As we head into the new year, let's take a look at my current MVP rankings in the NBA. The rankings are based off of team success, individual performances/numbers, as well as any other intangibles that have been seen this season. Be sure to click the links
and/or the photos for video highlights of the players.
Outside Looking In
Other notables-
Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard
Jimmy Butler (Chicago SG)-
21.9 ppg,
6.2 rbp,
3.3 apg (
48% FG,
34% 3PT,
83% FT)
Chris Paul (Los Angeles PG)-
17.9 ppg,
9.5 apg,
4.6 rpg (
47% FG,
40% 3PT,
89% FT)
Marc Gasol (Memphis C)-
20.0 ppg,
8.2 rpg,
3.8 apg (
50% FG,
81% FT,
1.7 BPG)
Top 5
5. James Harden (Houston SG)- The Houston shooting guard has taken over the last few weeks, and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for his efforts in December. Harden is scoring
27.0 points, and dishing out
6.5 assists, to go along with
1.9 steals per game this season. His biggest game recently came in a 110-95 win over the portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 22. Harden scored
44 points (14-26 FG), dished out seven assists and recorded five steals in the big win. Expect Harden to continue receiving attention as long as his production stays the same, and Houston continues to win games.
Link-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5tXLoaRtWI
4
. DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento PF/C)- Cousins missed some time due to illness, but has returned to form over the last two weeks, and is averaging
23.5 points and
12.1 rebounds per game for the season. His offense and improving defense make him one of the better two-way players in the league, but in order to climb higher in the rankings, he will need to lead the Kings to more victories. However, his PER of
26.60 (Fifth in the NBA), along with his numbers/skill set. does help provide a solid case for Cousins.
Link-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KgTz9hVr8g
3. Kyle Lowry (Toronto PG)- The recently announced Eastern Conference Player of the Month has been continuing to play at a high level for the 24-10 Toronto Raptors. In the month of December, Lowry averaged
22.3 points,
8.9 assists and
4.2 rebounds, all while shooting
46% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. His grit and tenacity fuels the Raptors night in and night out, and makes him a legitimate MVP candidate at this point in the season.
Link-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40_Aapo7Biw
2. Anthony Davis (New Orleans PF/C)- The 21-year-old power forward/center continues to shine on both ends of the court, and is averaging 23.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this season. His PER of 31.26 continues to lead the league, and Davis has shown he can compete against the best teams in the league, as evidence by his 29 points, 11 rebound and six block performance against the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 27. Barring an injury or for some bizarre reason, a slump, expect Davis to maintain his spot in the MVP conversation for the rest of the season.
Link-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N_QDxZD-qk
1. Stephen Curry (Golden State PG)- Curry continues to shoot lights out from all areas of the court, and the Warriors are looking like top title contenders which each game. His defense has remained consistent and his passing, scoring and rebounding have helped the Warriors to an NBA-best 27-5. His PER of
26.9 is good for fourth in the league, and his
23.0 points and
7.8 assists per game are good for ninth and sixth respectively.
Link-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz2vrQ7EtIE
Stay tuned for more MVP, as well other award rankings in the future, as we head move into the second half of the season.
*
All stats are courtesy of ESPN
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