After losing 44 points in a win over the Detroit Pistons Friday night, James Harden said he doesn’t just believe he belongs in the conversation about the Most Valuable Player award, he should be at the top of the list.
“Do I feel like I belong to him? I feel like the most valuable player,” the Brooklyn Nets star said. “I mean, it’s that simple. I don’t want to be talking about myself individually. I’m going to leave it that way.”
When asked to bolster his Most Valuable Player case, Harden chuckled and added, “The numbers prove it for themselves and we’re winning. That’s all I can say.”
In the 30 games Harden has played for Brooklyn since acquiring him from the Houston Rockets, he has averaged 25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 11.5 assists. The Nets have a 24-7 record when Harden is on the court.
Harden won the MVP in 2018. This year, he led the league in scores with 30.4 points per game. This season, Harden leads the league in assists with 11.2 per game.
“I go out every night and try to give my teammates everything I can contribute to the game,” Harden said Friday.
Several players who were thought to be at the top of the MVP’s career, including Lebron James, Joel Embiid and Harden’s teammate Kevin Durant, have been sidelined by injuries in recent weeks, further widening the countryside .
“It’s sad,” Harden said of injuries affecting League stars. “It’s a huge situation because we have eight, 10, 12 of the best guys we have in this league who are injured. So, I’m sure the fans, it’s getting them a little bit excited, but it’s part of our game.”
According to William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is the current favorite for MVP with -110. Harden has the fifth shortest odds with +900.
The MVP award is voted on by members of the NBA press corps.
Harden was traded to the Nets in January. A player who was changed during the season never won the MVP that same year.