Who should have won the MVP awards between the 2010 and 2019 seasons? It is often the case where the player who deserves to win an individual award does not end up capturing the most valuable player award. Sometimes, voter bias and inconsistent criteria result in the deserving player being left out of the dark.
Luckily, we are here to correct the MVP award winners year after year. We saw how history would have been rewritten in the 1990s decade with Michael Jordan earning more than the five MVP awards he retired with, and also how Shaquille O’Neal should have never ended his career with a single MVP award. It is time to go back to the most recent decade and give the appropriate winners the MVP award each season from the 2010 season until the 2019 season.
Most of the voting was done correctly in the 2010s decade, but there will be some instances where voters simply got it wrong. Here is the deserved MVP winner every season between 2010 and 2019, and it might yield some very interesting debates because even if voters did a great job, there was one instance of bias.
2009-10 NBA Season
MVP: LeBron James 29.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 8.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: LeBron James
LeBron James is an MVP favorite every year because he might be the greatest regular-season performer ever. The King is so talented and physically dominant, he can do so much on an NBA court and carry a team to a top record year after year. His critics will point to his sub-.500 Finals record, but the MVP award is a regular-season achievement. With that in mind, James probably should have more than the four MVP awards he has in actuality.
James won the MVP award in 2010 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and absolutely deserved it. James put up ridiculous numbers across the board and led his team to 61 wins in the East, which was the best record in the NBA. Kobe Bryant was in the mix with his 57-win Lakers team, but James managed more wins and earned the MVP trophy.
2010-11 NBA Season
MVP: Derrick Rose 25.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 7.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose was an absolute force in his prime and was completely unguardable in his MVP season. He was so dominant that he managed to win the MVP over a prime LeBron James, that was on a mission to win his first NBA title. The explosive point guard became the youngest MVP ever at only age 22 years old, and he was wreaking havoc on the court. Even if some might argue for James today, the point guard was the deserved winner.
The Chicago Bulls finished with 62 wins to lead the NBA, and Rose was the driving force alongside talented players such as Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. The point guard was an elite slasher and improved his jumper to the point where he could not be left with one defender on him. His MVP was iconic and well-deserved, meaning Rose will go down as one of the greatest what-ifs in NBA history, and his MVP season will forever be etched in fans’ memories.
2011-12 NBA Season
MVP: LeBron James: 27.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: LeBron James
After losing in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, LeBron James returned the following season with a vengeance. The King put up All-Star numbers across the board, controlling the pace of the game with his passing and also scoring whenever he wanted. The key for LeBron in 2012 was blocking out the media noise because he would go on to win his first NBA championship.
Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant all had chances to capture the MVP trophy during the year. However, Durant was not as good as LeBron on both ends of the court, Paul’s numbers couldn’t compare, and Bryant was definitely showing some signs of breaking down. James deserved the MVP award in the 2012 season, and the voters got it right.
2012-13 NBA Season
MVP: LeBron James 26.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: LeBron James
LeBron James was the best player in the world in 2012, even if he had Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh alongside him. The King was physically superior to the rest of the NBA and had also gotten over the hump after winning the 2012 NBA Finals. James wanted no friends and just wanted to prove he was the best player in the world, which he absolutely was, considering his play on offense and defense.
Averaging 26.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 7.3 APG, The King was a force on both ends of the court as he also lost out on Defensive Player of the Year to Marc Gasol. James was suffocating on defense because, at 6’9” and 250 lbs, he could defend four positions at an elite level. Capturing the Defensive Player of the Year award would have greatly boosted LeBron’s legacy, although he did capture the MVP award and was deserving of it.
2013-14 NBA Season
MVP: Kevin Durant 32.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant was the best player in the world in 2014, posting over 30 PPG and winning his 4th scoring title, and also chipping in 5.5 APG, which was his then career-high. Nailing 50.3% from the field, 39.1% from three, and 87.3% from the free-throw line, the superstar forward was on another stratosphere in the 2014 season. It is no wonder why Durant finished with 1,232 points ahead of LeBron James (891 points).
Some might argue that LeBron James was still the most dominant force in the NBA, as he led the Miami Heat to the second seed in the East and eventually made the NBA Finals in a losing effort. However, Durant won 59 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder and was the leader in win shares. The forward was the best scorer, most valuable to his side, and simply incredible in his greatest individual season in 2014.
