It's Happened, James Harden Has Caught Giannis In MVP Odds
After the stretch of play that James Harden has turned in over the last month and a half (see below)
it was only natural that he deserved to move up the MVP rankings. Not only had his team turned around their season, but he was doing things we rarely saw over the course of NBA history. For example
– No one (since 1973-1974) has averaged more points per 100 possessions than James Harden this season
– He broke Kobe’s record of 16 straight 30+ point games
– He already has 14 40 point games which trails only Westbrook’s 18 in terms of recent MVPs. There is half a season left
You get the idea. He’s been ridiculous as he strives to win back to back MVPs, there’s just been one problem. Right from the jump, Giannis asserted himself in a way that made you think this was finally his time. For years we talked about how he would one day be an MVP, and given his outstanding season combined with the Bucks being one of the best teams in the NBA, pretty much he’s been atop of the MVP odds/rankings since October. However, a quick look as of today tells a different story
- James Harden +150
- Giannis Antetokounmpo +150
- LeBron James +800
- Stephen Curry +1100
- Kawhi Leonard +1200
- Anthony Davis +1600
- Kevin Durant +2000
- Joel Embiid +2000
- Paul George +2800
- Russell Westbrook +3500
- Nikola Jokic +5000
- Damian Lillard +6000
- Karl-Anthony Towns +6500
- Ben Simmons +7000
- Kyrie Irving +8000
- Kemba Walker +8000
- Blake Griffin +8000
- DeMar DeRozan +10000
- Donovan Mitchell +10000
As you can see, he is no longer the odds on favorite. It took about half a season, but James Harden has evened the MVP race. It’s essentially become a two man race as we head down the second half of the season, and looking around the internet here is how people have things ranked
Basketball Reference
NBA.com MVP Ladder
1. Giannis
2. James Harden
3. Steph Curry
4. Kawhi Leonard
5. Nikola Jokic
6. Paul George
7. Joel Embiid
8. LeBron James
9. Kevin Durant
10. Anthony Davis
If it were me, given his sustained success so far I’d probably give Giannis a slight edge right this second, but if Harden continues to perform and win like this while dealing with the fact that all of his teammates are hurt, you have to give him the nod. You can hate how he plays, you can lie to yourself and say it’s not entertaining basketball, but I’m just thankful we have someone actually challenging Giannis. It should make for a while second half and these two play each other one last time on March 26th. That could very well be the deciding game as to whether we have a back to back MVP or a first time MVP.
So I now as you, if you had to rank the MVPs, what’s your top 5?