Oklahoma City Thunder: How Paul George has become an MVP favorite

Oklahoma City Thunder: How Paul George has become an MVP frontrunner

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Paul George #13 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of their NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 2018 in Oakland, California. 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. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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NBA Oklahoma City Thunder Paul George (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

The Storyline Argument

So far so good when it comes to Paul George’s MVP chances. He’s putting up unreal numbers and his team is winning but here’s where the minds of the voters come into it.

The reason players like LeBron James and Michael Jordan don’t have 10+ MVP awards isn’t that they didn’t deserve that many; it’s because the voters get bored with voting for the same guy over and over again. This is why narrative and storyline play such a vital role when it comes to determining the MVP. Whether you think this is a good thing or not doesn’t change the fact that it is a major factor.

So, let’s look at the Paul George MVP narrative:

He’s never been a true MVP contender before. Voters like a fresh face.
After an underwhelming and disappointing first year in Oklahoma City, PG-13 has bounced back in the biggest way possible.
Not only that, he has defied everyone’s expectations, making him one of the real feel-good stories of the 2019 NBA season.
After suffering that horrific leg injury back in 2014, playing for Team USA, George has not only made it all the way back to the player he was before the injury, he has become better than ever; better than we all thought he would be and that’s saying something because we all knew how good he was before!

PG has everything you could want in an MVP narrative. Of course, each of the top candidates has their own unique and equally intriguing storyline like James Harden‘s downright insane stats, Giannis’ emergence as the most overwhelming force we’ve seen since Shaq and of course, Kawhi’s redemption season in Toronto.

That’s what makes this race so close and interesting to watch because each of these guys has a convincing case for why they should win it. But Paul George is right there with them!

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