Who Should Win the NBA MVP Award?

It’s that time of year again! The NBA MVP award is up for grabs and the race is heating up. Who do you think should take home the hardware?

Russell Westbrook

The NBA MVP award is one of the most prestigious awards in basketball. It is given to the player who is considered to be the most valuable to his team. This year, there are many players who are deserving of the award, but one player stands out above the rest. Russell Westbrook, point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has had an incredible season and is deserving of the NBA MVP award.

Averaging a triple double

In the 2016-2017 season, Westbrook became the second player in NBA history to average a triple double over the course of an entire season. The feat had only been accomplished once before, by Oscar Robertson in 1961-1962. In addition to his impressive statistical achievement, Westbrook also led the Thunder to the playoffs, where they ultimately lost in the first round to the Houston Rockets.

Most points scored per game

Westbrook is averaging a triple-double for the season, something that hasn’t been done since Oscar Robertson in 1962. He’s also the league’s leading scorer, averaging 31.6 points per game. In addition, Westbrook is averaging 10.7 assists and 10.4 rebounds per game.

Carried his team to the playoffs

In 2017, Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to average a triple double for an entire season. He also set a new record for the most triple doubles in a season with 42. Westbrook’s achievements that year helped lead his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to the playoffs. For his efforts, Westbrook was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.

James Harden

On the surface, it would appear that the race for MVP this season is a two-man race between Giannis Antetokounmpo andJames Harden. Both players have had incredible seasons and are deserving of the award. However, when you look at the numbers, it is clear that James Harden is the MVP.

Most points scored per game

In the 2018-2019 season, Harden averaged 36.1 points per game, 8.1 assists, and 6.6 rebounds. He also shot 44.2% from the field, 36.8% from three-point range, and 85.8% from the free throw line. All of these stats are career-highs for the 29-year-old guard. Harden’s historic season has led many to believe that he is deserving of the MVP award.

Most assists per game

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the assists per game (APG) is a statistic that tallies the number of assists a player makes in a given game. The assists per game statistic has been tracked officially by the NBA since the 1983–84 season, and currently Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder leads the all-time career assists per game average with 10.4.[1] John Stockton had previously held the record with 9.9 assists per game over his 19-year career. Magic Johnson is second all time with an average of 11.2 assists per season.[2]
In basketball, an assist is defined as a pass that directly leads to a made basket. An assist can be awarded even if the passer does not touch the ball again, as long as he or she was in control of the ball before making the final pass. If two players touch the ball before it goes in, and it is unclear which player’s final pass led directly to the basket, then neither player is credited with an assist.

Averaging a double double

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a double double is when a player accumulates a total of 10 or more in two of five statistical categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks—in a game. The most double-doubles in an NBA game is 62, set by Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 9, 2017. Westbrook’s 62nd double-double broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 55-year-old record of 61 set in 1968. Oscar Robertson (1961–62), Chamberlain (15 times), Jerry Lucas (4 times), and Nate Thurmond are the only other players to average a double double for an entire season. Most of the season leaders in the category since the 1986–87 season have been power forwards or centers.

Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers is my pick for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Leonard has been phenomenal this season, averaging 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He is also shooting a career-high 49.6 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three-point range.

Averaging a double double

With Kawhi Leonard averaging a double double this season with 27.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, many are beginning to ask if he is the most deserving candidate for the NBA MVP award. While his offensive numbers are impressive, it is his defensive contributions that really make him stand out as one of the league’s best players. In addition to leading the league in steals per game (2.7), Kawhi is also anchors one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, with the Raptors allowing less than a hundred points per game.

The Defensive Player of the Year award is usually given to a player who specializes in that end of the floor, but there is no doubt that Kawhi’s all-around game makes him a worthy candidate for MVP as well. With his team currently sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings, it will be interesting to see if Kawhi can keep up his stellar play and lead the Raptors to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.

Defensive player of the year

Kawhi Leonard is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two seasons of college basketball for San Diego State University, and was named a consensus second-team All-American as a sophomore. He was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the fifteenth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, but was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on draft night. Leonard won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2014 and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was named to his first All-Star team in 2016.

In 2017, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year, becoming just the third guard to earn that honor. In 2018, he led Toronto to their first ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance while being named first team All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season. After one season with Toronto, Leonard signed with his hometown Los Angeles Clippers. In his first season with Los Angeles, Leonard helped lead them to their first ever Western Conference Finals appearance while also being named MVP and Defensive Player of the Year for a third time.

Most points scored per game

As of right now, Kawhi Leonard is leading the race for the NBA MVP award. He is averaging 27.5 points per game, which is the most points scored per game out of any player in the league. He is also averaging 7.3 rebounds per game and 2.9 assists per game.