Steph Curry is beloved by fans and media alike. He was received the most votes for the All-Star game, he has the best-selling jersey of the year, people call him relatable, like any other normal guy, and many say he’s the best player on the best team in the league.
The facts as they stand make a clear case for Curry. He has made more three-point shots than anyone in the past five seasons. He has made 286 three-pointers this season and 653 overall field goals, making him first and second in the NBA in those respective categories. He leads the league in free throw percentage (91.4%), steals (163), and is second in overall points (1900). He also has a Value Over Replacement rating of 7.9, the best of any player in the league.
There’s more than just the stats at play for Curry, though. He has a natural gift. Some say he is best at ball handling. Some say he is best with his innate ability to read other players, to predict what they’re gonna do before they even do it. Some say both. He says all that matters is just going out on the court and forgetting what everyone else says.
Curry’s biggest competitor for MVP is James Harden of the Houston Rockets. Statistically speaking, Harden has the most win shares, the most points scored, the most free throws and the most minutes played. He is clearly valuable to his team, but he just doesn’t quite match up to all of Curry’s feats. While stats might put them in a closer match than most people would like to give Harden credit for, and Harden has no doubt worked for his team that has been laden with injuries and poor circumstances that had to be overcome, that is essentially deemed irrelevant. Harden doesn’t have the movement behind him that Curry does, and in the end that’s really all that matters.
It’s clear Curry has a great chance to be named MVP, but whether or not he actually wins the title doesn’t really matter at this point. America has already decided who their MVP is.
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