Who Is The Best MVP From The 2010s?
Today I will be finding the best MVP from the 2010’s.
Throughout the 2010’s, there have been some historic MVP campaigns. From Russell Westbrook’s 2016 triple-double campaign to Derrick Rose’s 2011 run with Chicago. All of these guys were well deserving of the award, but some had better seasons than others. Today I will be trying to find the best MVP from the 2010’s.
The decision will be made partly on how the player performed that season, and how their team did.
#3 – Kevin Durant
Oklahoma City Thunder – 2013-14 Season
This MVP season is one of the most slept on MVP seasons from this decade, if not the most. One of the things that is forgotten about that season is that Russell Westbrook got hit with injuries as he played in just 46 games that season.
Even without Westbrook, the Thunder went 59-23 and finished 2nd in the Western Conference. Durant held averaged of 32.0 points per game which led the league, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. The 5.5 assists are impressive as he also passed the ball more in Westbrook’s absence. Along with this, Durant shot 50.3% from the field. This is much more impressive than it sounds as Durant was the only star on the floor for large portions of the season, so defenses paid more attention to him on offense. They crowded him and made him take more difficult shots. And yet he still shot 50% from the field. He also shot 39.1% from 3. Another incredible feat as he nearly shot 40% from 3 on 6.1 attempts per game.
Durant played 81 games that season, because his team needed him to be there. He scored 2,593 points that season, which was 400 more than Carmelo Anthony who was 2nd in the NBA. Durant attempted the most shots that season, and he still shot 50% from the field.
And keep in mind that KD was doing this in the midst of Lebron’s prime in Miami. Some people were debating that KD was the best in the world that season, picking him over a prime LBJ. And it was closer than you might think.
But this season by Kevin Durant was just down right impressive. He was an elite scorer, passer and rebounder for the Thunder. He was very efficient and far and away the best player from the 2013-14 season. (Sorry Lebron)
#2 – Stephen Curry
Golden State Warriors – 2015-16 Season
Not many seasons can be compared the Stephen Curry’s 2016 campaign. Coming off of the 2014-15 season in which Curry and the Warriors went 67-15 and won the title, people questioned whether he should have won MVP. I mean the numbers were not jaw-dropping, and many people believe that James Harden should have won the MVP in 2015. Nonetheless, the Warriors and Stephen Curry had a target on their backs going into the 2015-16 season, and now they had to respond.
Curry was of course the first ever unanimous MVP in league history, and there was no denying that he earned it. Just a side-note, don’t really take the #2 ranking for Curry too seriously. It’s more like 1A and 1B. It’s an opinion.
Back to Curry. 2016 Curry was something else. We knew that he was a great shooter, but man this was something else. He had really grown into Steve Kerr’s system and now was moving through multiple screens each possession, and seemed to be a blur on the floor. If you just watched any of the games from the season, you just had to question some things that you were seeing. It was just something that we have never seen before and will likely never see again.
The shots that Curry were taking were unheard of. He was pulling from half-court with the confidence that he could make it. He usually did. I think the best part from this season was the fact that every time he shot the ball, you expected it to go in. If it didn’t, it was a disappointment, no matter how difficult the shot was.
Curry averaged 30.1 points which led the league, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Along with this came 2.1 steals which also led the league. So, Curry was great on both sides of the ball, something that he was been criticized for not being great at. But perhaps the most impressive thing from this season was his efficiency. Curry shot 50.4% from the field, 45.4% from 3, and 90.8% from the line. So on top of everything, Curry had a 50-40-90 season. Curry was shooting 45% from 3 on 11.2 attempts per game. And some of the shots he was shooting were considered bad and not high percentage. And he still shot 45%. He also made 402 3’s that season, which is the record for most 3’s in a season, while shooting 45% from 3.
Another impressive thing from this season was how much better Curry was. He was averaging 6 more points than the prior season, and he just looked better. He had that swag around him, and he was on top of the league. He led the Warriors to that 73-9 season, but came up short of the eventual goal of winning a title.
But, you can’t deny it. That 2016 season from Stephen Curry will never be replicated again.
#1 – Lebron James
Miami Heat – 2012-13 Season
While this MVP season from Lebron was not unanimous, it should have been. This is probably the only other MVP season that we could consider to be unanimous. This season of Lebron was probably the best Lebron ever. In terms of peak athleticism and defense, it does not get much better.
James averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists with 1.7 steals. James shot 56.5% from the field and 40.6% from 3, which is the only time in his career that he has shot above 40% from 3. It is impressive that James shot that well saying how much he handled the ball and how much defenses paid attention to him. This was also the season where James was a respectable 3-point shooter, so it made him even tougher to guard.
Along with all of these offensive feats, James was in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. This was one of those years for Lebron where his defense was elite. James finished 2nd in the voting behind Marc Gasol for the award. James had a PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 32, which is one of the best all-time in a single season.
On top of this, James led the Heat to a 66-16 record, including a 27-game win streak These 27 games make this the 2nd longest winning steak of all-time behind the 1971-72 LA Lakers. James had a great finals series, and he won Finals MVP for the 2nd straight year.
The only reason why James was not the first ever unanimous MVP is because one person voted for Carmelo Anthony on the Knicks. Jesus Christ. This is a unanimous MVP season, and it should have been the first one ever.
One of the reasons why this season ranks higher for me than the Curry season is the defense, the dominance, the peak of Lebron James, and he won a ring. Not to say that the Curry season was bad by any means, we’re just splitting hairs here.
But, the 2012-13 season by Lebron James is unparalleled and in my opinion, is the best MVP season from the 2010’s.
What do you think? Which 3 MVP seasons are deserving of this list? Does Lebron’s 2012-13 season deserve to be up here? Leave all of your comments down below.
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