James Harden Is Value MVP Candidate if Kyrie Irving Remains Unvaccinated
By Peter Dewey
The 2021-22 NBA regular season is less than a week away (!!) and there’s one player that deserves a bet in the futures market.
Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden, who is +2000 to win the league’s MVP award at WynnBET, is my dark horse pick to win the award, and he deserves serious consideration this season.
The Nets are keeping guard Kyrie Irving away from the team until he receives the COVID-19 vaccination, which may not happen, opening the door for Harden or Kevin Durant to win the MVP award this season.
Brooklyn is expected to be the best team in the Eastern Conference, and WynnBET has the Nets as the current favorite to win the NBA Finals this season.
Harden’s going to have an even bigger role as the team’s primary playmaker and distributor now that Irving is out, and while Durant is the better player, I believe in Harden’s durability more than KD’s.
If Harden plays 70-plus games, Irving misses the majority of the season and the Nets still get the No. 1 seed in the East, I think he has to be in the conversation. Let’s not forget Harden put up 24.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game for the Nets last year on a usage rate of 28.4 percent, his lowest since the 2013-14 season.
To put this in perspective, Caris LeVert had a 31.5 percent usage rate with the Nets last season before he was traded in the Harden deal. LeVert was putting up 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game with the ball in his hands that much, so imagine what Harden could do with increased touches.
Last season, in the nine games that Harden played without Kyrie Irving, he averaged 31.8 points, 11.6 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game.
Harden at +2000 is an absolute steal until Irving decides to play (which honestly may not happen) and I wouldn’t be surprised if his odds move substantially early in the 2021-22 season.
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