Houston Rockets: James Harden is playing like the MVP

Amidst a slow start, James Harden has seemingly taken it upon himself to lift the Houston Rockets out of the abyss as an MVP should.

After a 65-win season that saw them come within a game of the NBA Finals, it’s no secret that the Houston Rockets have been one of if not the most surprising disappointments of the 2018-19 NBA season.

Both Chris Paul and James Harden have missed time with injuries and the absence of a wing defender has been evident. Houston fell as low as 14th place in the Western Conference. The front office tried shaking things up by ousting Carmelo Anthony and bringing back defensive coordinator Jeff Bzdelik. None of it seemed to work.

Given the state of flux the wild West has been in this season, the Rockets have been afforded some measure of time in that a good week can vault a team into a top playoff seed. On the other hand, with so many teams vying for just eight playoff spots, Houston only has so much time to recapture some of the magic from last season.

After three consecutive losses, it seems as though the Rockets might be finding their groove, having won four straight after taking down the Utah Jazz Monday night, in large part due to the play of one bearded MVP.

Harden’s start to the season wasn’t bad. In fact, it was on par if not better than his MVP campaign, but with his team in shambles, the dazzling dribbling exhibitions and all-worldly scoring ability clearly didn’t seem to have the same impact as in years prior.

As most know, MVP stands for Most Valuable Player, and there were plenty who questioned whether or not the six-time All-Star fit the bill playing next to one of the greatest point guards of his generation in a system built to pump in a few extra numbers to the final tally.

During this current four-game winning streak, Harden seems to have taken it upon himself to drag the Rockets back into the playoff picture in the form of 39.5 points, 7.5 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game over that stretch — and that is the essence of what an MVP is supposed to do on a nightly basis.

After dropping 29 points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers, he submitted his finest game of the season, racking up a 50-point triple-double in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He dropped another triple-double the very next game (32 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists), and then somehow followed that up with a 47-6-5-5 line in Monday’s win over Utah.

On the season, he’s now averaging 31.5 points, 8.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game on .454/.371/.845 shooting splits.

There are times, whether it be over the course of a few games or a few minutes, where a truly great player throws away the game plan and the playbook and does whatever is needed to bring home the victory. Harden appears to have taken the Mamba Mentality approach by doing just that, seemingly willing to go one-on-five if necessary.

The best in the business are able to carry their squads even in their darkest hour, doing whatever it takes to help win games or put up gargantuan stat lines trying. Harden has been criticized for his isolation-heavy style of play and lack of defensive awareness, but there’s no denying what he can do with the ball in his hands, and he’s not holding back in showing it.

The Rockets’ season is far from over, but they are by no means guaranteed a postseason berth. As they continued to fall deeper into the rabbit hole, it has been Harden who has pulled them out, exactly as an MVP should.