4. DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan continues to impress after blowout victories versus the OKC Thunder and Washington Wizards, two games in which he lead the team in scoring. The Raptors are currently sitting atop of the Eastern Conference standings while DeRozan looks to be off to a impressive start offensively with an average of 22 points and 2.5 assists per game. In my opinion DeRozan is clearly the best player for the Raptors and he has quieted many doubters who once believed he wouldn’t be an All-Star. Now, he only has to maintain his stay in the MVP race to become one of the top players in the league. I caught a lot of slack for not adding Kyle Lowry to this list, unfortunately he hasn’t been as consistent as DeRozan versus some of the better teams in the league.
3. Klay Thompson
Image Courtesy of the Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are a pair of the most lethal scoring duos in the NBA, and throughout week two of the regular season, both players continue to scorch the nets versus some of the best teams in the league. Thus far, Thompson has emerged as the better of the duo after increasing his scoring average high enough to briefly rank him among the top-2 scorers in the league — only second behind Kobe Bryant. The Warriors are currently one of the top teams in the Western Conference after a convincing home victory over the L.A. Clippers, final score 121-104. As a top-10 scorer in the league, Thompson finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Whether he can sustain such success remains to be seen.
2. Anthony Davis
Image Courtesy of the New Orleans Pelicans
During the opening week of the NBA season, Anthony Davis showed significant signs of being a legitimate NBA superstar. Chants of MVP and chatter among major sports networks ranking him among the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant began to spread like wild fire. Davis clearly has the talent to become a great player in the league, but to place him on the same level as LeBron and Durant is an early stretch at best. Surprisingly, Davis leads the NBA in blocks per game (4.4), rebounds per game (12.8), and top-5 in scoring (24.4 ppg). Davis has also said to patterned parts of his game after his favorite player coming up as a youngster, LeBron James. If the Pelicans can improve their winning record, I don’t see any reason why Davis won’t be a frontrunner for the MVP award.
1. James Harden
Courtesy of Bill Baptist/Getty Images
With a 6-0 record (each win by double digit points) , the Houston Rockets got off their best undefeated start since they went 5-0 during the 1994-95 NBA season. Harden continues to be an offensive force with his ability to create his own shot, and he’s one of the best players in the league when it comes to drawing fouls (ranked No.1 in the league with 10.9 FTA per game), instantly ranking him as one of the top scorers in the league. Harden has garnered a lot of criticism for his lack of defense, but his ability to disrupt plays and force turnovers in transition has helped transform him into a more dynamic player. If Harden can continue to improve his defensive efforts, the Rockets will be a dangerous team. The 2013-14 All-NBA first team member continues to prove why he’s the franchise player.
7 Comments
Schlomo Freud
November 14, 2014 at 1:51 pmGood effort on the list, man. I find it really difficult to predict
such a complex decision after such a short part of the season (more
difficult than a preseason prediction because now it’s gotten real. In
preseason one can basically claim anything that’s not too borderline
crazy). Also I like your approach of complexity and agree that team
record and overall impact (like player’s meaning for the team – you mean
that, right?) are also crucial factors for MVP choice. That’s why Melo
won’t be MVP in the next five years. Yes, I said it! Except… that
triangle thing works out really, really well and safes Melo’s career. So
I’m particularly glad that you cut him from the list. In contrast to
some other stats geeks out there. And don’t get me wrong. I’m a die-hard
Knicks fan. That 1999 playoff run as 8th seed was one of the most fun
things to watch in basketball for me. They would have deserved the title
very well that year. But that last two years? Man, I had to turn off
couple of Knicks games. 4 guys parked on one side and Melo going one on
one for 40 on the other side? Nope, not worth watching. And not very
successful either.
To the list:
– John Wall:
huge impact on the team, well above average. Safe Top5 PG candidate.
MVP? Nope. I cannot really say why. Watching him on the court I never
got that “Oh my god, that was a MVP-like performance.”-feeling. Like
when you feel that he now decided to take over the game and win it. Like
I had with Jordan. Or AI. Or Shaq. Or LeBron. Or KD especially last
year. That really all I can say against Wall.
– Booooooooogie: I
really love the Boogie. See him on court and all. Kings just over night
became one of my Top3 fun teams to watch. Boogie will make his Allstar
debut in February. I even made a stupid bet with one of my buddies that
there will be 2 Kings Allstars this year. He said none. Don’t let me
down, Rudy! Kings will make the playoffs – like 7th or 8th seed (another
stupid bet of mine). MVP? Nope. Too early. MVP potential: hell yeah! He
has the potential to dominate the zone just like Shaq did. Though he is
a different, more “I can shoot” kind of center, so even dangerous. I
mean the way he violated the opposing frontcourt in the Clippers game?
Me oh my! But then you have that Boogie that gets fouled out in the Suns
game way too early making more exciting than necessary. So, let’s say
3-4 years and more growing up he could make Top3 MVP candidate list. I
liked it though to see him on your list.
