Analyzing the NBA MVP Race

Much has been made of the NBA’s MVP race this year; there are many people that have contributed to their team in big ways, but there is no clear front runner. Let’s start by looking at some players that have made strong cases but will fall just short.

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Anthony Davis, PF, New Orleans Pelicans Davis began the season on an incredible note. The way Davis was playing at the beginning of the year, it seemed as if he would be a legit MVP contender. However, as the season went on and he began to sustain injuries, his MVP stock began to drop. His injuries, combined with the fact that the Pelicans are on the very edge of a playoff birth, make it hard to give Davis a real chance at receiving the MVP award this year. Make no mistake, most, if not all, of the Pelicans success this season has been due to Davis. Davis recorded 24 points per game (PPG), 10 rebounds per game (RPG) and 3 blocks per game (BPG) this season; you can be sure that he was no slouch. Davis will have his chance to contend for the MVP Award, but this season will not be one where he will be crowned as the winner. After all, he is only 22.

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Lamarcus Aldridge, PF, Portland Trailblazers Aldridge may not be seen by most as an MVP quality player, but he has been absolutely vital to the Trailblazers’ success this season. Aldridge has averaged 23.5 PPG and 10.3 RPG while leading the Trailblazers to the fourth seed in the tough western conference. The knock on Aldridge is that he does happen to have a good deal of talent around him. Namely one, Damian Lillard. He simply hasn’t done enough to put himself ahead of others.

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Lebron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James will be in the MVP discussion every year for a while longer. He has brought the Cavaliers a great amount of success. James’ numbers have been fantastic this year, but when watching the Cavaliers it’s apparent that he’s taken a kind of backseat leadership role. He hasn’t been as aggressive this year as he has been in the past and although he may be benefitting his team, it isn’t helping his MVP validity.

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Chris Paul, PG, Los Angeles Clippers Chris Paul has been great this year for the Clippers. He’s getting up there in years, but his play hasn’t diminished. Paul continues to be one of the NBA’s top tier distributors. This season he is averaging over ten assists per game (APG), while putting the Clippers in a great spot come playoff time. He has displayed leadership and the ability to score (19.1 PPG) to make him more than just a passer, but he just hasn’t been quite dominant enough to deserve MVP honors.

The Final Three

Now let’s get down to talking about the real contenders for MVP this season. There are three players that have put up absolutely astounding numbers. All three are unstoppable and are a threat to destroy any defense any given night. Those three players are none other than James Harden, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook.

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Westbrook may have this seasons most impressive numbers. He has averaged 27.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 8.6 APG. He’s also notched an impressive ten triple-doubles this season. Unfortunately, he’s only shot 42% and his team is struggling to fight for the final playoff spot in the west. He hasn’t helped his team win the way Harden and Curry have.

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Harden has been amazing in every way on offense this year. He’s been averaging 27.5 PPG and he’s also been dishing out around seven APG. In addition, he’s shooting better than most players in the NBA and also averaging more assists than some top tier point guards. Not to mention, Harden is pulling in around six boards a game as well. One of the biggest criticisms of Harden in the past has been that he is absolutely lost on defense. Those critics weren’t wrong, but this year he has made huge strides. The all around improvement from Harden has led his team to a 54-26 record, as well as a playoff birth. However, the Rockets are only the sixth seed at the moment, so he hasn’t exactly propelled them to the top of the western conference.

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Stephen Curry however, has his Warriors team sitting high and mighty as the number one seed in the western conference. Curry has a lot of great players and a good coach around him, but he has done plenty of it by himself. Besides having some of the best handles in the NBA, and the quickest jumper that I’ve ever seen, Curry can also pass, play defense and score around the rim with the best of them. Curry is averaging around 24 PPGand 7.7 APG. This just goes to show how much of an all around threat Curry is on the offensive end. He’s not the best on the defensive end, but he’s solid enough that it doesn’t take away from his game. His team’s success, combined with his almost inhuman ability to score all over the court, makes him perhaps the most popular candidate for the MVP award.

Personally, I can’t tell you who I think deserves it between Harden and Curry because I believe that they are both fantastic players that help their team. However, I tend to lead towards Harden just because of his dominance and ability to do so much with less talent around him than Curry. One thing’s for sure, this has been a great year of basketball and no matter who wins the award, we can know that we’ve been able to watch some amazing players do many amazing things.