NBA: Top 10 candidates for MVP in 2017-18 season

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10. Karl-Anthony Towns

It might seem like a stretch to include Karl-Anthony Towns on this list above more established superstars like John Wall, Chris Paul or Blake Griffin, but KAT just put up 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game on .542/.367/.832 shooting splits in his second season.

If another leap in year three is possible, you can be guaranteed those staggering numbers — coupled with the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ likely rise in the Western Conference standings — will put Towns squarely in the MVP conversation.

Maybe we’re jumping the gun a little bit, but don’t forget that Anthony Davis made a similar jump into the MVP race in his third year. Towns appears to be on a similar career trajectory, only with Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Andrew Wiggins flanking him, Towns might have the team success that the Brow didn’t back in 2014-15.

Aside from Russell Westbrook last year, Moses Malone (1982-83) was the last MVP winner to play for a team that didn’t rank in the top three of its respective conference standings, so Towns and the Wolves have their work cut out for them. After all, Westbrook had to average a triple-double to pull off the feat last year.

But even as he approaches his 22nd birthday, it’s hard to count Towns out. If the T-Wolves can climb into a top-four seed behind massive numbers and stellar two-way play from KAT, he’ll force his way into the discussion sooner than anyone anticipated.