Toronto Raptors: Assessing DeMar DeRozan’s MVP candidacy

With the Toronto Raptors currently owners of the third-best record in the NBA, it might be time to consider DeMar DeRozan as a legitimate MVP candidate.

Without a clear-cut definition, the Most Valuable Player has become a hot topic in recent years.

Is it the best player on the team with the best record? Or maybe it’s the player whose team can’t possibly function without them?

It seems to vary with each season, taking into account the various storylines and narratives that surround each candidate.

James Harden seems to be the frontrunner for MVP this season. He’s led the Houston Rockets to the best record in the NBA while leading the league in scoring and placing third in assists.

After finishing second in MVP voting in two of the past three seasons, Harden leading the charge in the quest to dethrone the Golden State Warriors is as good a storyline as there is in the NBA.

But let’s not forget about the other candidates as well.

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It wouldn’t be wrong to award the MVP trophy to LeBron James every year given how much he brings to the table. With all the turmoil and changeover that’s happened in Cleveland, it’s a testament to the King they’ve managed to stay afloat.

After DeMarcus Cousins‘ season was cut short due to injury in late January, Anthony Davis has gone supernova, helping the New Orleans Pelicans rattle off 10 straight wins and propelling them to the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

But what about DeMar DeRozan?

After all, the Toronto Raptors have the best record in the Eastern Conference and the third-best record in the league, but nobody seems to have even considered the eight-year pro as a viable candidate.

Why is that?

His numbers are MVP-worthy. His 24 points on 46.5 percent shooting, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game are impressive, and he ranks fifth in the league in total points scored during clutch time (final five minutes, the game within five points either way).

DeRozan’s even increased his 3-point attempts and percentage to 3.6 per game and 31.7 percent respectively. The percentage isn’t great, but it’s a five-point increase from last season, a sign of a steady improvement.

As mentioned before, the Raptors are first in the Eastern Conference at 47-17, and with only one other All-Star on the team, Kyle Lowry, they don’t exactly qualify as a super-team.

The nature of the Raptors’ success compares favorably as well.

After a sweep at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals, many thought it was time for Toronto to hit the reset button. The team had grown stale, and relying too heavily on both Lowry and DeRozan come playoff time was their downfall.

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Making the playoffs simply wasn’t enough, and the duo of DeRozan and Lowry had a ceiling far below that of a champion. Without any cap flexibility, it looked like we’d be seeing more of the same this season.

Instead, the Raptors have become more of a team, relying less on their dynamic duo and deciding to share the ball, ranking seventh in the league in assists with 23.8 a game.

A team molds its play style around its best player. Good or bad, the Raptors start with DeRozan.

Toronto doesn’t embrace a team-friendly style if its best player doesn’t buy in, and to his credit, Derozan has done so without a peep, taking two fewer shots per game compared to last season, while upping both his assists and hockey assists.

Fans of the NBA enjoy a feel-good story. Some believe that’s why Russell Westbrook took home the MVP trophy last season.

After being an afterthought in the Eastern Conference, DeMar DeRozan has led the charge in bringing the Raptors back into the NBA’s elite.

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Should that effort be rewarded with an MVP trophy? It’s hard to say he’s deserving over Harden, but there’s no doubt that he should at least be in the conversation.