Curry, not Durant, is the MVP for Golden State
There are four superstars on the Golden State Warriors. Two of them have won MVP in the past five years, but only one of them deserves that title for the Warriors.
If you think it's Kevin Durant, you're wrong. It can debated, but it doesn't make it correct. Stephen Curry has been the star of this franchise for years prior to summoning Durant, and that hasn't changed through a year-and-a-half of playing together. Durant taking home Finals MVP honors in 2017 didn't make him Golden State's golden boy - that's a title Curry has yet to relinquish.
For starters, let's look into the averages:
| Players | GP | MPG | PPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Curry | 30 | 32.6 | 27.6 | 49.3 | 41.4 | 91.7 | 5.2 | 6.5 |
| K. Durant | 37 | 34.7 | 26.4 | 51.4 | 41.3 | 88.6 | 6.9 | 5.3 |
So far this season, Curry has had the advantage based on box score stats. He's scoring more with fewer minutes while taking nearly one shot per game fewer than Durant, showing the value he brings on the offensive end. Curry's efficiency at 6-foot-3 is rare, especially with the amount of shots he takes from deep - Curry attempts 9.8 threes per game to Durant's 6.2.
After beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, the Warriors sport a 36-9 record. Through 45 games this season, Curry has missed 15 matchups and Durant has missed eight. The Warriors' record with Curry absent is 11-4, while they are 7-1 without Durant, although that solitary defeat without Durant came with Curry sidelined as well.
With more in-depth analysis on their advanced analytics, Curry's effect grows significantly:
| Player | Off Rtg | Def Rtg | Net Rtg | TS% | USG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Curry | 120.8 | 104.3 | 16.5 | 67.2 | 30.0 |
| K. Durant | 116.2 | 104.7 | 11.4 | 63.2 | 30.1 |
For Curry's true shooting to be four percent higher than Durant's is ridiculous. Durant, considering his inside-and-out style of play, has a great percentage, but Curry sitting second in the NBA in a statistic that favors post players with high field goal percentages is insane. His value is almost immeasurable because of his endless range.
One of the best ways to measure the on-court impact is on-/off-court differentials, something that proves Curry's value above everything else:
| Player | MIN | Off Rtg Diff | Def Rtg Diff | Net Rtg Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Curry | 979 | 13.7 | 2.7 | 10.9 |
| K. Durant | 1285 | 6.4 | 4.6 | 1.7 |
With Durant sitting, the team has a defensive rating of 100.1. His defensive impact on the season has been overstated, with many believing he's been a Defensive Player of the Year contender despite the fact the team is almost as good without him on the floor. Curry, however, makes the team significantly better anytime he's on court, and the Warriors are an astounding 13.7 points better on offense when he's playing.
None of this suggests Durant is not good. Frankly, it's essentially not debatable that he's the second-best player in the world. However, one thing people tend to forget in all the talk of him ditching Oklahoma City Thunder to join a 73-win team is that team won 73 games without him. And who won MVP that year? That's right - the Warriors' current most valuable player.