NBA 2018-19: 5 Preseason Picks for MVP

#4 Russell Westbrook

2017 MVP likely to be a different beast this year

Russell Westbrook plays everyday like it's his last, has an endless motor and is one of the most explosive dunkers in the league today. Westbrook is a 7-time NBA All-Star and a two-time scoring champion. He became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double over an entire season and won the MVP award.

Last season, he went on to do something more commendable. He averaged a triple-double over an entire season for the second-consecutive season. The Thunder's Big 3 experiment failed miserably last year and resulted in a first-round exit for OKC in the playoffs. The Thunder never needed Melo but more productive role-players.

With Paul George committing to stay with the Thunder and Carmelo leaving the team for Houston Rockets, this season will be very different for OKC. The Thunder front office did well in the off-season and I expect Russ to go beast mode and average yet another triple-double over the season.

Although a triple-double average will not warrant him an MVP award, if the team exceeds the expectation and finishes in the top four seeds in the stacked Western Conference, he might take home his second MVP hardware.