2014-15 NBA Season
MVP: Stephen Curry 23.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: LeBron James 25.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Stephen Curry definitely took LeBron James’ MVP award in the 2014-15 season because his numbers couldn’t compare. The point guard put up solid numbers across the board, but he was not as great as LeBron James was. Sure, Golden State had arrived as the best team in the NBA with 67 wins, and the best player on the best team won the MVP award. But LeBron was absolutely special for the Cavaliers all year, winning 53 games and putting Cleveland back on the map.
Perhaps leaving Miami and going back to Cleveland to join Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love rubbed voters the wrong way. Bias should not occur, but perhaps it had something to do with LeBron finishing third. James Harden might have had an even bigger argument as he posted 27.4 PPG and 7.0 APG while leading the Houston Rockets to 56 wins in the West. The Beard deserves consideration, and Curry was certainly the best player in Golden State, but James deserved the MVP trophy.
2015-16 NBA Season
MVP: Stephen Curry 30.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.7 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: Stephen Curry
There is no debate that Stephen Curry deserved his MVP award in the 2016 season. He followed up his first MVP campaign and first NBA championship with his best season as a superstar player. The point guard was unstoppable all year long, winning the scoring title at 30.1 PPG while shooting 50.4% from the field, 45.4% from three, and 90.8% from the free-throw line. Curry also led the Golden State Warriors to the record-breaking 73-9 record, and the best player on the best team did it again. This time, it was unanimous as every single voter voted for the point guard with a total of 131 first-place votes.
Both Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James had zero shots at capturing the MVP trophy, as the point guard was simply on another level during the year. He led the league in scoring but also led the NBA in win shares, eventually leading his side to the NBA Finals. The point guard was the best player on the greatest team of all time (in terms of record), so his MVP trophy was well-deserved, and there was no debate about that.
2016-17 NBA Season
MVP: Russell Westbrook 31.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 10.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: Russell Westbrook
What Russell Westbrook did in the 2017 season was truly iconic and special. Almost every NBA fan and media member was on Russ’ side during the year since Kevin Durant left him high and dry in free agency to join the 73-9 Golden State Warriors that featured two-time MVP Stephen Curry and All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Despite having zero expectations of him, Russ responded with arguably the most spectacular individual season in NBA history, posting the first season triple-double since Oscar Robertson did it in 1962.
Westbrook’s spectacular season included a buzzer-beating game-winner against the Denver Nuggets to capture his 42nd triple-double of the year while knocking the Denver Nuggets out of the playoffs. If that isn’t enough, how about the fact that the point guard led the NBA in scoring? We continue to expect Russell Westbrook to repeat this spectacular season, but it is unfair because it probably will never be done again, especially from a point guard.
2017-18 NBA Season
MVP: James Harden 30.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 8.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: James Harden
There should be zero noise about who was the MVP in the 2017-18 campaign. The Beard, James Harden, posted 30.4 PPG, which led the NBA, and added 8.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, and 0.7 BPG while carrying the Houston Rockets to a tremendous 65-17 record. Even if Kevin Durant was on the Warriors, Golden State could not win more games than Houston. The major component of Houston’s team was James Harden, even if Chris Paul was on board.
Harden was an absolute offensive machine, creating scoring opportunities for himself or his teammates time and time again. The shooting guard also showed unselfishness by sharing point guard duties with Chris Paul at times, but he was the man who operated at his own will. Being coached with Mike D’Antoni helped his numbers, surely, but the player deserves credit for making the Rockets the best team in the league all year long. Harden’s 965 MVP points ended up being ahead of LeBron James (738) and Anthony Davis (445), and that was the correct situation.
2018-19 NBA Season
MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG
Who Should’ve Won: Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Milwaukee Bucks finished with 60 wins and were by far the best team in the league, led by two-way superstar player Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis did not have another superstar player alongside him, unlike James Harden in Houston (Chris Paul) and Paul George (Russell Westbrook) in Oklahoma City. Giannis was extremely efficient (57.8% FG) from the floor, an exceptional creator, and a lockdown defender. Posting 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 5.9 APG to go along with 1.3 SPG and 1.5 BPG, The Greek Freak was almost inhuman during the year.
For fairness’ sake, James Harden deserved his consideration because he averaged 36.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 7.5 APG while having the most incredible offensive season in recent memory. He dismantled defenses all year long and had to be defended by three and sometimes four defenders to prevent him from getting easy layups. Except for the fact that Giannis was so spectacular on both ends of the floor, it would be a shame to disregard the best two-way player in the world on the best team, and that meant the Bucks star deserved the MVP trophy.