– Gasol: I don’t like. Neither him nor the Grizzlys’ way of basketball. So a biased “No way” from me.
–
DeMar DeRozan: interesting point. Definitely the best player on that
Raptors team, I agree. Well-deserved Allstar. I don’t see him as MVP,
though. I saw Jordan play. I saw Kobe play (the last two SG that made
MVP). So no. Not even close. Especially that 2008 Lakers team. How Kobe
could take that team to the pole position in the West and later to the
finals – it’s really beyond me. Also I think that the SG position is
kind of the hardest to make MVP. I don’t really know why.
– Klay
Thompson: picking him over the other splash brother? That made me sad.
Too one dimensional. Or two dimensional. Good D. Depends mostly on
others to create shots for him (that he hits far above average I gotta
admit). He won’t make MVP in his career. Right now I even cannot see him
being better than the second best player on a team some day. Also the
SG/MVP-thing. Here’ s question: what stats would Stephen Curry have to
put up to be in the discussion? I mean, seriously.
– Anthony Davis: I
couldn’t agree more with you. He is Top3 best players in the league
right now. I’d like to add to the list: best stealing big man, 6th (!)
in that category right now. So yeah, if the Pelicans make the playoffs
he will be in the discussion. In fact, what about Defensive Player of
the Year this season and MVP the next year?
– James Harden: my
favorite SG in the league. MVP? Let’s say it comes in handy for his
style to have D12 protecting the rim behind him. So I’m happy to see him
on your list and I don’t see him on the list. Maybe in 2-3 years.
My own list is rather short:
(3rd) KD (we can safely assume that he will continue to set the league on
fire once he returns. So he is in. He won’t forget how to play basketball over a broken foot.)
(2nd) AD (see above)(2nd) LeBron (of course *yawn*)
(1st)
Curry: amazing season so far. He runs the show in Golden State. Like
big time. He’s the one player on that team you cannot replace. The style
and success of the Warriors depends largely on him. If Golden State
finishes 2nd or 3rd in the West I pretty sure he will make MVP. Stats?
No doubt! 3rd in PPG, 1st in SPG, 3rd best rebounding point guard (Can
you guess the other two?), shooting percentages will be amazing again by
the end of the season. 11th in APG. To some that might seem low for a
possible PG-MVP. Derrick Rose put up 7.7 APG in 2011. So that might be
enough. Furthermore the more amazing part is the quality of Curry’s
assists. He creates the best possible shot for the others. Better than
any other PG I’ve seen so far this year. Also watch a Warriors game.
There are about 5-8 situations each night where he created the best
possible shot. And they miss. Badly. I claim if there were more “Klay
Thomson like”, catch’n’shoot players on other positions on this team
Curry would end up between 12 and 15 assists each night. Easily. So he is my hottest MVP-candidate of right now.
Jr. Williams
November 15, 2014 at 12:13 amAmazing comment and great analysis. Curry looks to be in great position to make my week 3 rankings.
Jr. Williams
November 9, 2014 at 6:38 pmIn my opinion, DeRozan has been the better player “thus far” versus some of the better teams in the league. As this is merely my week two rankings, I expect Lowry and Chris Bosh to make the future cut, granted, if they continue their excellent play. This is my first crack at the MVP rankings and I appreciate you guys taking the time to read it. Thank you for the feedback, and I will work harder on the next power rankings. Your input is golden.
Tevy
November 9, 2014 at 6:27 pmMost Raptor fans will tell you that even though Demar puts up better numbers and is probably the best individual player on the team, Kyle is without question the team’s MVP.
Knight of Hyrule
November 9, 2014 at 11:23 pmI’m probably the biggest Raptors fan out there, but I have to agree with Jr. Williams here.
DeRozan has been the better player, despite Lowry’s triple double and 35-point game. DeMar has been a match-up problem so far because of both his explosiveness and post play. I think the Greivis Vasquez/Lou Williams and Demar DeRozan combo could’ve still had the Raptors playing great ball at this point in the season. Without DeMar, teams would’ve clamped down on Lowry with double teams, and he would struggle. There is no replacement for DeRozan versatility. Still waiting on T.Ross to be that player.
Lowry also hasn’t been consistent, while DeMar only struggled in the opener against Atlanta.
Knight of Hyrule
November 9, 2014 at 6:00 pmGood list. Only change I would make is getting rid of John Wall and putting in Chris Bosh. John Wall has NOT been MVP material. He’s been good, but there are plenty of players that have been better in all facets of the game. Bosh, on the other hand, has been stellar on a more consistent basis, putting up great numbers in the process.
My list:
7 – Bosh (MIA)
6 – DeRozan (TOR)
5 – Gasol (MEM)
4 – Cousins (SAC)
3 – Thompson (GSW)
2 – Harden (HOU)
1 – Davis (NOP)
Jr. Williams
November 9, 2014 at 6:45 pmNo argument here, the Wizards are No.1 in the southwest division, but their double digit loss to the Heat on Oct 29 couldn’t helped the case for Bosh this week– small oversight on my part.