NBA MVP Race Player Rankings: James Harden back into the top 10?

3 of 7

NBA, James Harden (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

41. . . Previous: 10th. Stephen Curry. 10. player

Since last rank: 30.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG

Shooting splits: .489/.348/1.000

Nothing has been easy so far this season for the Golden State Warriors, but they keep on staying afloat thanks in large part to Stephen Curry’s scoring. On Monday night they pulled off a stunning comeback win over the Los Angeles Lakers even though Curry struggled, shooting just 3-of-12 from 3-point range.

As long as the Warriors keep winning games, count on Curry staying in the MVP ranking conversation, at least on the periphery.

Zach LaVine. 9. player. 24. . . Previous:

Since last rank: 26.0 PPG, 7.7 APG, 3.7 RPG, 2.0 SPG

Shooting splits: .535/.444/.800

Zach LaVine’s continued outstanding production for the Chicago Bulls has earned recognition here. He moves up from the ranks of the snubs last week into the top 10 for the first time and deservedly so.

The Bulls got off to a horrific start but things have evened out for them as they get acclimated to new head coach Billy Donovan and vice versa. They’re now 6-8 which is a delightful surprise after the way they opened the season. They’ll need LaVine to keep piling up the points on efficient shooting if they want to keep up this roughly .500 pace.