NBA Awards Watch: The Case for Chris Paul

Most Valuable Player

1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors – Simply being the best player on the best team isn’t always good enough to win the NBA’s MVP award, but Curry fits the criteria on the way to the lead in the race. There are many reasons that Curry should be the front-runner, but among them is the fact that Golden State is +16.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor this season. He has become an above-average defender, in addition to being the best shooter in the universe, and with Curry’s abilities as a facilitator on top of that, he is the biggest reason that the Dubs are the title favorites.
2. James Harden, Houston Rockets – It is possible (or even likely) that we are watching the best season of James Harden’s career. He has done yeoman’s work in keeping the Rockets afloat, and beyond that, he has Houston as the number two seed in a loaded Western Conference. Harden’s stats (27.7 points, 6.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds per game) speak for themselves, but no one carries a bigger burden offensively, and his team has no business holding the record that they currently do. James Harden is exceedingly worthy of MVP consideration, and if he wins, I won’t argue.
3. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers – This one may surprise you, but Paul is quietly having an incredible season. The 29-year-old leads the league in assists (10.2 per game), and beyond that, Paul is averaging 19.1 points per game on 49/40/90 shooting that would make anyone not named “Stephen Curry” blush. Paul ranks in the top-ten of every major “advanced” statistic (win shares, WS/48, PER) and for the trump card, the Clippers are 18.9 points per 100 possessions better when he is operating the offense. Russell Westbrook is the more spectacular player on a game-by-game basis, but Paul is a much better defensive player who happens to engineer the league’s best offense (118.2 points per 100) when he steps foot on the court. It doesn’t really “matter” in a race that effectively includes two players at this point, but give me Chris Paul in the number three slot.