NBA Roundtable: Who Will Be This Year’s MVP?

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CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs wait for a rebound during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on January 30, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Spurs 117-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

This year’s MVP race should be a little different than last year with some of the main contenders getting some relief from other perennial All-Stars. Who will stick out the most from the ever-changing NBA rosters?

The NBA MVP award is one that everyone looks forward to every year and usually has a pretty good race along the way (excluding the 2015-16 season). The favorites tend to stay towards the top of the pile, but down the road, a few guys always seem to stick out more than the rest.

Last year, that runaway contest happened between the likes of Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Harden through some good punches before the end of the season, but the new Mr. Triple-Double was too good and took home the hardware. With Westbrook as the reigning champ, he should probably be considered at least a possible repeat candidate.

After those two, the other guys who are consistently in the conversation are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard. There are undoubtedly going to be a few more candidates this year as well with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Karl-Anthony Towns, and maybe even someone like Anthony Davis who has been so dominant for so many years.

In the end, this is all going to come down to votes and the voters are often swayed by players who are on successful teams or players who set NBA records (i.e. Steph Curry’s 3-point numbers or Westbrook’s triple-double record). That is going to push a few people out of the race in itself and will be the main thing to look for at the end of the season.

That being said, let’s take a look at the picks from the staff.

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