PBT is previewing the 2015-16 NBA season by tackling 51 big questions that we can’t wait to see answered once play tips off. We will answer one a day right up to the start of the season Oct. 27. Today’s question:
Who will win MVP?
Last season, before the games that mattered tipped off, it felt like MVP would be a two-man race, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Nobody saw Stephen Curry taking the steps he did, nor James Harden stepping up when every other Rocket went down. It became a two-man race nobody had expected before the season.
Who will step up this year? Or will the favorites rise to the top (which is what we all pick)? This season the MVP race feels far more wide open, the oddsmakers see it that way. So we asked the PBT staff who their predictions for MVP would be, and for once they all agreed.
Kurt Helin — LeBron James
This is a boring pick. It would be far more fun to say Durant will bounce back, or Anthony Davis will make that big a leap, or Curry will repeat — and any of that could happen. This is a fairly open race. But I think LeBron is on a mission and will have his best all-around season, he will be the best player on the best team, average 25-7-7, and pick up his fifth MVP award.
Dan Feldman — LeBron James
The race looks a little more open than recent years, with Anthony Davis ready to rise and Kevin Durant healthy. But it has bothered LeBron to lose this award the last couple years. He’s also readying himself for the regular season. I think he makes it count.
Sean Highkin — LeBron James