Kia MVP Ladder: Hot start pushes Curry to forefront

When Kevin Durant raised the Finals MVP trophy in the air in June — his second straight, mind you — it was supposed to be over for Stephen Curry.

The prevailing wisdom said there was no way the former two-time Kia MVP winner Curry would be able to contend for a third Maurice Podoloff Trophy playing alongside Durant (a former Kia MVP himself).

Their individual brilliance would be muted by the collective strength of their partnership as the two best players on the best team in the league. This notion they would continue to split Kia MVP votes made sense given their super team required all of its stars to sacrifice personal glory for the greater team good.

That was the thinking before the first nine games of this season … and then Curry decided to attack things as he did in 2015-16. That season, he went nuclear — averaging 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 50.4 percent overall and 45.4 percent on 3-pointers — becoming the NBA’s first unanimous MVP winner as the Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games.

Durant was still toiling for the rival Oklahoma City Thunder then, sharing the spotlight with another eventual Kia MVP in Russell Westbrook.

Curry’s opening salvo this season, though, has been nothing short of staggering.

His pace right now — leading the league in scoring while shooting nearly 55 percent overall and 53 percent on 3-pointers — could top that 2015-16 season. Doing all this with teammates who could make their own compelling cases for Kia MVP honors makes Curry’s start even more mind-boggling.

Both Durant (check out his 25-point fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden) and Klay Thompson (who topped Curry’s 3-pointers made record Monday in Chicago) are taking turns showing out, all of which speaks to the Warriors’ mastery of a situation that easily could have overloaded these three stars.

Curry’s consistent brilliance sticks out in a sea of transcendent scoring performances in the early stages of this season.

He was the one who dropped 51 points in 32 minutes in a win over Washington, making 11 of his 16 3-pointers. He went 6-for-11 on 3-pointers en route to 29 points when Durant worked the Knicks for 41 points at MSG. When Thompson was in the zone against the Bulls, Curry scored 23 points (on 7-for-9 shooting) in just 25 minutes.

And when the New Orleans Pelicans showed up to Oracle Arena Wednesday night, Curry lit them up for 37 on 12-for-20 shooting and a 7-for-11 night on 3-pointers.

That’s all why Curry sits atop the first Kia Race to the MVP Ladder this season. And if he keeps this up, there’s no reason Curry won’t be in the thick of this season’s MVP conversation when the dust settles.

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The top five in the Week 1 edition of the 2018-19 Kia Race to the MVP Ladder:

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1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Season stats: 33 points, 5.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds

Here’s the kind of damage Curry is doing so far: he’s not only leading the league in scoring, but doing so while shooting a preposterous 54.9 percent overall and an equally bonkers 52.9 percent on 3-pointers. Scoring around the league is on the rise this season, and perhaps no one is taking more advantage of the freedom of movement rule the way Curry has. He’s scoring from everywhere, against any and everyone whenever he wants in a system built around his skills. He’s got one of the league’s early 50-point games (51 points, Oct. 24 vs. Washington), and, given the way he’s shooting now, could go for another 50-spot at any time. That’s a warning for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will see Curry tonight (10:30 ET, ESPN).

2. Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors

Season stats: 27.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists

Leonard is off to a monstrous start with Toronto, shattering that pesky myth that he was a product of a system in San Antonio. Anyone who forgot just how devastating a two-way player he could be after his nine-game run with the Spurs last season should have a clearer understanding of what he can do when healthy. Just ask Philadelphia 76ers stud Ben Simmons, who couldn’t praise Leonard enough after matching wits with the two-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year. “He’s a freak,” Simmons said after turning the ball over 11 times while being guarded by Leonard on Tuesday. “His hands are huge. He’s got long arms. He’s a great defender.” The scary part for the rest of the league? Leonard is shooting as good or better than ever on 3-pointers (44.4 percent) while logging a career-high 34.7 minutes. And, technically, he is still undefeated in a Raptors uniform (he got a rest day for Bucks-Raptors on Monday).

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Season stats: 26.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists

It took a franchise-record 24 made 3-pointers for the Boston Celtics to hold off Antetokounmpo and the Bucks Thursday night at TD Garden. It was the Bucks’ first loss this season, but it wasn’t because the “Greek Freak” didn’t show up. He roasted the Celtics for 33 points (on just 22 shots), 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists. The increased floor spacing that comes with the arrival of coach Mike Budenholzer has allowed Antetokounmpo to put opposing defenders in compromising positions. His 3-point shot is still in the development stage, but if Budenholzer can help transform that part of his game (as he did for Al Horford and Paul Millsap in Atlanta), the rest of the league will be on notice. As for Antetokounmpo’s groove elsewhere on the court, it has made him virtually unstoppable when he’s in attack mode.

4. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: 25.2 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 3.2 blocks

Had there been a top five after the first four games of this season, Davis would have been a runaway pick for the No. 1 spot. He was that good in powering New Orleans’ 4-0 start. But the Pelicans have lost four straight and three to the four games since as Davis deals with nagging right elbow pain. Davis missed back-to-back games against Utah and Denver, then played Wednesday against the Warriors. It was clear he wasn’t at his best, as he had 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. (Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry held him out Thursday night in a road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.) Davis hasn’t been shy about proclaiming that he’s chasing both Kia MVP and Kia Defensive Player of the Year honors, a double-dip that only half a handful of players could realistically set as a goal. The talent and high ceiling have never been in question. His availability to chase such lofty goals, however, remains a question at times.

5. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Season stats: 29.1 points, 6.0 assists, 5.1 rebounds

Lillard entered this season as determined to prove his team’s early 2018 playoff exit wasn’t a true measure of Portland’s status. Still, getting swept by the Pelicans sent the Blazers into the offseason with tons of questions and skeptics. Since the first whistle of training camp, Lillard has gone about the business of answering those questions. He’s averaging career-highs in points (29.1), field goal percentage (49.7 percent), 3-point percentage (40 percent) and free throw percentage (94 percent). The Blazers finished their recent four-game road trip at 3-1, which included wins against Orlando, Indiana and the struggling Houston Rockets. Thursday night’s win over the Anthony David-less Pelicans was fueled by Lillard’s team-high 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Saturday night’s home game against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers could be another opportunity for Lillard and Co. to show they aren’t stepping aside for anyone.

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The next five

6. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

7. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

8. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

9. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

10. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

And five more: Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves; DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs; Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons; Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics; Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers

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Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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