After a crazy stat line of 40 points on 13/27 shooting, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds to lead the Nets to victory, James Harden continues to insert himself into the NBA most valuable player award conversation.
After his controversial exit from the Houston Rockets, James Harden has averaged 25.7 points on 48.6% shooting and 38% from 3PT, 9.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 11.5 assists in 27 games for the Brooklyn Nets.
James Harden Leading to Team Success
Beyond this impressive stat line, Harden has led the Nets to winning 15 of their last 16 games without the services of Kevin Durant. The Nets are 7-7 without him this season and 21-6 with him, a winning percentage difference of 27.7%.
James Harden has also rebounded, assisted on several scores, and defended this season, which were elements of his game that were sometimes absent when he was in Houston.
Harden also leads the league in minutes played per game at 38, which shows the commitment that he has to the success of the Brooklyn Nets. He is also second in triple doubles (11) behind Russell Westbrook (12) which highlights the diversity of his game for this season.
Brooklyn’s Prolific Offense
His offensive success has translated into the Nets becoming a historically great offense, as they are first in the league in points per game with 120.6, first in field goal percentage at 50.1%, and second in three point percentage at 40.4%.
The Nets are also first in offensive rating at 118 and third in total offensive possessions at 4,189. The success that the Nets have had on offense supports James Harden’s case for the 2021 NBA MVP award.
The 2021 NBA MVP Race
Overall, there are some other great candidates for the MVP award such as Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Lebron James, but I believe that Harden deserves some more recognition for the value that he brings to the Brooklyn Nets.
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