As early as now, the Boston Celtics fans are already bannering Isaiah Thomas to become the 2016-2017 NBA season MVP. Despite the slow start by the Celtics and the injury to newly-acquired Al Horford from the Atlanta Hawks, Isaiah Thomas have shown an MVP form with his 5'9" body frame by posting an average of 24.7 points, 6.3 assists, 1.3 steals and averaging 2.3 3-point bombs a game.
With the injury of Al Horford for the past four games, Isaiah Thomas stepped up his numbers and posted 26.5 points, 7.8 assists while shooting 95% of his free throws. But a strong case for his MVP campaign will now rely on one last factor that could possibly seal the deal - winning games.
In the first seven games of the season, the Boston Celtics only won three of them while dropping their last three. With Al Horford returning to practice, the Boston Celtics can hope that their team could live up to the hype that they brought coming in to the 2016-2017 season.
Last year, the Boston Celtics finished 5th in the Eastern Conference and 2nd in the Atlantic Division. With the addition of Al Horford, the team is expected to improve their record and win as many as 50 games or more. A record of such could place the Boston Celtics as the top 3 team in the East.
Isiah Thomas joked but subliminally wanted to win the MVP award when he got to talk to ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg and said, "I tell people: I want to be an All-Star, I wanted to be All-NBA, one day I want to be an MVP. That's not just me talking. That's goals that I have.
The 27-year-old from Washington was the last player drafted in 2011 by the Sacramento Kings before finding a home with the Boston Celtics after three seasons. With his stature, Isaiah Thomas has the ultimate underdog story in the NBA.
One thing about winning NBA MVPs, the factor to consider is that the candidate's team should be one of the top of their conference. In that case, top 3 at least. Another strong consideration is the story of the player. A 5'9" NBA player winning the MVP will make very inspirational story to all aspiring players that the MVP voters could capitalize.