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Golden State Warriors: Can Stephen Curry win another MVP this season?

By Justin Fried

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 05: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the first half during Game Three of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 05, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 05: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the first half during Game Three of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 05, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Golden State Warriors’ point guard Stephen Curry will be looking to lead his team to the playoffs next season and he could secure another MVP title in the process.

The Golden State Warriors will be needing the very best from superstar point guard Stephen Curry this upcoming season following an offseason full of substantial turnover.

The roster that the Warriors deploy come October should look very different than the one we saw when the team last took the floor in June.

Gone are franchise mainstays such as Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston. DeMarcus Cousins is gone — and unfortunately on the shelf for all of the 2019-20 season.

Golden State’s bench has been decimated with players such as Jonas Jerebko, Quinn Cook, and Jordan Bell all leaving this summer. Even star shooting guard Klay Thompson will be absent as the five-time NBA All-Star will instead be home nursing his torn ACL.

All of this means that the pressure will fall squarely on the shoulders of Curry.

Let’s get one thing straight first, however. This is and always will be Curry’s team. Even with Durant lighting up the scoreboard, even with the “Splash Brothers” moniker reaching leaguewide fame, this has remained Curry’s team.

However this year, Curry will have to prove that more than he has in quite some time. And as a result, he should have every opportunity to prove that he could be the NBA’s Most Valuable Player once again.

Curry is, of course, a former two-time winner having won the prestigious award in consecutive seasons back in 2015 and 2016. And if all goes according to plan. Curry might just be able to make it a three-peat this season.

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One thing is for sure, Curry should be given the opportunity to do so.

With Durant gone and Thompson out, Curry will be relied upon as the Warriors’ primary scoring option — even more so than he has in recent years. Last season, Durant averaged 26.0 points per game while Thompson averaged 21.5 points per game.

And even though Curry’s 27.3 points per game was good for fifth in the league, he may just have to improve upon that number this season.

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The only other top-level scoring threat on the Warriors will be the newly-acquired D’Angelo Russell. Russell averaged 21.1 points per game last season with the Brooklyn Nets. However, it remains to be seen how he’ll fit into the Warriors offense and what sort of impact he will have immediately.

And even if Russell could average a solid 23 or so points per game, the brunt of the remaining scoring responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Curry.

The six-time NBA All-Star averaged an incredible 30.1 points per game back in 2016 — a season in which he not coincidentally also won the MVP Award. With an increased workload, Curry should be given every opportunity to set a new career-high this season.

On top of that, his competition around the league could be diminished.

The likes of Paul George and Russell Westbrook — while not exactly eliminated from MVP contention — will be sharing the spotlight this season on new teams, George with Kawhi Leonard and Westbrook with James Harden.

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That also means that it should be harder for the likes of Harden or Leonard to capture the award simply because they won’t be required to do as much as Curry will with the Warriors.

The same goes for the Los Angeles Lakers’ duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis who will likely each take away opportunities from each other.

Perhaps the biggest threat to his throne is Milwaukee Bucks superstar, and reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo represents the biggest challenge to Curry who will not only have to keep up with the latter’s scoring, but the many other things he does on the floor.

Curry will have to prove that he is more valuable to his team than Antetokounmpo or any other player in the league. And if the Warriors can find a way to win 50 or more games this season, Curry may have just done that.

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Curry’s quest for his third MVP Award will begin in October. And at the very least, his road back to the title appears to be stacked in his favor.

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