Kevin Durant. One of the best players and most prolific scorers in the NBA today. With his talent, it is only right he is a top candidate in the MVP discussion each year. But not in 2015-16. Here’s why.

Kevin Durant should not be a top candidate in the MVP discussion in 2015-16 because of one, and only one thing. It has absolutely nothing to do with his sheer playing ability, because it is clear how great of a player he is. It has to do with him staying healthy. In 2014-15 Durant’s season was cut short due to many foot injuries and he is coming off a serious foot surgery. A foot injury is not something to take lightly either. The 82 game regular season can take a huge toll on your body, especially your feet and legs. This means that Durant will miss games due to soreness, or just flat out fatigue from not playing much last year. Missing games leads to less opportunities to put up big numbers, and a decreased influence in your team’s success, which are two things necessary in order to be in MVP talks.
image courtesy of ESPN

Also, Durant’s teammate Russell Westbrook has blossomed into one of the best players in the game today. When Durant was out last year, the league saw how at times Westbrook was nearly unstoppable, putting up four straight triple-doubles. This made Westbrook the first player to do so since Michael Jordan and because of this Durant will no longer be the main focus of the Thunder’s potent offense. Westbrook will get his fair share of touches, which in turn will limit Durant from scoring 32 points a game, like he did in his last MVP season.

No question about it Kevin Durant is a great player, but realistically thinking, the odds are stacked against him, and he most likely will not win the MVP this year.