Welcome back everyone, to the Monthly MVP Ladder! Everyone has been wondering who is going to win this star studded race. Well, let's find out!
5. Stephen Curry
Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports, via Reuters..
Curry may have missed a good portion of the season, but he is far from out of contention. The two time MVP champion is 3rd in the league in points per game with 27.7, only behind James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, per ESPN.com.
A majority of these points are coming from the strike and the 3 point line. Curry is attempting 7 free throws per game. He is in the top ten in free throw percentage, shooting 91%. Unbelievably he is also 3rd in the league in 3 point shots made, even though he has missed 15 games this season.
Curry is also on pace to once again have a 50-40-90 season. For those of you who don't know what that is, you qualify by shooting 50% from the field, 40% from 3 point range, and 90% from the strike. Only seven players have ever had a 50-40-90 season, including Steph Curry and his fellow teammate Kevin Durant.
Every since Curry has come back, he has been playing lights out. The injury somehow made Curry come back stronger.
The reason Curry is this low on the list is because of how many games he has missed. If Curry played more games he would be much higher on this list.
The key for Curry throughout the rest of the season is to stay healthy. A lot of players' injuries happen because of fatigue.
Just look what happened to Demarcus Cousins. You can obviously see that Demarcus Cousins was injured because of fatigue. Demarcus Cousins was playing a sizable amount of minutes. In fact, he was just coming off a 52 minutes game against the Chicago Bulls, where he dropped 44 points, with 10 assists and 16 rebounds. If a 44 point triple double doesn't tire a player out then nothing does.
This was a huge mistake by the Pelicans, The Warriors can't afford to do the same. The Warriors need to make giving Curry rest a top priority, so their most important player can be ready for the playoffs. If he can stay healthy he will still be in a great amount of consideration.
4. Russell Westbrook
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Westbrook has really turned around this season. Westbrook and the Thunder have won 8 of the last 9, and most of this streak is thanks to Westbrook. Over the span of those 9 games Westbrook has been averaging 30.5 points per game. He is finally looking like the MVP Russell Westbrook that we saw last year.
Westbrook over the course of the season so far has been averaging 25.5 points, 10.1 assists, 9.4 rebounds. The 25.5 points that Westbrook has been averaging is 2nd in the league among point guards, only behind Steph Curry.
The 10.1 assists Westbrook has been averaging is leading the league and the 9.4 rebounds Westbrook has been averaging is leading among guards. Right now, Westbrook has to be in serious consideration to repeat.
This season is everything needed for an MVP award, but to really secure this award Westbrook needs to make sure his team does well. If the Thunder aren't able to sustain the level of play that we have seen for the past few games Westbrook won't be able to win this award.
But if the Thunder does start getting into playoff shape, Westbrook will have a good chance to repeat as MVP. Oh, yeah averaging a triple double will help too.
3. Kyrie Irving
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Kyrie Irving never fails to dazzle me. Search up Kyrie Irving on Youtube and I guarantee you will find dozens of amazing clips. I love watching Celtics games, and he is probably why. Irving always does something spectacular.
If you just look at the stats and not the games you would say that Irving is having a below average season, but the truth is Kyrie Irving is having the best year of his career.
It may not show up in the stats as he is only averaging a career low 22.0 points per game, but if you watch his games you could see how much he impacts the game. Even if his stats aren't mind blowing he is making such a big impact on his team.
An example of this is his PER, which is player efficiency rating. Many people just look at the points, assists and rebounds. But the PER is the stat that people should really use to determine the quality of a player. He is averaging a PER of 24.9 which is a career high for him and is 5th in the league among point guards.
If Irving really wanted he could be averaging 30 points a game, but Irving knows that that is not what is going to help his team win.
Whether you believe or not that Irving could drop 30 points a game, you cannot deny the impact he made to the Celtics. The Celtics are currently leading the Eastern Conference with 36 wins and they don't show any signs of stopping with Kyrie Irving playing point.
Irving has done what many players aren't able to do. Irving went from just being a large volume scorer to a player that makes everyone around him better. Irving has shown that he can change.
He showed that he isn't the same guy that he was during his Cleveland days. This is the new and improved Kyrie Irving. The MVP contender kind.
2. Kevin Durant
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Curry may be back and playing like an MVP player, but that doesn't mean that they can't both be in the race for the award. Durant has played unbelievable on both sides of the ball this year.
Durant has averaged 25.6 points, 5.6 assists, 6.8 rebounds. He is also averaging a career high 2.0 blocks per game.
It may sound unbelievable, but Durant could win MVP and defensive player of the year. Which would would make Durant one of only three players to accomplish the feat. Which would also put him with very elite company in Michael Jordan, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
What is even more spectacular for Durant and the Golden State Warriors is that Durant and Curry will both have a great chance to have 50-40-90 season. Durant is shooting 41% from three point range. 51% from three. But Durant is shooting 89% from the strike, so he will have to up that number, but Durant will still have a great chance.
If Durant keeps playing at the level he has been playing at he has to be up there in the MVP consideration. The great thing for Durant is that voters also care about how good the candidate's team is, and Durant got a powerhouse team in the Golden State Warriors. In the end we may have a Warriors MVP battle.
1. James Harden
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I said that we may have a Warriors MVP battle, but that is if James Harden has nothing to say about it. He is the clear front runner right now, and if Harden keeps playing at the level he is playing right now he has to win MVP.
James Harden has been averaging a league leading 31.6 points per game. Ever since Harden came back from injury he has not lost a step.
He is also leading the NBA in PER with a astounding PER of 30.32.
And just a couple days ago Harden made NBA history. He scored 60 points, which broke the Houston Rockets franchise record for points. And as if that wasn't enough, Harden dropped a triple double to go along with that with 11 assists and 10 rebounds, which made his 60 point triple double the highest scoring triple double in NBA history.
Many may say that the MVP award is as good as his, and that may be true with the season he is experiencing. He may just be on pace for a better season that Westbrook had last year. Harden is playing the best basketball of his career and the best basketball in the league currently.
Harden may have not won MVP the last three years, but this year is where Harden is going to be fighting for what is rightfully his.
Honorable Mentions: Lebron James, Demar Derozan, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo