NBA Awards Watch: Frontrunners for MVP, ROY and more through November

MVP: James Harden, Houston Rockets

You could make a compelling case for LeBron James, especially now that the defense has been more respectable and the Cleveland Cavaliers are on a 10-game win streak.

What King James is doing in his 15th season — averaging a 28-8-8 stat line while posting career-highs in field goal and 3-point percentage — is remarkable.

Leading the league in minutes at age 32 is no easy task, and if it weren’t for LeBron, the Cavs would be one of the worst teams in the East. But we also can’t ignore how much he contributed to the defensive problems early in the season, nor can we overlook the Beard, who’s come up on the short end of the MVP stick twice already.

LeBron is off to an exemplary start, but at some point, preparing for another brutal playoff run will take precedence, especially once Isaiah Thomas returns. Even without any of this, you could make a strong case that James Harden has been a smidgeon better anyway.

Leading all qualified players in scoring and assists, Harden’s 31.5 points, 9.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game speak for themselves. He’s shooting 45.1 percent from the floor, a career-high 40.3 percent from downtown on a whopping 11.1 attempts per game, and his team has the best record in the West at 17-4.

Considering the Houston Rockets have the second-best record in the NBA despite Chris Paul missing all but seven games, it’s pretty striking what Harden has done thus far.

He’s the maestro of the league’s second-ranked offense, his defense hasn’t been terrible for the league’s sixth-ranked D and he has some of the most memorable performances of the season, including a 56-point outing against the Utah Jazz, dropping 48 on the Phoenix Suns in Houston’s unforgettable 90-point first half, and two other triple-double performances already.

After coming up short twice before, he’ll have the sympathy vote going for him too. That’s not reason enough to choose Harden over a more voter fatigued option like LeBron, but the Beard is the clear frontrunner for MVP through the first quarter of the season.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

Honorable Mentions:

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
4. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
5. Al Horford, Boston Celtics