Kayte Christensen: I've Got Mine, Who's Your 2017 NBA MVP?
The NBA regular season wraps up this week. There's been a major debate brewing for weeks now as to whom deserves the award.
I personally believe LeBron James is the best player in the world... but I don't believe he is the 2017 NBA MVP. So many people think in black and white so it's hard to accept that those two things are both true.
If I had a vote, I would vote for Russell Westbrook. You may not like him. You may think he's selfish. And you might simply not like his game or think he's an efficient enough player. Whatever your gripe is with him, what he's done this season is absolutely mind numbingly outrageous to me.
Having said that, I'm curious what you the fans think.
Here are the numbers for the top 4 candidates:
Russell Westbrook - PG, Oklahoma City Thunder 46-34
- 31.9 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 10.4 APG in 80 games
- First player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson (30.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 11.4 APG) in 1961-62
- Set the NBA record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42 (with 2 games remaining on the Thunder schedule) surpassing Oscar Roberston's 41 set in the 1961-62 season
- Led the NBA in triple-doubles in 2015-16 with 18
- Leads the NBA in scoring, 3rd in assists, 10th in rebounding
James Harden - PG, Houston Rockets 54-27
- 29.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 11.2 APG in 80 games
- Leads the NBA in assists and is 3rd in scoring
- Has posted 21 triple-doubles, good for 2nd most in the NBA in 2016-17
- His 3 triple-doubles in 2015-16 tied for 6th in the NBA with LeBron James and Hassan Whiteside
LeBron James - SF, Cleveland Cavaliers 51-30
- 26.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 8.7 APG in 74 games
- Ranks 8th in scoring, 18th on the boards and 6th in assists
- Has posted 13 triple-doubles in 2016-17 good for 3rd most
- His 3 triple-doubles in 2015-16 tied for 6th in the NBA with James Harden and Hassan Whiteside
Kawhi Leonard - SF, San Antonio Spurs 61-20
- 25.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG in 73 games
- Ranks 9th in scoring
- Top 3 candidate for Defensive Player of the Year
