One of the defining features of the modern NBA is its star power.

It could be argued that in no time in history has the sport seen such a proliferation of brilliant, highly recognisable players, all possessing such vastly different physical qualities and skillsets.

While the NBA remains grounded in its team imperative, it’s also a league that provides a generous canvass for individual brilliance and expression.

In recent years, the NBA MVP award has been won by household names such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

However last year’s winner, 24-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo, was the first player born outside of the United States since Dirk Nowitzki, 12-years earlier, to win the award, while also heralding the definitive arrival of the NBA ‘unicorn.’

And while the ‘Greek Freak’s’ talents were widely recognised and appreciated coming into the season, his elevation to the very apex of the sport wasn’t expected to transpire so quickly.

RELATED: 5 NBA Players to Break Out in 2019-20

Here, we'll take a look at five players who, while not necessarily at the forefront of fans minds when it comes to this year’s MVP, but, could absolutely challenge for the game’s highest individual honour.

NIKOLA JOKIC, Denver Nuggets

TAB MVP ODDS: $15

From the moment Denver’s Serbian sensation, Nikola Jokic, entered the league, he has challenged all manner of conventional thinking where the role of the big man is concerned.

At just 23 years old, Jokic is at the heart of everything the Nuggets do, last year helping them storm to their first division title in ten years, and whose 54 wins were a number bettered only by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.

At seven feet tall and 250 pounds, Jokic is not only the brute force you’d expect from a frame like that, but he’s also the chief playmaker on a Nuggets team that last year boasted the league’s #6 ranked offense. He led his team with 20.1 points per game (ppg) and also averaged 7.3 assists per game (apg) - the kind of number the bulk of NBA point guards would be happy to attach to their resumes.

Jokic’s fourth-place finish in last year’s MVP voting was indicative of how keenly aware the basketball world is of his talents. Another campaign - perhaps with an improvement upon his 30.7% three-point percentage - and backed by another strong Denver season will have him very much knocking on the door of an MVP award.

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DAMIAN LILLARD, Portland Trail Blazers

TAB MVP ODDS: $26

Somehow, Damian Lillard’s place at the very top of the NBA hierarchy gets lost in the mail.

It’s not that Lillard isn’t recognised as being one of the league’s absolute best point guards, it's just that other Western Conference guards such as Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and even combo guard, James Harden, seem to receive more plaudits.  

Last season, Lillard's Blazers broke through to their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 18 years, off the back of an offense that was ranked #3 in the league. For the fourth straight season, Lillard averaged more than 25ppg and 4apg, while last year, a team-high 29.3% of Portland’s offense ran through the former Weber State University's #6 overall NBA Draft pick (2012).

This is a burgeoning Blazers team that’s qualified for nine of the last 11 post-seasons with Lillard very much playing a similar role - both on and off the court - to what Steph Curry provides for the Warriors as the face of the franchise.

The Blazers finally breaking through to contest the Western Conference Final last season put the franchise at the forefront of the NBA's collective minds. 

It might have done similar where Lillard’s MVP candidacy is concerned.

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS, Minnesota Timberwolves

TAB MVP ODDS: $26

Since coming into the NBA as the #1 draft pick out of Kentucky in 2015, all Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns has done has put up stupendous numbers. Each year, his production has improved exponentially while he’s quickly emerged as the franchise’s most integral figure since Kevin Garnett.

In just four seasons, Towns has won himself a Rookie of the Year award, found himself on two All-Star teams, made an All-NBA third team, all the while sinking an astonishing 393 three-point field goals at even more remarkable 39.2% clip.

While the NBA world is currently in a grip of ‘unicorn’ fever, it is sometimes easy to dismiss Towns’ place among the likes of Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis.

While indeed, 'KAT' has an incredible range for a seven-foot big man, he’s also been a defensive pillar. Last season he led the team with 12.4 rebounds per game (rpg) along with 1.6 blocks. When Karl-Anthony Towns was on the court, the Wolves conceded 108 points per 100 possessions. 

When he wasn’t on the court, that figure dropped to an awful 112.9 points per 100 possessions.

Any chance Towns might have from an MVP point of view, will come down to whether Minnesota can make any noise in a devastatingly loaded Western Conference. It’ll be a task made even more difficult considering the Wolves have finished dead last in their division in eight of the last ten seasons.

BEN SIMMONS, Philadelphia 76ers

TAB MVP ODDS: $51

It’s been well publicised that the only thing missing from Ben Simmons' game is a functional, reliable jump shot. Once it arrives, Simmons’s all-round game is already established so as to constitute a legitimate MVP threat.

In his combined 182 regular and post-season matches, the young Australian hasn’t hit a single three-pointer from the 18 he has attempted from long-range. His lack of a deep threat is an increasingly pronounced weakness in a sport where shooting and floor-spacing has becomes so run of the mill that it is something the most lumbering of centres are expected to at least be competent at.

For the former #1 pick out of LSU, and for his championship ready team like Philadelphia, it’s been a significant blight on an otherwise exceptional body of work.

In just two seasons, Simmons has already demonstrated why he was one of the most talented basketball prospects in years with his incredible, multifaceted game continually causing headaches on the floor for his opponents. Simmons strength lies in his extraordinary speed combined with a massive frame that not only allows him to lead fast-breaks, but also enables him to double as a devastating post-threat.

The 76ers had back-to-back 50+ win seasons for the first time since the mid-80s with Simmons as the undisputed primary ball handler. Over the last two seasons, he's provided 1,271 assists, and, while he's yet to demonstrate a reliable jumpshot, he boasts a 55.4% field goal percentage, which is a testament to his ability to get to the rim and finish.

RELATED: Are the 76ers Genuine NBA Championship Contenders?

At just 23 years old, Simmons is far from the finished product, and if he can indeed incorporate even a moderately effective jumper into his elite arsenal of skills, it'd be by no means a stretch to see him push himself into MVP discussions.

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DONOVAN MITCHELL, Utah Jazz

TAB MVP ODDS: $67

Having famously lost out to Ben Simmons for Rookie of the Year honours in 2018, Donovan Mitchell elevated his game further in his sophomore season pushing his points per game average up to 23.8.

At just 23 year’s old, and on a 50-win team, Mitchell carried an almighty workload for a Utah squad which lacked elite perimeter play. In fact, Mitchell had a 31.6% usage rate last season which was ranked sixth highest in the league.

This season, however, is shaping quite differently for Utah with the addition of the Memphis Grizzlies revered point guard, Mike Conley, which should theoretically allow Mitchell to play more off the ball which could translate into a monstrous scoring season for Mitchell.

The NBA world might not truly know what it has on its hands with the former first-round pick out of Louisville, who has already hit a remarkable 375 three-pointers through his first two seasons.

The Conley addition might not just push Utah into being a legitimate championship contender, but may well make Mitchell an outside chance for the MVP.

Are there any other outsiders you're looking at in 2019-20? Leave a comment below, or join the conversation on the Stats Insider Twitter or Facebook page.