The Golden State Warriors came out of the gate on fire, winning 18 of their first 20 games. They are now second in the Western Conference with a record of 30-10.
The team’s success has been driven by unselfish play, effort on the defensive end, and the great individual performances by Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, and Draymond Green.
The Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA to start the 2021-2022 season and should have many players in end-of-the-year award races.
Golden State has already established itself as a top contender in the Western Conference, but it also has candidates in nearly every award race in the NBA. From the Most Valuable Player to the Defensive Player of the Year, you have to mention a player in the blue and yellow.
Warriors’ player for MVP Most Valuable Player: Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is back in the MVP conversation after averaging a career-high 32 points per game last season and being a top-three candidate for the award. So far this year, he is averaging 26.8 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds to go along with 1.4 steals per game (1.7).
Those are more points and rebounds per game than Steph averaged back in 2014-15, when he won his first MVP award.
It also only took Curry 19 games to hit 100 threes, breaking his previous record of 20 games. Now through 39 games played, Steph has managed to sink 186 3-point shots, which is 32 better than the next best (Buddy Hield).
Now as the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader, he sets a new record every time he hits one from deep.
It isn’t just his stats; however, that proves him to be a top MVP candidate, it is also the eye test. Steph sees more double and triple teams than any other player in the league. Every time he crosses halfcourt, you can almost guarantee multiple bodies to be headed his way.
This is what makes his teammates’ success such a vital part of his MVP campaign. As referenced earlier, Steph averaged over 32 ppg last season, took what was the worst team in basketball the year before and made them into a borderline playoff contender.
Yet voters were still reluctant to make him even a top-three candidate.
Perhaps more than most, team success is going to be a big part of Stephen Curry getting his third MVP award.