Stephen Curry’s last regular-season MVP award came in the 2015-16 NBA season, and the superstar point guard has been more or less an afterthought in MVP voting over the last few seasons on middling Golden State Warriors teams.

However, amid Golden State’s surprising start, Curry’s former teammate Nick Young believes a third trophy could be within reach more than a decade later. The 38-year-old would have to beat out a younger generation of superstars to pull off the feat, but Young sees multiple factors that could work in his favor.

Nick Young Makes Case for Stephen Curry Challenging for 3rd MVP

Since their troubling 0-3 start, the Warriors have rattled off seven straight wins, becoming just the second team in NBA history to pull off such a stark early-season turnaround, joining the 1950-51 Boston Celtics. Curry extended the streak Saturday with 41 points in a 126-119 overtime home victory over the Orlando Magic, lifting Golden State to 7-3.

Young, who won a championship alongside Curry in 2018, is already convinced the Warriors’ unexpected surge could propel his former teammate back to the forefront of the MVP discussion.

“MVP! MVP! MVP! You don’t think — I think he could win most definitely MVP,” Young said on “Gil’s Arena.”

“If they stay at this pace, and Steph is averaging 30, I don’t see why not you give it to him ’cause nobody expected the Warriors to even be good.”

Curry is currently clearing that scoring mark, averaging 31.3 points per game through eight appearances. Maintaining that production over a full season at 38 would be remarkable and would mark his second-highest scoring average, trailing only his age-32 campaign (32.0 ppg).

Young also thinks Curry’s MVP case could go beyond his numbers.

“I think he have a great shot ’cause he’s Steph, he’s not like Jaylen Brown last year. People love Steph,” Young continued.

Golden State’s swift resurgence after being written off by many has not been lost on Curry.

“We don’t forget where people thought we were at the beginning of the year,” the four-time NBA champion said after the Warriors’ victory run reached seven games, the franchise’s longest since March 2025.

Still, Young’s prediction would have to hold up against a crop of younger perennial MVP contenders.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is chasing a third straight MVP award and remains among the NBA’s most consistent offensive threats. Luka Dončić leads the league in scoring (40.1 ppg) by a wide margin amid a historic start for the 9-2 Los Angeles Lakers.

Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, posted an eye-popping 52 points, 24 rebounds, and 8 blocks in the San Antonio Spurs’ 112-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, with his team now riding a league-best eight-game winning streak.

Saturday’s 41-point outing gave Curry his 16th 40-point game since his 35th birthday, the most in NBA history, ahead of LeBron James (15) and Michael Jordan (12). It was also his second of the season, following a 44-point performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 28, and the 77th of his 18-year career.

“It makes me super proud of the work that’s gone in, especially with some injuries and all that,” Curry said. “But just the idea I could still get to a certain level you kind of feed off of that. Especially when it’s in a winning fashion like tonight, where we needed all of them. I appreciate the longevity.”

Curry and Co. should have a prime opportunity to keep their winning streak alive on Monday at home against the inconsistent New Orleans Pelicans (4-5). After that, their mettle will be put to the test with road matchups against the Houston Rockets (7-3) and Wembanyama’s Spurs (8-2).