Winning the MVP award is no easy task for sure, as you need to pretty much carry your team in your shoulders and do whatever it takes to outplay the greatest basketball players in the entire world.
Besides having a successful squad, you need to play better, harder and with more determination than everybody else in the league. You need to make your colleagues, peers and rivals know that nobody was better than you all year long.
Naturally, we always find the same 4-5 candidates among the MVP voting leaders. Nonetheless, we believe some guys will give them a hell of a fight this season. So, let’s take a look at our top 10 sleepers for the MVP award this season.
10. Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard is on the spotlight this season for sure. He thrives off criticism and would love to prove his doubters wrong. Especially now that he’s been involved in several trade rumors throughout the offseason.
He’s got no easy task ahead of himself, as the Portland Trail Blazers aren’t even expected to make the playoffs this season. Moreover, if he’s able to take them to the promised land, he’s definitely going to be among the MVP candidates.
9. Nikola Jokic
The Joker has become one of the league’s most beloved players due to his crafty passes and flashy plays. Nonetheless, the Denver Nuggets haven’t been able to find that team success they expected so far.
Still, with a full season of a Paul Millsap – Nikola Jokic frontcourt, this team is set to be really fun to watch, and they’re finally expected to end their playoff drought and make a huge push in the West.
8. Jimmy Butler
According to several reports, Jimmy Butler wants out of the Minnesota Timberwolves and could even be traded before the February deadline as he’s sick and tired of the lack of character from his teammates.
If he’s not traded, given his competitive nature, you know he’s going to ball his life out, and him being one of the best two-way players in the league, he could definitely be in the mix for the league’s MVP award.
7. Joel Embiid
From now on, Joel Embiid is always going to be among my front-runners to win the MVP and the DPOY award, as he’s by far one of the most talented players I have ever seen in my entire life.
Embiid and the Sixers have a huge shot in the Eastern Conference now that LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take home the MVP award if they lock down the 1st seed in the East.
6. John Wall
John Wall has always drawn a lot of criticism because of his inability to finally take a step forward and lead the Washington Wizards to the ECF, and now that they’ve landed Dwight Howard and LeBron left the East, the time for excuses has run out.
Wall is the best pure point guard in the Eastern Conference and the team is in a great position to compete, so if he’s able to put his ego aside and build some trust in Bradley Beal, he might mess around and find himself in the mix for the MVP award.
5. Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo made huge strides last season and proved that he was as talented as we everybody expected him to be when he first entered the league, even winning the MIP and leading the league in steals.
If he’s able to keep up with that kind of performances, he’s going to be among the league’s top 5 players in a couple of seasons. Moreover, he’s got what it takes to win the MVP if he finds a way to take the Pacers to a top 3 seed.
4. Kyrie Irving
Considering how stacked the Boston Celtics are, it would be very surprising to see one of their players win the MVP, mostly because they’re unlikely to average huge stats as they’re going to have to find a way and share the wealth.
Nonetheless, we’re talking about one of the most talented scorers in the history of the game, and with the Celtics being the favorite team to take the East by the horns, he could be the league’s next MVP.
3. DeMar DeRozan
This one seems highly unlikely, especially because the San Antonio Spurs aren’t expected to be that competitive next season amid Kawhi Leonard’s definite departure and DeRozan’s arrival to Texas.
Still, this guy is on a mission now and is determined to stick it to the Raptors for the way they mistreated him and traded him away for a one year rental on Kawhi after all he gave them throughout the years.
2. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook has already won an MVP and we know he’s in for the personal accolades and wouldn’t mind padding his stats a bit in order to dethrone James Harden and claim back the silverware.
All jokes aside, the Oklahoma City Thunder look like a much better team this season than they did the last year, and when their leader is a guy that could beat anybody 1 on 1 in the league, you know you have an MVP candidate there.
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1. Kawhi Leonard
There are a lot of question marks regarding Kawhi Leonard’s ability to impact the game following an entire year in the sidelines, but there’s no doubting that he’s the best two-way player in the world when healthy.
The Raptors were extremely aggressive in the offseason so it’s pretty obvious that they’re desperate to make one last push to at least make it to the Finals. If Kawhi is able to get past the Sixers and Celtics, he’s a lock to be among the league’s leader in MVP votes.
