For three straight years, James Harden has been in the MVP discussion. In 2015, Harden was the runner-up to Stephen Curry, who had one of the best seasons in NBA history. In 2017, Harden was again a runner=up to Russell Westbrook, who averaged a triple-double for the entire season. Now, Harden is making history in his own right. The Rockets shooting guard is currently averaging 31.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. Against the Magic on Jan. 30, Harden became the first person in NBA history to record a 60-point triple double.
Now, teammate Chris Paul is convinced that Harden will win the MVP award, and that it won’t be even close.
CP3 says Harden will be MVP and it’s “not even going to be close,” per @Jonathan_Feigen https://t.co/xkvB0u58C7 pic.twitter.com/K4u8HIYP3U
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 3, 2018
According to Tim Daniels of Bleacher Report, Paul had a detailed explanation on why he believes that Harden is the front-runner for the NBA’s greatest individual award.
“You look at how many different lineups we’ve had,” he said. “Look at what he does for our team. All everybody does now is look at the numbers. Nothing against stats. … But nobody looks at how the game went. Watch the game, too. I’m here. I get to see what he’s doing night in, night out. A dynamic guard like that, a guy who can score and pass, do whatever, I think he showed everybody why he’s going to be the MVP. Not even going to be close,” Paul concluded.”
This season, Harden’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is 30.34, which is the highest rating in the NBA, per ESPN. His PER rating slightly edges other MVP-worthy players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James. Therefore, Harden has certainly made his case for the MVP award. Hopefully, voters can acknowledge this and give the star shooting guard the esteemed honor at the end of the season.
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