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New Orleans Pelicans: 3 bold predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

ByJames Grieco|
PHILADELPHIA,PA - FEBRUARY 9 : Anthony Davis #23, Jrue Holiday #11 and Nikola Mirotic #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans look on against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on February 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA,PA - FEBRUARY 9 : Anthony Davis #23, Jrue Holiday #11 and Nikola Mirotic #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans look on against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on February 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
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1. Anthony Davis will win the MVP award unanimously

It’s not crazy enough to simply predict that Anthony Davis will win the MVP award. He’s already one of the betting favorites, per Odds Shark.

Now, predicting that he’ll win MVP unanimously seems like an adequate branch to step out on. In NBA history, there has only been one unanimous MVP: Stephen Curry in 2015-16.

If you take a look at the field for the 2018-19 season, it doesn’t seem that crazy that AD can make that No. 2. If the Pelicans win more than 50 games, he’ll likely win the award anyway. Going through the other likely candidates reveals how an AD unanimous MVP could happen.

  • The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster is dysfunctional and not a sure bet to reach 50 wins, putting LeBron James‘s candidacy into some doubt.
  • The Milwaukee Bucks are questionable to make the jump people have been expecting them to make for years, dulling Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s case.
  • Kawhi Leonard hasn’t shown that he’s back to the dominant two-way force he was in 2016-17.
  • James Harden may suffer from voter fatigue after winning the 2017-18 MVP. Harden certainly isn’t the two-way player that Davis is either.
  • The superstars spread out among the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and newly rising Philadelphia 76ers will likely split votes with each of their teammates and cancel each other out.

If Anthony Davis can play like he did to end last season and deliver the Pelicans back to the playoffs, there might be little standing in his way of history.

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