Should Russell Westbrook Be Considered The MVP Favorite?

There is not a player in the NBA playing better basketball than Russell Westbrook is right now. Not LeBron James. Not Stephen Curry. Not James Harden. No one.

The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is on an unprecedented tear in this era.

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His absurd 49-point, 16-rebound and 10-assist performance on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers gave him four straight triple doubles, the longest such streak in the NBA since Michael Jordan in 1989. He also just averaged 31.2 points (45.7 percent shooting from the floor), 10.3 assists and 9.1 rebounds in February.

The Thunder have more than survived with Kevin Durant being in-and-out of the lineup during the past month. The Thunder are 12-3 since Feb. 1 and are 8-4 in games played without Durant since Jan. 26.

Westbrook’s absurd play over the last month has not only helped the Thunder move up to eighth place in the Western Conference, it’s made him a significant contender in the MVP race with James, Curry and Harden.

But is it time to stop viewing Westbrook as simply a contender, and instead as the favorite?

His recent hot streak has pushed his per-game averages to 27-0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. Neither James, Curry or Harden average better in any of those categories than Westbrook. Not one of them.

Also, given this is an award that honors value, it means something that he’s putting the Thunder in a position to be the most feared No. 8 seed in league history — a true NBA Finals contender — while they likely wouldn’t even be near the playoff picture if, say, Westbrook had missed the past month.

Still, despite his historically great play recently, it won’t be easy for the Thunder star to come away with the hardware.

Not only do the advanced metrics favor his competitors — James, Curry and Harden all have a greater net rating and Curry and Harden rate better than Westbrook in win shares per 48 — but Westbrook’s team is fighting for a No. 8 seed while the other three and are all on top teams in their respective conferences.

That’s a huge knock to Westbrook’s candidacy, considering the MVP has long been given to the best player on a top team in the league.

Also, Westbrook has missed 14 games due to a hand injury suffered earlier this season and one after breaking his cheekbone against Portland last Friday. The last time we saw an MVP that missed at least 15 games in a season was Bill Walton in 1978.

It’s a testament to what Westbrook has done this past month (and the entire season) that he’s even a serious candidate given the Thunder’s record and his early-season injury.

And if he keeps playing at this pace and perhaps helps the Thunder continue to move up the Western Conference, he just might end up stealing the award.

However, at this point, Curry and Harden (and maybe even James) are in a better position to win the MVP.

But the three need to look out in this MVP race. Westbrook is on their tails and it doesn’t appear as if he has any intention of slowing down.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

Should Russell Westbrook Be Considered The MVP Favorite?

By Sam Richmond | Mar 5, 2015

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