NBA MVP Race

The 2018-2019 NBA regular season created a lot of post-season questions.

“Is LeBron James really the greatest of all time?”

“Will the Warriors win yet another championship?”

“Who will be traded during the offseason?”

Yet, after a crazy year of NBA drama, the most frequently asked question is actually, “Who was the most valuable player during the regular season?”

The MVP award is given out every year to the most valuable player during the regular season. This award generally determines how great a season a player really had, and players always fight very hard for the honor of receiving the award. Earlier in the year, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Paul George were all in the MVP discussion. After the complete downfall of the Lakers’ season and a groin injury, LeBron James was taken out of the race. Anthony Davis had a similar thing happen to him, as he was benched for a good portion of the season. Lastly, Paul George made a historic comeback from last season’s struggles. He had an outstanding season averaging 28 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, while shooting 43.8 percent overall. Although Paul George put up very impressive numbers this year, two notable players have outperformed every player this season, including him. James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the two players left in a head-to-head battle for the MVP award.

James Harden, the MVP last year, has had one of the greatest offensive seasons ever. He boasts 36.1 points per game, the most points averaged in a season since Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 points per game in 1986! He also has scored 50 or more points during nine games, and had the second longest streak of 30 or more points per game with 32 consecutive games. He has put up these points while shooting 53 percent from the paint, and 37 percent outside the arc. If this wasn’t impressive enough, he also averages 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. Although fans tend to talk about his lack of defense, this year he also played much better defense. Out of his 6.6 rebounds per game, Harden gets 5.8 of them on defense. He also averaged career highs of 2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. As a team, the Rockets have struggled with injuries and an ever-changing roster, with three of the starters missing 14 or more games this season. Even with these hardships, James Harden has single-handedly carried the Houston Rockets to a record of 53-29, finishing fourth in the West.

Some people now consider Giannis Antetokounmpo as the best player in the league. Even though many people wouldn’t go that far, there is a strong argument for him. Giannis has led the Milwaukee Bucks to a record of 60-22, the best record in the NBA. With the highest player efficiency rating of 30.9, he averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. He shot 64 percent from the paint, but only 26 percent outside the three point line. Even though he struggles from the three point line, his role is to allow other players to shoot open threes by spacing and getting multiple defensive players in the paint with him. Giannis also had his own 52 point game on March 17, which only 13 other players have done this year. Although Giannis doesn’t have the same offensive statistics as Harden, he plays much better defense. He averaged 10.3 defensive rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. Along with being in the MVP race, Giannis is also in the discussions for defensive player of the year.

These statistics show just how close the MVP race really is. The players have extremely different styles of play–the offensive powerhouse (Harden) and the best two way player (Giannis)–but both players have put together “MVP worthy” seasons.

Among the students at Lafayette High School, many opposing views exist. Senior Aaron Adam said, “Giannis should be the MVP, because he has led a team that isn’t stacked to the best record in the NBA. Every game has been a good game for him, because of how consistent he is on both sides of the floor.” Michael Labella, another Senior at LHS, argued, “The MVP is given to the most valuable player, which has been Harden. He not only led his team, he carried an injury infested group to the four seed in the West. Not even LeBron did that this year!” Junior Drew Ramos, added, “The only reason I would vote for Giannis, would be to have a different MVP this year, but Harden was MVP last year and I believe that he should be this year too.”

Most NBA analysts would say that James Harden should win the award, but it seems like Giannis Antetokounmpo is the consensus favorite to win. Since the media determines the  vote for  MVP, Giannis will most likely win. No matter who wins though, both players have had unbelievable years and have carried their teams into the playoffs!