The Golden State Warriors have two MVP candidates in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Curry is a two-time winner of the award and if the Warriors finish with another sensational record and his numbers are similar to last season, he could win it again. The same goes for Durant, who is a former MVP winner himself.
But Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn't think either Durant or Curry will the award this season. He believes that similar to a presidential election, Durant will take MVP votes away from Curry, who will in turn do the same to the All-Star forward. Because of this, Kerr believes Blazers guard Damian Lillard could win the MVP award this upcoming season.
"I think KD is kinda like Gary Johnson, a third-party guy who is going to come in and take a few votes from Steph, takes some from LeBron and then Damian Lillard wins the election," Kerr said about this season's MVP race via the San Jose Mercury News' Anthony Slater.
Lillard winning the MVP is an unexpected answer; Curry, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, James Harden and Durant are the few who are expected to vie for the award. That's not to say Kerr's belief in Lillard is ridiculous, though. Lillard has made it a goal to go after the award.
"MVP, I want to be the MVP," Lillard told Blazers beat reporter Casey Holdahl. "I think if we come and do the things that we're capable of doing as a team and win games, I think that means my performance will be at the level of the MVP."
Lillard has always been a confident player, so this type of bravado is unsurprising. It may seem like too lofty of a goal but Kerr and Lillard can envision it happening. The Blazers, though, will have to become one of the upper-echelon teams in the league for Lillard to win the award.
But Lillard has improved each year he has played and has quickly established himself as one of the top point guards in the league. The Blazers will go only as far as Lillard can take them, and if Portland earns one of the top seeds in the West, Lillard will definitely be in the running for the MVP award. It might seem far-fetched but given's Lillard success so far in the league, winning the MVP is definitely a possibility for him.