2018-19 NBA MVP Ladder: New Year edition

9. Stephen Curry

Stat line: 28.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, .487/.452/.915 shooting splits, 26.1 PER

The biggest case against Stephen Curry winning his third MVP award is how many games he’s missed. Sitting out for 11 of the Golden State Warriors‘ 37 contests this year, Steph would pretty much have to play the rest of the way to have a legitimate chance. After all, the fewest games played by an MVP in a full 82-game season was Bill Walton back in 1977-78, with 58.

However, the missed time early on shouldn’t overshadow how tremendous Curry has been when he’s actually been on the court. It’s been clear not only through his play, but also through his absence, as the Dubs sputtered to a 5-6 mark without him.

When he’s been available, however, the Warriors are 20-7. The two-time MVP is posting a 29-5-5 stat line, shooting an impressive 45.2 percent on a whopping 10.9 3-point attempts per game. He’s in 50-40-90 club territory, so if he stays healthy the rest of the way, don’t rule out the possibility of him rising through the ranks.