The race for the MVP | Kevin Durant pushes back time | NBA

For ten years, Basket USA offers every Tuesday its Top 5 candidates for the “Most Valuable Player (MVP)” trophy. And, this week, we notice a notable change at the top of our weekly ranking, since it is no longer Stephen Curry who dominates him, as since last November 9, but Kevin Durant.

Before he was stopped by the Covid-19, like almost all his teammates, the Nets winger was in sparkling form. Showing nearly 38 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 blocks on average, 50% on shots, 40% on 3-points and 94% on throws, over his last four games (all victorious)!

And even if the playing time of Kevin Durant, which is only increasing (37 minutes over the season, 41 in December…), can worry, in view of his liability with injuries, the fact that he is capable of ‘stringing the boxes together without showing the slightest sign of weakness is, on the contrary, what impresses the most.

What allows us, thus, to measure the size of the exploit carried out by “KD”, broke by an injury to the tendon of Achilles and returned even stronger (?) Then.

A year and a half of break, without impact …

Proof, above all, that the one and a half year break of the 2014 MVP after his injury, in June 2019, did him the greatest good.

An almost unique precedent in history, since only Michael Jordan had moved away from the courts for so long before winning (or re-winning, in this case) a Maurice Podoloff statuette. But this is not because of injury, like Kevin Durant, but because of a sports retirement (his first).

Outside of the Bulls legend and, potentially, the current league leading scorer (29.7 points per game), none of the 33 other NBA-elected MVPs have also spent at least a full year away from the field, before to triumph.

On the other hand, after their coronation, some have experienced such an absence. Both because of injury (Willis Reed, Bill Walton and Derrick Rose) and because of a sports retirement or an unexpected break (Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens and Magic Johnson). Others, meanwhile, lived an almost blank season (Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry), but all of them never managed to grab a new “Most Valuable Player” trophy thereafter.

It must be said that regaining his level after an injury requiring such a period of downtime is complicated to say the least and, when a few players succeed, like Kevin Durant obviously, it commands respect and admiration. As for those who left the prosecution after retirement or illness, this break usually occurred when they were at the end of their career and were, therefore, far from their former level.

Almost eight years of waiting for “KD”

In addition, if he managed to win the second MVP title of his career, eight years after the first, Kevin Durant would set a new NBA record, in terms of the waiting period between two Maurice Podoloff statuettes. Because, until now, no one has waited so long to be sacred again, Wilt Chamberlain having for his part waited “only” six years, between 1960 and 1966.

We could, why not, take the cases of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan as an example, they who respectively waited nine and ten years between two trophies. The only difference, finally quite major, being that “KAJ” and “His Airness” won several other titles of best player of the season during this time, from 1971 to 1980 for the pivot and from 1988 to 1998 for the back.

Quite the opposite of Wilt Chamberlain, therefore, and potentially of Kevin Durant, currently well on his way to achieving a feat as incredible as his individual level of play.

Considered the best basketball player on the planet, “KD” will now need a few benchmark victories with Brooklyn, in order to get away from his pursuers, including Stephen Curry. For the time being, the New York franchise actually has a mixed record of 6 wins and 6 losses against teams with a positive record.

Not ideal, when we know that, at the same time, the Warriors of the “Baby-Faced Assassin” have a record of 9 wins and 3 losses.

1 – Kevin Durant (Nets)
With: 21 wins, 9 losses – 1st in the East.
Matches: 27 contested out of 30 possible.
Stats : 29.7 pts, 7.9 reb, 5.9 pds, 0.6 int, 0.9 ctr and 3.2 bp in 37 min.
Percentages: 52% on shots, 38% on 3-pointers and 89% on throws.

2 – Stephen Curry (Warriors)
With: 25 wins, 6 losses – 2nd in the West.
Matches: 29 contested out of 31 possible.
Stats : 27.1 pts, 5.4 reb, 6.0 pds, 1.6 int, 0.5 ctr and 3.4 bp in 34 min.
Percentages: 43% on shots, 40% on 3-pointers and 92% on throws.

3 – DeMar DeRozan (Bulls)
With: 19 wins, 10 losses – 2nd in the East.
Matches: 26 contested out of 29 possible.
Stats : 26.8 pts, 5.2 reb, 4.2 pds, 0.9 int, 0.3 ctr and 2.0 pdb in 35 min.
Percentages: 50% on shots, 33% on 3-pointers and 90% on throws.

4 – Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
With: 15 wins, 14 losses – 5th in the West.
Matches: 24 contested out of 29 possible.
Stats : 26.3 pts, 13.5 reb, 7.5 pds, 1.3 int, 0.7 ctr and 3.4 pdb in 33 min.
Percentages: 59% on shots, 38% on 3-pointers and 75% on throws.

5 – Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
With: 19 wins, 13 losses – 4th in the East.
Matches: 26 contested out of 32 possible.
Stats : 27.0 pts, 11.6 reb, 5.8 pds, 1.1 int, 1.6 ctr and 3.3 bp in 33 min.
Percentages: 53% on shots, 28% on 3-pointers and 68% on throws.

Mentions : Devin Booker et Chris Paul (Suns), Rudy Gobert (Jazz), Zach LaVine (Bulls), LeBron James (Lakers), Darius Garland et Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers)…