Harden's case for MVP

[rezznor]

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/po...g-case-for-mvp

James Harden's multi-faceted impact this season is proving himself to be worthy of an MVP.
Most headlines will focus on the latest 30-point game notched by James Harden, who leads the NBA with 17 of those this season. But that's not the whole story.

Harden was one rebound shy of a triple-double, recording 31 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists in the Houston Rockets' 112-101 win over his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. His ability to round out the rest of his game this season is why he's a strong candidate for MVP.

Still Doing What He Does Best, and More
Yes, Harden can score.

Most Pts, Ast & Reb Per Game
This Season
PAR
DeMarcus Cousins 39.9
James Harden 39.5*
LeBron James 38.6
Anthony Davis 36.2
Stephen Curry 36.1
*27.0 PPG, 6.8 APG, 5.7 RPG
But while he leads the NBA in PPG (27.0) and free throw attempts per game (8.8), his well-rounded stat-line on Thursday is no fluke.

Harden is 2nd only to DeMarcus Cousins this season in PAR (Points + Assists + Rebounds) per game. Even his 5.7 RPG is 2nd among shooting guards.

Dishing it Out
Most impressively, Harden leads all shooting guards this season in assists per game, and it's not even close.

With his 10 dimes, Harden boosted his average to 6.8. The next-closest player at his position is Kobe Bryant at 5.7.

James Harden Assisting - Career
2009-11 2012-14
APG 2.5 6.1*
10-Ast games 0 26*
Ast pct 15% 28%
*Leads all SG over span
And it was Harden's ninth game this season with double-digit assists through 40 games played. He had 12 such games in 73 last season.

In fact, Harden went from having zero such games in his three seasons with the team he faced on Thursday to having 26 in his three seasons with the Rockets.

Delivering on the Other End
Harden is also making an impact defensively, something he was criticized a lot for after last season.

James Harden Defensively
Ranks Among SG This Season
Steals PG 1.9 1st
Blocks PG 0.9 T-2nd
Pts off TO PG 5.4* 1st
*Leads all players
He's responded by leading all shooting guards this season with 1.9 steals per game, and he's tied for 2nd at the position in blocks per game.

Meanwhile, no player at any position has capitalized off turnovers like Harden has, scoring an NBA-best 5.4 points off turnovers a contest.

it's going to be down to harden/curry for mvp. both deserve it, but harden should edge him out due to curry having better teammates and harden has better stats.

[SugarHill]

Can't believe Harden became a superstar.

[rezznor]

Can't believe Harden became a superstar.

he's really taken last year's criticisms to heart and has worked to improve his overall game. he's not content to coast with just what's been working in the past. that's a sign of a potential all time great. he's become an excellent facilitator and good defender (he's been coming up with some clutch steals and blocks lately), he can help the team even when he's not scoring.