Steph Curry already is a three-time NBA champion. And he believes he should be a three-time MVP after this season as well.
The Warriors superstar has made that clear before, and reiterated why to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
"Yeah, I do [feel deserving of the MVP]," Curry said to Shelburne. "But even if you don't win it, being in the conversation, top five -- those type of acknowledgements show what you're about, no matter what the situation is, year to year.
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"That, in and of itself, is the reward, because we all know how hard it is to actually have everything go right for a season that you actually win it."
Curry enters Monday leading the league in scoring at 31.2 points per game, which is the highest of his career. He also is averaging 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game.
The magician from long distance is putting up a career-high 12.2 3-point attempts per game. He also is making a career-best 5.2 3s per game.
While playing without his fellow Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, Curry is having an even better season than when he was named the NBA's first unanimous MVP for the 2015-16 season.
Golden State Warriors
But Curry knows all that matters right now is winning.
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"We have a certain style and expectation around here that when we don't meet it, it does become frustrating," Curry said. "We're learning on the fly about how to rebuild.
"I know we have a lot left in the tank and we want to finish the season strong. But there's nothing smooth about the climb back to the top."
The Warriors come into Monday with a .500 record at 32-32. They're the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, which is well below Curry's fellow MVP candidates. It will be hard for him to jump people like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, but he certainly is putting up the numbers to do so.