It has been clearer than water that the NBA MVP race this season is set to be one of the closest in league history. Most fans and analysts are even expecting a split ballot, with four key names having emerged: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and perennial MVP contender LeBron James.

Each of these players has phenomenal cases, and to be clear, they are all worthy of winning the MVP award. But, truth be told, one guy is going to win.

According to CBS Sports, there's a lot more to talk with regards to answering the question of who the MVP is, as well as who's going to win the vote, and both of those are separate issues. But to determine who the real MVP is, there needs to have a lot of consideration in order to the ones who will vote to arrive at that conclusion.

All the players who are mentioned even in the top 10 all deserve to win, but there could only be one winner. But before going more complex about determining the victor of the award, let's focus more on the main word that would define the award: the word, 'valuable.'

How is 'valuable' defined in terms of determining the MVP? This is the very first question that is needed to be deciphered since it's no doubt the central question that would follow everything leading towards the conclusion.

Here are some samplings of ways that the loaded word, "valuable," gets interpreted, as per The Team. So a player is considered as valuable if: His team would be trash without him; He makes his team great; He possesses individual excellence that is very impactful towards any game he plays; He is a superior statistical production (a stat sheet stuffer); has the "helps his team win the most" factor.

These are some factors that voters would be considering in terms of determining who the MVP of this season is. If one player happens to fit in with all of these considerations perfectly, then he is the clear-cut Most Valuable Player of this season.

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