时间的指针刚指向八月，2018-19赛季MVP争夺战却已揭开序幕。博彩网站已为下一赛季的MVP热门候选人开出盘口。刚和湖人签约的詹姆斯一马当先，浓眉哥、字母哥、大胡子哈登及凯文杜兰特紧随其后。然而这些名字未免使人觉得缺乏新鲜感，假如MVP争夺战里有第二梯队，那下面这几位肯定值得好好考虑考虑。

Kawhi Leonard

卡哇伊·莱昂纳德

Leonard is better than DeRozan at everything, except he never got the chance to be a primary playmaker like DeRozan because the Spurs ran an equal-opportunity system with a plethora¹ of ball handlers. In 2016-17, 30.9 percent of Leonard's offensive possessions were pick-and-rolls.

莱昂纳德各方面都比德罗赞强，只是他从未有机会能像德罗赞那样充当球队主导者，因为马刺队进攻体系均衡且持球者众多。16-17赛季，莱昂纳德的进攻中挡拆比例达到30.9%。

By contrast, 52.8 percent of DeRozan's last season were pick-and-rolls, per Synergy. But over 12 games in the 2017 playoffs, Leonard's pick-and-roll usage increased to 40.6 percent of his plays. Leonard scored with tremendous efficiency, as you'd expect, and his passing was sharp.

与此形成鲜明对比的是，上赛季德罗赞挡拆占比52.8%。但是2017年季后赛中，有超过12场的比赛，莱昂纳德挡拆比例骤升至40.6%，随之而来的是恐怖的得分效率。同时如你所料，他的传球也很犀利。

Leonard sometimes unnecessarily picks up his dribble² before passing, an old habit from his college years at San Diego State, but he's improved significantly at throwing darts⁴ off the dribble like in the video above on the pass to Danny Green, who was also traded to the Raptors.

莱昂纳德传球前时不时总会多运几下球，这是他在圣迭格州读大学时养成的老习惯，但是他在这个方面已经有了很大的进步，就像上面的视频中传给丹尼·格林的那个球一样。格林也被交易到了猛龙队。

We already know that, if healthy, Leonard will defend at an elite⁵ level and score with efficiency through a diversity of plays. The interesting variable is his playmaking. If Leonard is empowered to handle the rock and facilitate, it won't be long until he's the favorite to win MVP.

我们都知道，如果身体健康的话，伦纳德的防守是精英水平，得分更是多样化和高效率。有趣的变数是他的打法。如果莱纳德被赋予权力可以灵活的持球进攻，那么很快他就成为荣获MVP最热门的人选。

Devin Booker

德文·布克

If Booker keeps progressing, the 2018-19 season could be his breakout campaign. (And if the Suns didn't stink⁶ so much last season, he could've just had it.) Last season, Booker became only the 11th player to average over 24 points before turning 22 years old.

如果布克保持进步，那么18-19赛季将是他爆发之季（如果不是太阳队上个赛季那样摆烂，他或许已经做到了）。上赛季，布克成为了NBA历史上第11位在22岁前场均得分超过24分的球员。

LeBron James and Kevin Durant did it twice, and the five retired⁷ players who did it all made the Hall of Fame. It's a good sign for Booker. And now he's about to play with new teammates, with a new coach, and in a new system.

勒布朗詹姆斯和凯文杜兰特实现过两次，另外五位达成此成就的已退役球星均进入了名人堂。这对布克来讲是个好兆头。另外这个赛季他将和一些新队友并肩作战，此外还有新主帅以及全新的体系。

Booker was projected as a pure shooting guard in the Klay Thompson mold after his freshman⁸ season at Kentucky, but he's drastically improved his ball handling to become a more dynamic scorer.

在肯塔基州他的菜鸟赛季后，太阳队将布克以克莱汤普森为模板打造成一个纯得分后卫，但他却大幅度提高他的控球能力以成为一个双能卫。

He's crafty⁹ once he gets in the lane, utilizing¹⁰ floaters and off-balance layups; and if a shot isn't available, he's a willing, capable passer. Booker must get better at whipping cross-court passes and putting more velocity¹¹ on the ball, but that'll come in time.

布克冲击到油漆区会带来很大威胁，他会利用抛投而且能在失去平衡的情况下上篮得手；当投篮受阻的时候，他能主动传出一手好球。然而布克必须提高他长传球的能力并且让球速加快，这些都会很快成为现实的。

kawhi Leonard

Victor Oladipo

维克多·奥拉迪波

It'd be just as much of a mistake to discount Oladipo getting better moving forward. He's only 26, and he just pushed LeBron and the Cavs to the brink¹² in his his first taste of the playoffs as his team's alpha. Oladipo is obviously already quite good, but he can still get better as long as he doesn't become complacent¹³ after his immense success last season.

认为奥拉迪波会止步不前显然是大错特错的。他才仅仅26岁，并且刚结束的赛季奥拉迪波已经将勒布朗跟他的骑士队推到了淘汰边缘，要知道这是他第一次作为核心领着球队打进季后赛。奥拉迪波显然是已经足够优秀了，但只要他没有对上赛季巨大的成功表现自满，他依然可以越来越出色。

He put up good box-score numbers (he averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds¹⁴, and 4.3 assists last season). He's an excellent defender¹⁵. He was also one of the NBA's most efficient isolation¹⁶ scorers, and excelled in the pick-and-roll, on spot-ups, and off handoffs. And he was clutch.

