Harden, Antetokounmpo top MVP rankings
At this point, an NBA MVP race without James Harden just wouldn’t feel right.
After finishing oh-so-close in two of the last three seasons, the superstar guard is at it again, leading his Houston Rockets to the top of the Western Conference standings. He etched his name in yet another record book with his career-high 56-point outburst against the Utah Jazz on Sunday. Although there’s sure to be bumps in the road once his backcourt running mate Chris Paul returns from his knee injury, we don’t see Harden leaving this conversation any time soon.
That said, there are plenty of worthy candidates hot on his trail.
Below are USA TODAY’s early MVP rankings, as voted on by Sam Amick, Jeff Zillgitt, Michael Singer and AJ Neuharth-Keusch.
5. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks: 30.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks
Forget the Most Improved Player award; the 7-3 Latvian is gunning for the title of best in the league. He’s still a ways away from reaching such heights, of course, but the first nine games of his third NBA season — he has scored 30 or more points in all but two contests — have been enough to warrant some rec- ognition as one of the league’s most valuable players.
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 25.7 points, 6.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds
His scoring average isn’t nearly what it was during his second MVP campaign (30.1 points per game) and his threepoint percentage (39.6%) is the lowest mark of his career, but Curry, and his innate ability to wow the hoops world on a nightly basis, hasn’t gone anywhere. His plus-minus (+14.4) is both a league and a career high.
3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers: 28.8 points, 9.1 assists, 7.2 rebounds
Don’t let the Cavs’ shaky start (4-6 record) and defensive woes (allowing a league-worst 111.7 points per game) fool you: The King is still The King. Not only did his 57-point night against the Washington Wizards mark the second-highest total of his career, it showed that he’s still fully capable of shouldering the entire offensive load on any given night.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: 31.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists
Still think of Antetokounmpo as a player on the path to superstardom? Stop it. He’s already there. He became the first player in NBA history to average at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and five assists over the first five games of a season and he’s posting better numbers than last season in almost every major statistical category.
1. James Harden, Houston Rockets:
29.5 points, 9.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds
At first glance, Harden’s aforementioned 56-point, 13-assist outing is impressive.
Then you dig a little deeper. He scored or assisted on 91 points in the win, the third-highest total in a game in NBA history; joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to record 50 points and 10 assists on 75% shooting; and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1987 to score 56 points on 25 shots or fewer. Need we say more?