Bold prediction #3 – Damian Lillard wins the 2021 MVP
This is the boldest prediction of the three, but with the level Dame played in 2020, I don’t think it’s a reach to think he could be the MVP in 2021.
For two months of the 2020 season, Dame was the best player in the league, and it wasn’t close.
He averaged 40 points for a month on two separate occasions, taking down some of the NBA’s best teams. That version of Dame, coupled with the extra talent he has on both ends, will mean he has the individual stats, and the team wins to put him in the MVP conversation.
We all know Dame will have the individual stats, but the team record needs to be there. I don’t doubt that this team will win around 40 games in the 72 game regular season, but they need health and their supporting cast to step up in a big way to achieve this.
40 games in a 72 game regular season is approximately 46 or 47 wins in a normal season, so this would be a huge season when you consider the West’s strength.
Though some West teams have got weaker since last season, this will be still one of the stronger Western Conferences in NBA history. There will be just two teams that are properly tanking, in the Sacramento Kings and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
To have a plus .500 record in such a stacked conference will be quite an achievement. If Dame can have similar efficiency to last season on 27 or 28 points per game, he will pass James Harden in the MVP conversation and likely leapfrog LeBron James as well, who will probably take a small step back.
Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t win a third straight MVP, so we could see Dame going head to head with Luka Doncic if each team’s record can stack up.
Dame had his best season at age 30, so on a strong Blazer team, he can go one better and win the MVP.
This Blazer team is one of the best in recent memory and will surprise both the local fans and on a national scale.