4. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Here’s where it gets serious.
There have been ten repeat winners since the league’s media started voting for the award in 1981. The good news for Russ’s quest to make it 11? His team won 47 games last year, and will in all likelihood be much, much better. Sure, his stats figure to drop off a bit, but even a 10 percent decline across the board will put him in rarefied air.
The problem is that not all repeats are created equally. Generally, the award is given to the same person consecutively when a) they’re recognized as the clear-cut best player in the league and their team is a legit contender (LeBron, Michael, Duncan, etc.) or b) they maintain or improve their performance and no one comes to claim the crown (Steve Nash and Steph Curry).
Russ may be a whirling dervish on speed, but he isn’t the league’s best player. He also won’t improve on last year, especially with Paul George around. Most of all though, the three guys ahead of him here should all improve on their already impressive performances from a year ago.