1. He’s the Best Player on the Best Team
We are about to head into April and the Warriors have lost only two home games. They’ve lost only 13 games thus far on the season. They are winning games by a margin of 10.9 points per game. Golden State has won a league-leading 26 road games. They have also beaten every single team in the NBA. And the Warriors have won a franchise record 60 wins so far this season.
The common misconception is that the bench is talented and has two former All-Stars. While the All-Star part is true, David Lee rarely plays anymore. Mo Speights has been hit or miss since his hot start to the season. Shaun Livingston hasn’t really clicked until now. Leandro Barbosa has been a roller coaster. Brandon Rush isn’t the player he once was.
This bench is deep, but hasn’t been there all season.
Klay Thompson has had his share of off-shooting nights and slumps this season. Harrison Barnes has been inconsistent. Andrew Bogut won’t give you much in terms of scoring. Draymond Green won’t give you 20 points per game nightly.
Curry has helped everyone on the team improve by the amount of attention he attracts. He plays well with every lineup on the court.
Curry leads the league in real plus/minus at +8.87. He’s been so good for the Warriors, he’s been able to sit out of fourth quarters. He gets the job done in only three.
The team struggles at times without Curry in to create shots for others by either his playmaking or his ability to score at will. He’s among the league leaders in almost every offensive category and third in steals.
Harden makes the Rockets from average to good. Westbrook makes the Thunder (without Kevin Durant) from poor to average.
However, Curry makes the Warriors from good to great. Most Valuable Players are great. And it’s exactly what Stephen Curry is and has been this season, making him the correct choice for the NBA’s most prestigious individual award.