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

2. Russell Westbrook

2016-17 Stats:  31.8 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 10.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG, .419/.333/.841 shooting, 30.3 PER

From a purely statistical standpoint, Russell Westbrook starts and ends the conversation with a historic feat matched by only one person in NBA history.

No matter where his team winds up in the standings, averaging a triple-double for an entire season is a statistical marvel. It’s pretty damn hard to top that kind of achievement, and in almost any other season, this wouldn’t even be a debate.

And yet, somehow, it may not be enough for Westbrook to win MVP in his first season without Kevin Durant. While there wouldn’t be a juicier narrative in the league than that kind of accomplishment — can you imagine the awkward KD responses to questions about Russ winning MVP? — there are some holes in his candidacy.

For starters, his team’s record. The Oklahoma City Thunder are on pace to win roughly 46 games, which would be an accomplishment in and of itself in their first season without KD. The franchise immediately went from reeling from that free agency departure to housing one of the league’s nightly wonders — about as good as one could hope for after losing a top-three player for nothing.

However, if the season ended today, the Thunder would be sixth in the Western Conference. The last player to win MVP without having a team record in his respective conference’s top-three was Moses Malone back in 1982, when the Houston Rockets snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed.

This wouldn’t be the first time Westbrook matched a historic feat from decades ago, as his triple-double average clearly indicates, but the voting is out of his control. As awe-inspiring as a triple-double average is, the team success factor would put him dead-last among LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.

Westbrook has been far better in crunch-time this season than he’s given credit for, but some of his other notable flaws are still as present as ever. His shooting efficiency (41.9 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from deep) is Sacramento Kings Isaiah Thomas-esque, he ranks second in turnovers and there’s something to be said about how often he shoots.

Russ leads the league in field goals made and attempted, but we should note the Thunder are only 15-17 when he shoots 24 times or more, compared to 16-5 when he hits the sweet spot of 20-23 field goal attempts. Case in point, three of the last five times he’s scored 40 or more points, OKC lost — including his career-high 58-point explosion last week.

Had the Thunder secured a top-three spot in the West, this wouldn’t even be a discussion. And honestly, the fact that this is even a discussion is a bit saddening.

Can we really give the MVP to someone else in the only other season in NBA history where a mere man transcended his mortal bonds and became a triple-double demigod?

There’s still a chance for Russ and company to climb as high as fourth in the standings, as the Thunder trails the Utah Jazz by 4.5 games, but that’s unlikely. Even so, ruling out Westbrook’s MVP case just because his team isn’t elite would be an oversight. They’re still a good playoff team, after all.

It’s not just that Westbrook is about to become the second player to ever average a triple-double, either. Can we appreciate that a 6’3″ point guard is averaging 10.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 12th among ALL players in the league? Or that after cries about how he never passed the ball enough, his 10.3 assists per game ranks third in the NBA?

Or how about the simple fact that he’s leading the league in scoring at 31.8 points per game? Maybe leading the league in PER, assist percentage, usage percentage, BPM and VORP works too? What about his 33 triple-doubles that nearly double the next closest player (James Harden at 17)? Or how about how the Thunder would be a lottery team without him?

By the strictest definition of the term “Most Valuable Player,” the Rockets, Spurs and Cavaliers might all have better teams without their best player compared to OKC without Russ. What he is doing — 33 triple-doubles in 67 games to put this team on course for 46 wins — is remarkable. In terms of pure statistical firepower, Westbrook’s 2016-17 season packs as much punch as one of his atomic tomahawks.