One of the main arguments for Russell Westbrook’s MVP candidacy is that he’s on pace to become only the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. Westbrook is averaging 31.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game with 14 games to play this season.
Westbrook isn’t a runaway MVP candidate, however, as Rockets guard James Harden is also considered a co-favorite to take home the award at the end of the season Harden is averaging 29.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game, and his 53.1 eFG percent is significantly higher than Westbrook’s (46.7 percent). Harden is also on the third-best team in the Western Conference, and his status as the best player on a very good team is one that has been pointed to by the likes of Steph Curry as the reason why he’ll end up with the edge over Westbrook.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey is also, unsurprisingly, among those that is being vocal in support of Harden’s MVP candidacy, and he has some thoughts on Westbrook’s MVP case being based off of triple-doubles. Morey, a staunch supporter of analytics, pointed out on Twitter that if we’re looking for someone making NBA history with their production, why is the triple-double the “random combo of numbers” we choose to marvel at, when Harden is making history of his own.
If we might make someone MVP because they have hit a random combo of numbers then why not this random combo? https://t.co/HnAEvNHTfo
— Daryl Morey 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) March 18, 2017
I understand his point, he wants to make sure people know that just because Harden is two rebounds per game shy of averaging a triple-double, that doesn’t mean what he’s doing isn’t incredible. So, he found a snarky way to point out that you can find a random combination of stats to show that Harden is also doing something we’ve only seen once before in the NBA.
Morey wants to delegitimize the triple-double as some sacred combination in order to get people that may be in the camp that thinks if Westbrook finishes the season with those averages then he has to be the MVP to consider Harden’s incredible season as well. I get it, but he might want to pick a different random combination of numbers to make his point, because Westbrook is only 46 assists shy of joining that club as well as Harden (meaning he will get there in approximately five more games).
