The first quarter of the NBA regular season is in the books and it seems like the more things change the more they stay the same in the association. The Golden State Warriors are still the class of the NBA but they are even better now than they were a year ago when they set a league record for wins in a single season. The teaming of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led to many experts predicting that neither one could be eligible for the MVP award since they both played on the same team. However, the early numbers indicate that might not be the case at all. Here is a look at the NBA MVP rankings at the quarter mark of the regular season.
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have won 22 of their first 26 games thanks in large part to a league-best 117.8 points per game. Durant has led the way on offense with 25.9 points on a ridiculous 53.5-percent shooting along with 8.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He is also stepping up at the defensive end of the floor with an average of 3.0 blocks and steals per game. The fact that he is playing on one of the most loaded team’s in NBA history might hurt his MVP chances in the long run but the numbers illustrate that Durant should be the early frontrunner for MVP honors this season.
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant’s former teammate has stepped up big time as the man in Oklahoma City including an almost unprecedented run to end November and in to December. Westbrook recorded seven straight triple-doubles spanning from November 25th through December 9th to match Michael Jordan for the second-longest run of triple-doubles in NBA history. The eighth-year pro has averaged a ridiculous 30.7 points, 10.8 assists and 10.7 rebounds per game, which would mark career-highs across the board. The one area where Westbrook could improve is efficiency, especially when it comes to three-point shooting. That said, nobody has done more with less support around him than Westbrook this season so there is no doubt he is right there with Durant in the MVP conversation.
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden’s numbers have been even better in Mike D’Antoni’s offense this season as he has averaged 28.1 points, 11.6 assists and 7.7 rebounds in 37.0 minutes per game. D’Antoni said that he’d put the ball in Harden’s hands more frequently and that has resulted in him being an incredible asset in NBA fantasy and for the Rockets in reality. The Rockets are 18-7 so far this season and have been one of the league’s biggest surprises so far. Harden has dominated in his new role as the point guard of the Houston offense and there have been no signs that he is going to slow down as the year progresses.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
The case can be made for LeBron as MVP on a perennial basis and that is the case again this season as he has averaged 25.0 points, 9.0 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game. Cleveland owns the best record in the Eastern Conference and we have seen LeBron at his best against the team right behind them in the Toronto Raptors. However, at this point in his career LeBron is focused on the most important accomplishment of all in winning championships. He hasn’t approached the regular season with the same emphasis that he brings to the table in the postseason but LeBron remains a perennial MVP candidate.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
It might not make sense to have two players from the same team on this list but in terms of overall production and team record there are few other players that could top what Curry has done so far this season. In fact, there is a case to be made that Curry’s biggest contribution hasn’t shown up on the score sheet as he has put the team first and allowed Durant and Klay Thompson to flourish on offense in exchange for a better shot to win a championship. Curry has still averaged 25.6 points, 5.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 three-point shots per game this season so he definitely deserves to be in the MVP conversation at the quarter mark.
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