Had he not missed all of March, Durant would have warranted MVP consideration last season. He led the NBA in win shares per 48 minutes, delivered the most efficient shooting season of his career and morphed into an All-NBA-caliber defender.

He's perhaps the most gifted scorer in the world, but it was Durant — not Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green — who led the Warriors in lowest field goal percentage allowed as a primary defender last season.

The 2016-17 season snapped James' eight-year streak of finishing among the top three in MVP voting, one shy of tying Magic Johnson for the longest streak of its kind.

Though he's entering his 15th season, James is showing no signs of slowing down. He's coming off a season in which he led the league in real plus-minus, and he became the first player in history to average a triple-double in the Finals.

Leonard is the only player to finish among the top three in MVP voting in each of the past two seasons, and he is likely the best two-way player in the NBA after elevating his offensive game to new heights in 2016-17.

He's the only unquestioned superstar in San Antonio, unlike his primary MVP competition in Golden State, Houston or Oklahoma City.

Harden moved to point guard last season and promptly led the NBA in assists, while somehow managing to set career highs in points and rebounds per game. With Chris Paul now in town, an MVP campaign by Harden would likely be built on the premise of increased efficiency and team success, given that his basic statistics will surely take a hit.

Paul's presence should take some of the playmaking burden off Harden, allowing him to focus a bit more on the defensive end. Harden was still rated as a negative defender last season, ranking last in defensive RPM among players who were top 50 overall in RPM.

Antetokounmpo is entering his fifth season in the NBA. Last year, he led the Bucks in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, and now he has them ready to compete. ESPN's real plus-minus projects Milwaukee to finish fourth in the East; should the Bucks exceed that, Antetokounmpo could be a threat to bring home the MVP hardware.

Turning the chapter on Mr. Triple-Double's historic campaign, you'll quietly stumble onto the fact that the reigning MVP is already entering his 10th season. Just as Paul will ease the burden for Harden in Houston, Paul George's arrival in Olahoma City should help him.

Though Westbrook could certainly win a second straight MVP award, the same gunner mentality that was necessary in the absence of another elite playmaker last year likely won't be rewarded in similar fashion in 2017-18. Westbrook's field goal percentage of 42.5 last season was the third-worst among the 62 MVP winners in league history.

Could the NBA Finals be foreshadowing for an MVP campaign for Curry? With all the attention on Durant and James, Curry quietly had one of the most dominant NBA Finals ever, averaging 26.8 points, 9.4 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. He had at least 25 points and 10 assists in three games, something only Michael Jordan has ever done on the Finals stage

Two months later, the focus is once again on Durant and James when discussing MVP favorites. Let's not overlook the fact that Curry just averaged more points than he did in his first MVP season, made the second-most 3-pointers in a season in NBA history.