James Harden settles the MVP debate with four words

James Harden went off for 44 points in the Brooklyn Nets’ win over the Detroit Pistons last night and feels like he’s solidified himself as this year’s MVP.

Since Joel Embiid went down with his injury earlier this season, there’s been much speculation on who should have replaced him as the front-runner for this year’s NBA MVP award. Among the names slated to replace him were LeBron James, who had been shouldering the load for the Los Angeles Lakers in Anthony Davis’ absence, Nikola Jokic, two-time MVP Giannis Antentekoumpo, and former MVP James Harden.

Since then, James has gone down with an injury of his own, Jokic and Antentekoumpo talks have died down a bit and Harden has emerged as the favorite. After a 44-point performance last night against the Detroit Pistons, Harden is making it known that he no longer feels that MVP discussions are necessary. According to him, the proof is in the pudding.

James Harden’s case for this year’s MVP award

In the 30 games The Beard has played for the Nets being brought over from Houston in the now-notorious trade, Harden has averaged 25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 11.5 assists. The Nets are 24-7 when Harden is on the floor.

After their win over Detroit on Friday, Harden felt the need to set the record straight.

“Do I feel like I belong in it? I feel like I am the MVP,” the Brooklyn Nets star told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “I mean, it’s just that simple. I don’t want to be speaking individually on myself. I am just going to leave it at that.”

Should any of the other contenders take offense to his comments?

With James and Embiid still missing time, Harden is definitely making a strong case. The only real arguments dissenters could have against him is that he hasn’t played the full season with the Nets and that he joined a team with two other superstars and also just added Blake Griffin. While those are both reasonable cases, no one can deny that Harden has been playing out of his mind this season.