Milwaukee Bucks: Considering Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 2019-20 MVP rivals

Stephen Curry

A player with his own experience of winning back-to-back MVPs in 2015 and 2016, Stephen Curry enters the 2019-20 campaign with a golden opportunity to add to that haul.

Narrative is always central to the MVP discussion and, for Curry, the stars have aligned to create something of an unusual situation for a player of his caliber.

The notion of it would have been unthinkable as he headlined the NBA’s ultimate super team in recent years, but entering the new season Curry fits the bill as a true underdog who could rise up to seize control of the MVP narrative over the course of the year.

With Klay Thompson sidelined and Kevin Durant having departed for Brooklyn, Curry will have to exert an oversized influence on Golden State’s offense. Simply making the playoffs could prove to be a major feather in his cap in the brutal Western Conference, and anything better than that would likely catapult Curry toward frontrunner status.

Now 31 years old, Curry’s combination of volume and efficiency has established him as one of the game’s true greats, but the greatest test of both is now on the agenda. There’s no reason to believe Curry won’t be up to that challenge, and in fact health might be the biggest obstacle standing in his way.