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Making An MVP Case For The NBA’s 4 Leading Candidates

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) hugs Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) after the Rockets defeated the City Thunder at Toyota Center. Houston Rockets won 118 to 116 .Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) hugs Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) after the Rockets defeated the City Thunder at Toyota Center. Houston Rockets won 118 to 116 .Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 3, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) waits for the game to resume in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers won 135-130. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

 4. LeBron James

2016-17 Stats:  25.9 PPG, 8.9 APG, 8.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, .540/.385/.682 shooting, 26.6 PER

This is not LeBron James’ best statistical season, nor is it the most impressive statistical season of the bunch. But to ignore what the King is doing at 32 years old would be a travesty.

Not only are the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings and poised for LeBron’s seventh straight NBA Finals appearance, but he’s averaging a 26-9-8 stat line while shooting 54 percent from the field and just under 40 percent from long range.

We should also probably point out that he’s posting career-highs in rebounds and assists, functioning as his team’s primary playmaker and is second in the league in minutes per game…all in his 14th NBA season.

However, that’s probably where LeBron’s MVP case ends. While it’s unfair to say he’s undeserving just because this isn’t the best season of his career, it’s also true that voter fatigue is a real thing.

For the voters to feel he has a compelling case, especially in a season with so many deserving candidates, he’d need to do something remarkable by his standards.

Simply put, having the fourth best record in the NBA won’t quite get the job done, even if he has 10 triple-doubles on the season and will probably lead the Cavs to their third straight Finals appearance.

He’s still elite by almost every statistical measure, ranking fourth in Value Over Replacement Player (VORP), fifth in assists per game, fifth in Box Plus-Minus (BPM), seventh in total win shares, eighth in Player Efficiency Rating (PER), ninth in scoring, 11th in field goal percentage…you get the idea.

After ending Cleveland’s 52-year title drought and bringing the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 Finals deficit against a 73-win Warriors team, no one should question that when the playoffs roll around, LeBron James is the best player in the NBA.

But that may actually hurt his case, since no matter what happens from here on out in his career, his legacy was cemented forever last June.

Most Valuable Player is a regular season award, and even with Kevin Love and J.R. Smith out and LeBron doing all the heavy lifting, it somehow feels like the Cavs are coasting. His defense isn’t what it once was for the NBA’s 22nd-ranked defense, which makes sense as the King prepares for another gauntlet of Herculean tasks in the playoffs.

Because of that, voter fatigue, no compelling narrative and his team’s success paling in comparison to two of the other players on this list, there are more deserving candidates this year.