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NBA MVP Mountain Week 3: Stephen Curry leads the rankings

By Josh Cornelissen

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after the ball goes out of bounds against the Charlotte Hornets (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after the ball goes out of bounds against the Charlotte Hornets (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat dribbles against the Boston Celtics (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

NBA MVP Mountain: No. 2 – Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

Statline: 25.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.1 steals, 62.4 true-shooting percentage

The case: If the story in the early part of the season in the Western Conference has been the Golden State Warriors, in the East it has been the Miami Heat. They have wins over the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Utah Jazz – all preseason title contenders. Leading the way has been a rejuvenated Jimmy Butler.

Butler is everywhere on defense, linking with Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker to shut down any perimeter threat out there. His strength and speed allow the Heat to switch liberally and not fear the resulting matchup. Butler is once again averaging more than two steals per game, the third time in his career he has done that.

Offensively he is leading the Heat in scoring, acting as the orchestrator of an attack that is thriving despite Duncan Robinson and Kyle Lowry – the only two shooters in the starting lineup – shooting 34.1 percent or lower from long-range.

Those percentages should only go up, likely increasing Butler’s assist numbers in the process. His usage rate is the highest of his career, and even in his age-32 season, he is capable of being an MVP candidate on a team that looks like a true contender.