After losing 44 points in a win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, James Harden said he doesn’t think he belongs alone in the MVP conversation – he should be at the top of the list.
“Do I feel like I belong to him? I feel like the MVP,” said the Brooklyn Nets star. ‘I mean, it’s that simple. I don’t want to talk about myself individually. I’ll leave it at that. ‘
When asked to support his MVP case, Harden chuckled and added, “The numbers prove it for themselves and we win. That’s all I can say.”
In the 30 games that Harden has played for Brooklyn since taking him over from the Houston Rockets, he has averaged 25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 11.5 assists. The nets are 24-7 when Harden is on the floor.
Harden won MVP in 2018. That year he led the league 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 bring,” Harden said on Friday.
Several players considered to be at the top of the MVP career, including LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Harden’s teammate Kevin Durant, have been sidelined with injuries in recent weeks, further expanding the field.
“It’s sad,” Harden said of the injuries to the stars of the competition. “It’s a huge situation because we have eight, 10, 12 of the best guys in this league who are injured. So I’m sure the fans are taking some of the excitement out of them, but it’s part of our game . “
According to William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook, the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is the current MVP favorite at -110. Harden has the fifth lowest probability of +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 traded during the season never won the MVP that same year.