Rockets' Kevin Durant Graded as Seventh Most Likely to Win MVP

It's been awhile since Kevin Durant took home the MVP trophy. Actually, it's probably been longer than that.

The Houston Rockets forward nabbed the award in the 2013-14 season -- over a decade ago. That year, Durant led the league in scoring, averaging 32 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, two stocks, 50.3 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three, 87.3 percent from the foul line, and 63.5 percent true shooting. 

Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder won 59 games that season and finished second in the Western Conference, reaching the Western Conference Finals.

Durant was an MVP finalist in three other seasons, but they were all quite earlier in his career. His last time even being a finalist was the year he won the award. Some of that is due to missed time on the court.

Part of that has to do with the fact that he's shared the court a time or two with other potential MVP-caliber players. According to The Athletic's Zach Harper, that could be the case for Durant again in 2025-26, as Rockets center Alperen Sengun could steal votes from Durant. 

"The Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant (+4000) has the seventh-highest odds on the board, but he’ll probably split some credit with Alperen Şengün. So we’ll keep him out of the MVPS for now."

Harper based MVP predictability on a number of factors: narrative, expected ridiculous stats, team quality, clutch, player impact, and perceived value, combining for a total score. Each tier is worth 10 points total.

The top names were Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the latter two combining for the same amount of points.

Durant being ranked as the seventh-most likely isn't surprising, nor is it an issue. He's more than likely not winning the award.

And he'd be okay with that.

The surprise here is Harper's belief that Sengun will get some MVP love and attention. But it could happen this year, playing alongside Durant, who opens things up a ton for the All-Star center. 

Durant will be the primary focus for opposing defenses, likely drawing double teams, which helps more than just Sengun.

Amen Thompson will also benefit, in this same regard. Ditto for Jabari Smith Jr. 

Someone is going to be open. And Durant makes the right reads. But it'll depend heavily on how well the team fares this season.