Who Is the MVP of the NBA 2019?
We take a look at who the front runners are for the MVP award in the 2019 NBA season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, also known as the Greek Freak, is one of the most dominant players in the NBA today. He’s an incredible athlete with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, and he’s only getting better. Antetokounmpo was named the MVP of the NBA in 2019, and it’s easy to see why. He’s a superstar.
Regular season statistics
In the 2018–19 season, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 25.6 percent from three-point range. He was named the NBA MVP, becoming the third European-born player to win the award after Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash.
Post-season statistics
In his first ever NBA playoffs, Antetokounmpo averaged 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He made his playoff debut in Game 1 of the First Round against the Boston Celtics, where he had 14 points and 8 rebounds as the Bucks lost 102–106. In Game 2, he helped lead the Bucks to a 120–106 victory over the Celtics with 28 points and 8 rebounds. For the series, he averaged 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game as the Bucks were swept by the Celtics in four games.
James Harden
James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the shooting guard and point guard positions. Harden was born in Los Angeles, California. He played college basketball for Arizona State University, where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009.
Regular season statistics
In 79 games, Harden averaged 36.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three-point range and 86.2 percent from the free throw line. He led the league in scoring for the second straight season, becoming the first player to do so since Kawhi Leonard accomplished the feat in 2013 and 2014. He also became the first player in NBA history to average at least 35 points per game while shooting over 34 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.
Post-season statistics
James Harden has dazzled audiences with his NBA MVP-caliber performances all season long, and he’s only gotten better in the postseason. The Houston Rockets star is averaging 36.5 points, 6.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game in the playoffs, shooting 44 percent from three-point range. He’s also been a force on the defensive end, as evidenced by his game-saving block of Rudy Gobert in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
Paul George
George was the Most Valuable Player of the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. He scored a game-high 41 points and made a game-winning shot to lead the Western Conference to a 155-149 victory over the Eastern Conference. George was named the MVP of the All-Star Game for the second time in his career.
Regular season statistics
In 79 games during the 2018–19 regular season, George averaged 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three-point range and 85.2 percent from the foul line. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team, marking the second time in his career that he had been named to an All-NBA Team and the third time that he had been named to an All-Defensive Team
Post-season statistics
In the 2017–18 season, George averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, while shooting 44.0 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point range. He was subsequently named to the All-NBA Third Team. In the playoffs, he averaged 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as the Thunder were defeated in the first round by the Utah Jazz in six games. On July 1, 2018, George opted out of his contract with the Thunder to become an unrestricted free agent.
On July 6, 2018, George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard is an experienced NBA player who helped the Toronto Raptors to win their first NBA Championship in 2019. He is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and was named NBA Finals MVP in 2014. He is also a two-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2016.
Regular season statistics
In 70 games, Leonard averaged a career-high 26.6 points to go with 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. He shot 48.5 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 85.8 percent from the free throw line. His true shooting percentage of 60.6 was also a career high, while his effective field goal percentage of 54.7 was just shy of his career best (54.9 in 2016-17).
Post-season statistics
In the 2019 post-season, Leonard averaged 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three-point range. He was named the Raptors’ MVP of the post-season after averaging 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, four assists and two steals per game in the NBA Finals.
In the 2019 post-season, Leonard averaged 27.8 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, 3.9 assists per game and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three-point range. He was named the Raptors’ MVP of the post-season after averaging 28.5 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game, four assists per game and two steals per game in the NBA Finals.
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for 2019. He is the first Utah player to ever receive the award and the second player in franchise history to win the award, joining Karl Malone who was named MVP in 1997 and 1999. Gobert is also the third player in NBA history to win the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Regular season statistics
Rudy Gobert played in all 82 games during the 2018-19 season, starting in 81 of them. He averaged 15.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. His shooting percentages were 64.2 percent from the field and 58.0 percent from the free throw line.
Post-season statistics
Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz has had a great season, especially in the post-season. As of May 19, 2019, he is averaging 15.1 points per game, 12.7 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game in the post-season. These are all great numbers, but they are slightly down from his regular season stats. In the regular season, he averaged 15.9 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game.
