NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2018-19 MVP award

10. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

Let’s not beat around the bush: People are sick of the Golden State Warriors and their reign of terror that renders the 82-game season meaningless from a big picture perspective. Sports fans hate year-over-year dominance, and they hate it even more when it’s so thoroughly predictable.

That alone would be enough to hurt Kevin Durant‘s chances of claiming a second MVP award, but there are other factors working against him as well. For one, he’s not the best player on his team, contrary to what the raw averages might indicate. For another thing, the Dubs typically coast through the regular season — as they should — since the postseason is their ultimate focus.

Finally, there’s the raw numbers angle. Though KD is more than capable of averaging 30 points a night, he doesn’t need to while playing alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and now DeMarcus Cousins. His stat line is bound to be somewhat limited by that much accompanying talent.

Last year, Durant posted 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 blocks per game on .516/.419/.889 shootings splits — superb numbers, to be sure, but not quite on par with the MVP frontrunners, It’d take NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant-esque numbers and significant time missed from Curry to get really KD back in the MVP picture.