Kevin Durant would have almost certainly been a part of the MVP race had he not suffered a knee injury earlier in the season, but he is still hearing "MVP" chants from the Barclays Center crowd.
But Durant doesn't spend any time wondering what could have gone differently if he was healthy for the entire year, and what the outlook would have been on a potential second MVP honor.
"It's always great to get some hometown fans and fans to recognize you as one of the best in the league, but I wouldn't say I'm pissed off," Durant said. "It's part of the game.
"It's not frustrating. I have experience in what it's like to win MVP. It doesn't validate me as a player. I know what I can do."
Asked who he felt should win the award this year, Durant pointed to a brewing rival in nearby Philadelphia.
"If I had to take a guess, I would go between Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant for me," Durant said. "Those are my top three. I would probably go Joel. Could throw Jokic in there but I'd probably go Joel."
Per NBA.com's Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, Denver's Jokic is the favorite to win, but Embiid is a close second, averaging 29.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. For context, in a much smaller sample size due to his injury, Durant is averaging 29.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field over 44 games.
