Stephen Curry is having a great season with the Golden State Warriors this year. Although the results could have been better for the Dubs, they have remained afloat thanks to Steph and his big performances in the first half of the campaign.
A lot of people think he should be an MVP candidate this year regardless of his team’s record but not everybody thinks that way. For instance, John Hollinger recently made the case for another player to be considered the biggest star of the Warriors this season. During a recent appearance on Zach Lowe’s “The Lowe Post” podcast, Hollinger dismissed Curry’s season, stating that D’Angelo Russell was more valuable for the Warriors than the 3x NBA champion.
He was explaining why Curry wasn’t deserving of the MVP award and joked saying that D’Lo became the most valuable player on the team this campaign even though he’s part of another franchise now.
“The other argument against Curry (for MVP) is: How can you say Curry is the most valuable player when the most valuable Warrior this season has been D’Angelo Russell?” Hollinger said.
John Hollinger dropped the following joke today on The Lowe Post podcast: "The other argument against Curry (for MVP) is: 'How can you say Curry is the most valuable player when the most valuable Warrior this season has been D'Angelo Russell?'"
— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) February 16, 2021
So what’s behind those claims? Easy, the Warriors have the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2021 lottery pick after trading Russell. They received Andrew Wiggins and this pick, which is top-three protected, meaning if it lands outside of the first three overall selections, it conveys to the Warriors.
Not even Klay Thompson returning to action this season would be as valuable as Russell for this team. He only spent half of a season in the Bay before getting shipped to Minnesota. After landing James Wiseman last year, they could get another top prospect in the next draft, which is believed to be a loaded one. Hollinger did Russell dirty but he’s not wrong with his claims, to be honest.
