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In recent history, the NBA MVP race hasn’t been all that enthralling, due to the fact it’s essentially been a one or two-horse race between LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
However, this season, LeBron started a little sluggishly – compared to his usual high standards – while Kevin Durant has missed a significant amount of games due to injuries. That has opened the door for a host of other NBA stars to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for the 2014-15 season.
Yet don’t for a second think that these players are merely the default option after the usual top two candidates. The truth is, they would deserve consideration in any season, such has been the brilliant performances they have delivered thus far.
As we approach the home stretch of the regular season, with every team having roughly 30 games each to play, let’s count down the top five candidates who are in the running to win the NBA’s highest individual accolade.
5. Russell Westbrook
It’s hard to believe that there remain some hard-core ‘Rusty’ detractors. While there is no question that he can still play out of control at times, isn’t a pure point guard, and can get a over-emotional, no NBA player is perfect.
To concentrate on those perceived Westbrook negatives isn’t just slightly out-dated – for he has improved in all three of those facets this season – it also rather foolishly overlooks everything positive that Westbrook brings to the table.
Westbrook is second in the league in scoring, steals and PER (player efficiency rating), and sixth in the league in assists. Yet numbers aside, it’s the force, intensity and passion he plays with that really propels Oklahoma City to numerous victories.
With the Thunder trading for a solid bench just before the deadline, if they can gel quickly, they are the team no one wants to face in the playoffs.
Considering all their injury concerns and other upheavals, if Westbrook can guide his team into the playoffs in the tough Western Conference, and finish the regular season with a multitude of late-season wins, we might see history be made with Westbrook crowned the MVP the season after teammate Kevin Durant took home the same award.
4. Anthony Davis
I mentioned previously that no player in the league is perfect, but that comment may do a disservice to the man they call ‘The Unibrow’.
Consider these per game numbers from Davis: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1.7 assists, 1.5 blocks, while shooting 55 per cent from the field and 83 per cent from the line. With numbers like that, it won’t surprise you to know that he leads the league in PER at 31.2 – a figure that is currently the eighth highest ever recorded.
So yeah, you could say he’s having a pretty good season.
Throw in the impact he has on almost every single game in a myriad of different ways, the improvement he’s made to his offensive arsenal, and the fact he’s even hitting game-winning three pointers now, and it’s fair to say Davis is a legitimate MVP candidate. The scary thing is that he’s still just 21 years of age.
What will count against him though, is his team’s position in the standings.
The New Orleans Pelicans currently nurse a 28-27 record, which is actually very solid, but in the brutal Western Conference it’s only good enough to see them sit in 10th spot.
Though Davis has done all he can to get the Pellies into the playoffs, they’re probably going to fall just short, and voters are traditionally reluctant to reward players whose team don’t qualify within the top eight in their conference.
3. LeBron James
‘The King’ is ever so slightly down on his career numbers so far this season, which has seen him became an afterthought for this year’s MVP race. Yet we really should be judging him against this year’s competition, rather than against his own extremely high standards.
The fact is, LeBron’s quietly having yet another great season.
He started a little slowly, and even looked disinterested at times, but a two-week break appeared to rejuvenate the four-time MVP winner, and since then he has looked like the LeBron of old. In other words, the best player on the planet.
If the Cavs can continue their recent hot play and finish the season strong, and LeBron continues to dominate like he has of late, it may be enough for him to leapfrog the other two players left on this list and take home yet another MVP trophy.
Would anyone seriously be brave enough to rule him out?
More importantly, never rule out journalists voting for him in order to complete their already written story about his amazing ‘coming home to Cleveland’ season.
2. Steph Curry
1. James Harden
It was a pretty tough decision to separate these last two, as both Curry and Harden have been sublime this season.
What eventually gave Harden the slight advantage was the fact Curry has a stronger roster surrounding him, the health of said roster, and the Warriors much better coaching staff, led by rookie coach Steve Kerr.
In essence, with less talent on both the roster and the coaching bench – combined with injuries to Dwight Howard – Harden has had to overcome more to put his team in the successful position the Rockets currently find themselves. Houston’s impressive accomplishments are almost exclusively because of him.
Harden’s foul-drawing game isn’t always pretty, but his ability to put the team on his back and get the Rockets the shots their offence desires (three pointers or layups) has been nothing short of sensational. Even his oft-maligned defence has improved this year.
Meanwhile, Curry is the best player on the best team in the league. Yet far from his MVP candidacy being a token nod to a team’s success, Curry has been unbelievable.
He’s pretty much un-guardable on offence, and needs to be defended the minute he crosses the halfway line, such is the crazy range on his jumper.
His amazing ball skills and excellent passing also ensure he’s more than just a one-dimensional weapon on offence. Like Harden, he has also improved his defence, to the point where he leads the league in steals this season – not that this statistic always equates to being a great defender, but it remains telling.
The Warriors are deep and talented, yet when Curry is off the floor, their numbers across the board plummet, highlighting just how important he is, despite Golden State’s loaded roster.
You could therefore make the case that irrespective of which roster you think has more talent, Harden and Curry are equally important to their teams – and you would be right. However, at this stage of the season, I still have Harden in front by just a whisker.
There is, however, a very long way to go.