NBA Golden State Warriors

How Stephen Curry Can Become the NBA MVP This Year

Fresh Videos

By @DSchultz89

Steph Curry NBA Warriors

Getty Images

Given the recent injury to the reigning MVP, Kevin Durant, many are already trying to predict who will be the MVP this coming season in the NBA. Some believe that Anthony Davis will make the leap and become a legitimate contender for the award, while others think that LeBron James will retain the trophy he has won four times already.

One name that has been tossed out there as a darkhorse candidate is the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. He has already become one of the league’s most feared shooters, confidently pulling the trigger from anywhere on the court. He also possesses great handles and the ability to find his teammates for wide open jump shots because defenses play so up close on him at all times.

It has been well documented that the Warriors teams under Mark Jackson mainly ran a lot of isolation set plays for Curry or Klay Thompson, allowing these players to play at their strengths and operate off the pick and roll. Jackson was replaced during the offseason and Steve Kerr was brought in due to his vast knowledge of the game and his understanding of how to best utilize a roster given his experience as General Manager of the Phoenix Suns a few years ago.

Kerr is also one of the most decorated shooters in NBA history, known for his ability to hit clutch shots and to capitalize on misdirection plays where he find himself wide open around the perimeter. The Warriors are a perimeter-oriented team, and this is why hiring Kerr as the team’s new head coach could be huge for Curry’s development into a legendary player.

Sure, he still needs to improve on defense and focus on staying in front of his man, notably on the pick and roll. Many times we have seen Curry relying on his big men to help contest a shot, which has in turn led to ball-watching on his part instead of him playing good recovery defense or shifting to guard an open shooter on a drive and dish play. Curry must dramatically improve this aspect of his game if he wants to become the MVP this year.

But I still believe he can become a viable candidate for MVP given how good he was under a rather unstructured offense during his last few years. Although it is only preseason, Kerr has his Warriors clicking on all cylinders, and the offensive sets they are running through are much more intricately designed compared to what we saw under Jackson.

A few months ago, I said that Curry should look to mold his game after Steve Nash’s. Nash won back-to-back MVP awards because of his precision passing and gift for making his teammates better. Curry has already demonstrated how great of a passer he is, but he takes a lot more shots than Nash did in his prime years. Given his reputation as a sniper from outside and the fact that defenses will cheat on him sometimes to make sure he does not shoot, if Curry can become not just a phenomenal shooter, but also one of the top passers in the league, it will definitely make him an MVP candidate for this coming season. It should be a goal of his to average double-digits in assists this coming season.

Just like every potential MVP scenario, there are lot of “what ifs” here. But I do believe Curry will become a potential favorite to win the award this year if he focuses on these parts of his game. The Warriors are a good team flirting with greatness, and Curry’s explosion into the second coming of Nash could be the difference maker for not just his team moving forward, but for his ultimate legacy as a player.

Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on