The NBA season is now in full swing and racing towards the All-Star Break, which means it's time to look at some of the top MVP candidates from the first half of the season.
1. James Harden
Stats (Season Average): 35.7 points, 8.5 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 43.9 FG% 37.6 3pt%
James Harden is easily number one in the MVP race at this point. Although the Rockets started out slow, falling to 14th place in the competitive Western Conference and losing Chris Paul to injury, James Harden has single handedly carried his team back to a respectable fifth place position in the standings. Since Christmas, the Houston Rockets guard has taken his game to another level, averaging an unbelievable 43 points, eight rebounds and eight assists a game. Add to this his heroics in beating the defending champion Warriors with a 44-point, 15-assist, and 10-rebound triple double along with a dagger three-point shot at the buzzer, and it’s not hard to see why James Harden is on pace to repeat as MVP this season.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Stats: 26.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, 1.3 steals, 58.1 FG% 17.5% 3pt%
With the departure of LeBron from Cleveland this off-season, Giannis has taken his title as the king of the East, which makes him a close second this year for the MVP Award. He has been contributing in all facets of the Bucks’ offense and has powered his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference (as of Jan. 20th). While he still doesn’t have a reliable three-point shot, he still finds a way to score extremely efficiently. In addition to this, he has proven himself to be a versatile defender because of his super long wingspan, and he has used this effectively, racking up both steals and blocks at a high rate.
3. Stephen Curry
29.8 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 49.2 FG% 45.4 3pt%
Many people may be surprised that a player with four other All-Star teammates is in my top three list for NBA MVP, but he has definitely earned it. While his stats haven’t been quite as amazing as his competition, James Harden, Steph Curry has rather quietly been putting together a very convincing case for his third MVP trophy. He has posted his highest points per game mark since his 2015-2016 MVP season while shooting his most efficient mark from the three-point line since the 2015-2016 season as well. Another strong argument for Curry as the MVP was discovered as he sat down with injury. Many people assumed the high-powered Warriors offense wouldn’t miss Curry too much because of the leadership of superstar Kevin Durant, the scoring ability of sharpshooter Klay Thompson, and all around hustle of defensive stalwart Draymond Green. However, it was quickly apparent that this was not the case. Thompson and Green struggled, and although Kevin Durant might have been the better individual player on the Warriors, he was not the most valuable. Not only did the Warriors win five of the ten games Curry sat out, but their offense quickly stagnated. In addition to this, teammate chemistry became a problem, especially between Durant and Green, with an on-court spat occurring after a tough loss on the road. This is an indication that Curry’s value goes beyond the stats. His charisma, enthusiasm and character rub off on the entire team and makes them play more efficiently. In other words, Curry is the engine that makes the Warriors run.