Kawhi finally over, here is a look at the top 5 early NBA MVP contenders:
Notable omissions
Anthony Davis: Definitely a top 5 NBA player (can even be argued to be in the top 3), but his team hasn't improved with the loss of Cousins and Rondo and the addition of Randle. The Pelicans will again be fighting for the last playoff spots in the loaded West.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: He will again be a beast, but there are other teams who have emerged out of the East as the clear frontrunners. The Bucks will be vying for the 4-8 playoff spots which makes it difficult for Giannis to get the MVP.
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant: Two of the best players of this generation playing together and then add two, oh! wait, three other All-Stars to them. It's fair to assume that every All-Star on the Warriors' roster would be having help from the others and no one would be able to shine apart.
Other omissions:
Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Nikola Jokic.
Also read: Ranking the 10 Greatest MVP Seasons Ever
Let us now look at the top 5 early MVP contenders:
#5 Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving is the best player from the best team in the East. The 2018 NBA Playoffs displayed the depth and the future of the Boston Celtics. They lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to LeBron without their two All-Stars. This season with the return of Kyrie and Hayward, the Celtics look very loaded.
Though Kyrie is not a stats stuffer like some of the other candidates for the MVP, the Celtics have a great chance to finish on top in the East. An injury-free season for Kyrie would make him the most valuable player for the Celtics and will give him a great chance to bag his first ever MVP honors.