NBA Awards Watch: The All-Star Break ballot
By Brad Rowland
Most Valuable Player
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors – The now-reigning champion of the three-point shootout also doubles as the leading candidate for MVP honors. Curry ranks among the top-three in many “advanced” metrics (win shares, win shares per 48 minutes, VORP, etc.), but more than that, his raw numbers (23.6 points, 7.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds per game) live up to MVP billing in their own right. It certainly helps that Curry is the dominant player on what has easily been the best team in the NBA this season, but even if the Warriors take a small step back, he should remain at or near the top of this list.
James Harden, Houston Rockets – Harden nearly messed around and posted a triple-double in Sunday’s All-Star Game, and that is a perfect microcosm of this season for the Rockets star. The 25-year-old has clearly been the best player on a roster that also includes Dwight Howard, and that point is driven home by Houston’s 14-7 record in game where Howard does not participate. Harden is leading the league in scoring (27.4 points per game), but he is also contributing in virtually every way (6.8 assists, 5.7 rebonds per game), and his defense has made significant strides as well. This is a photo finish right now.
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans – Anthony Davis currently boasts the highest PER (31.86) in the history of the NBA. That statement needs no context. Quite frankly, the only reason that Davis is not the number one player on this list is a lack of team success for the Pelicans (27-26), but the fact that the 21-year-old has them over .500 given their roster limitations almost makes the case for him. Davis is averaging 24.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and a league-leading 2.7 blocks per game, he is a defensive force and, suddenly, he is an elite shooter. We have no idea where the ceiling is for Anthony Davis, but he’s already an uber-elite player in this league.