Analysing the NBA MVP race
With just under a month left in the regular season, the race for NBA MVP is heating up. This year, it’s a four horse race between Houston’s James Harden, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Cleveland’s LeBron James and San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard. Each player presents a compelling case, but who should claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy?
James Harden, Houston Rockets
After switching to point guard in Houston’s first season under new head coach Mark D’Antoni (a frontrunner for the Coach of the Year Award), Harden has been putting up astronomical numbers; leading the league with 11.3 assists per game and ranking in the top three for scoring. Harden is the centrepiece of a Rockets team that is currently third in the Western Conference, and has dragged Houston to become one of the league’s top teams despite being the only All-Star on the roster. Harden has 18 triple double to his credit this season, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Like Harden, Westbrook is the centrepiece for the Thunder and has dragged Oklahoma City to the playoffs despite a mediocre supporting cast. Unlike Harden though, Westbrook is chasing history, attempting to average a triple double across an entire season. Only Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson has accomplished the feat so far. When Westbrook posts a triple double, the Thunder are 28–6 this season. Westbrook also leads the league in scoring and consistently pulls off plays like this incredible assist in a win against the Toronto Raptors:
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
“The King” is arguably the best basketball player on the planet, but has also been slightly overshadowed by the incredible seasons that Harden and Westbrook are having. But despite injuries to his supporting cast and some poor defense (the Cavaliers rank 21st in defensive efficiency), LeBron still has Cleveland on top in the Eastern Conference. LeBron has played over 200 more minutes than any of his team-mates and is driving the Cavaliers back to the Finals.
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Leonard, one of the best two-way players in the NBA, launched himself into the MVP race with a dominant performance in the fourth quarter against Houston at the beginning of March, with 17 points to give the Spurs a thrilling 112–110 win. But Leonard isn’t having as good a season as Harden or Westbrook, despite San Antonio closing in on the Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference. Westbrook and Harden have kept their incredible pace up for most of the season, while Leonard is only a recent addition to the MVP race.
While playing for two of the league’s best teams, both LeBron and Leonard have good supporting casts around them; something Harden and Westbrook don’t have. Harden and Westbrook have put their teams on their backs and are almost single-handedly dragging them towards the playoffs.
So which of the two should hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy? Although Harden is putting up big numbers for the current third seeds in the Western Conference, Westbrook’s historic season is more valuable to the Thunder’s success on a potential playoff run, especially after Kevin Durant’s defection to Golden State.
In many ways, Westbrook’s incredible year is similar to Adrian Peterson’s 2011 MVP season, when he rushed for 2097 yards and almost broke the singe season rushing record. Although Peterson’s Minnesota Vikings failed to make the playoffs, he, like Westbrook, was the Most Valuable Player in the league.
