James Harden claimed the 2017-2018 NBA MVP award and, while it wasn’t unanimous, no one batted an eye when the Houston Rockets guard picked up the honor. After all, the Rockets cruised to 65 wins and Harden was absolutely fantastic in acting as the team’s offensive engine.
This season, however, Houston got off to a brutal start, compiling an 11-14 record over their first 25 games. As such, Harden wasn’t painted in quite as favorable of a light, even as many of the issues with the Rockets arrived as a result of non-existent depth and other roster problems.
Still, the Rockets are climbing out of their early doldrums and, on Thursday evening, Houston put together an impressive showing in what became a 127-113 win over the Boston Celtics. During that contest, Harden was the best player on the floor, putting up 45 points (on 11-for-26 shooting and a 9-for-18 from three) and dishing out six assists.
After the final buzzer, Harden spoke to the media and, in short, made sure it was clear that he believes he should be involved in the MVP race again in 2018-19.
“Of course I should be in the conversation (for MVP). I receive a lot of hate, but that won’t stop me from going out there and killing every single night….realistically, it’s coming back.” – James Harden on his MVP candidacy. #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) December 28, 2018
Much of the conversation surrounding the award this season has centered on the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James but, as Houston has won eight of nine games, it doesn’t feel crazy at all to consider Harden. Before Thursday’s fantastic showing, the 29 year old was already averaging gaudy numbers (32.3 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds per game) and, in the recent past, Harden has been even better.
In the 19 games before his 45-point outburst on national television, Harden averaged a robust 35.2 points per game and that went along with 9.0 assists and 5.8 rebounds per contest. Efficiency-wise, Harden has also been incredible in recent days, shooting 38.9 percent from three and 87.6 percent from the line (on 11 attempts per game) over that 19-game sample.
Numbers like those certainly would thrust Harden into the MVP discussion and, following this high-profile win, the Rockets are now just 3.5 games out of the running for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. James Harden may not be the first name discussed in pursuit of the sport’s highest individual honor but, to put it plainly, he’s now firmly in the mix.