他打出了亮眼的数据（上赛季场均23.1分，5.2个篮板，4.3个助攻）。他还是一名出色的防守者。他也是NBA现役中单打得分效率最高的球员之一，掩护走位，定点投篮和手递手传球都非常擅长。同时奥拉迪波也是一名大心脏球员。

The next step is shooting 3s at a higher volume while maintaining or increasing efficiency.The odds¹⁷ are Oladipo will always be a fairly inconsistent shooter. But he needs to take more of them.

接下来的一步就是在保持和提高命中率的基础上增加三分出手。奥拉迪波可能都会是一个不太稳定的投手，但他需要增加出手。如果奥拉迪波场均出手7.7次三分球（和乔治一样），并增加中距离投篮到场均5.1次，那么一个赛季下来总得分将增加39分，场均得分将从23.1分上升至23.7分。

If he starts shooting 40 percent from 3 at this volume, his scoring would increase to 24.3. This is a lot of math, but it's only meant to illustrate¹⁸ how only a subtle tweak to his workload¹⁹ would lead to a noticeable bump in production.

如果他在同样的三分出手数下将命中率提高到百分之四十，他的场均得分会增加到24.3分。这是一些数学问题，但这只是说明了对他的工作进行小小的调整就会导致结果明显的变化。

Ben Simmons

本·西门斯

Simmons ranked near the top of the NBA in efficiency when factoring in the points scored off his passes, so this isn't meant as a slight. The man is already a beast. But he's not close to his ceiling as a potential Face of the NBA. Simmons is too predictable, as most young players are. In the post, he often turns to a right-handed hook shot even in situations when he should go left.

在助攻他人得分方面，西蒙斯的效率排名接近NBA的榜首，所以光这一点就不能小看他了，那人已经是一头野兽。但作为NBA的一个潜在面孔，他并没有接近自己的天花板。西蒙斯太容易被预测了，就像大多数年轻球员一样。在地位的时候，即使在他应该向左走的情况下，他也经常转到右手勾手投篮。

When driving the lane, he uses his right hand more than 80 percent of the time on layup attempts, which results in shot alterations²⁰ rather than makes or drawn²¹ fouls²² by using a strong left hand. If Simmons develops his left hand on the inside, it'll make scoring easier.

当冲进罚球区时，他用右手上篮的次数超过80%，这会导致投篮的改变，而不是用强有力的左手去造犯规。如果西蒙斯能在内线发展他的左手技能，那得起分来就更容易了。

Simmons, with an already-chiseled 6-foot-10 physique, could be used more frequently as a screener on the roll, or pop for a shot, or catch and drive. He's a smart player without the ball, which he displays when cutting and crashing the boards.

西蒙斯有着6英尺10英寸高的身材，可以更频繁地在挡拆中做掩护，或者突施冷箭，或者接球突破。他是一个聪明的无球跑动者，表现在他的切入篮下和冲抢篮板上。

The re-emergence of Markelle Fultz could help matters for Simmons, but Simmons's high-IQ game could still be better utilized²³ from the perimeter²⁴ if he becomes a threat from there. Once he is, Simmons has no limits.

马克尔·富尔茨的复出可能对西蒙斯有所帮助，但如果西蒙斯能够在中距离成为对手的威胁的话，他的高智商仍能在比赛中发挥更好的作用。一旦他做到了，西蒙斯就没有限制了。

Donovan Mitchell

多诺万·米切尔

Mitchell improved over the course of the season at scoring in the paint with one-foot finishes, and his 3-pointer has come a long way since college. He's also a far better passer than he gets credit for, which he displayed in the playoffs while point guard Ricky Rubio was sidelined. But there's always room for improvement, and the easiest way for Mitchell to see an uptick in his efficiency is by drawing more free throws.

米切尔一整个赛季都在提升自己在油漆区单脚投篮的能力，他的三分球从大学开始就有了长足的进步。他的传球能力也比他得到的称赞要好得多，他在季后赛中表现出色，而控球后卫里基·卢比奥则被边缘化。但是，总有提升的空间，而对于米切尔来说，看到他的效率上升最简单的方法就是投更多的罚球。

Of the 205 players in NBA history to average at least 15 shots with a usage over 25, Mitchell ranked 163rd in free throw rate. That's fine for a rookie, and even some veterans. Curry²⁵ doesn't draw a lot of fouls. But most transcendent scorers eat at the line.

在NBA历史上，平均至少有15次投篮，且使用率超过25的205名球员中，米切尔在罚球命中率上排名第163位，对于一个新手，甚至是一些老兵来说，这都没问题。库里没有造到太多的犯规。但大多数超凡脱俗的射手都会在罚球线上砍分。

There's a correlation²⁶ between free throw rate and true shooting percentage, which basically means there's a moderately positive relationship between drawing fouls and scoring efficiency. Mitchell didn't draw a lot of fouls over his two seasons at Louisville either, and more often than not, players' free throw rates don't change drastically during their pro³ careers.

罚球率和真实投篮命中率之间存在一定的相关性，这基本上意味着罚球犯规和得分效率之间存在一定的正相关关系。米切尔在路易斯维尔的两个赛季也没有造到很多犯规，而且很多时候，球员的罚球率在职业生涯中不会有很大的变化。