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NBA 18-19: Unpopular Opinion; James Harden Will Not Win The MVP

Houston Rockets v Milwaukee Bucks
Houston Rockets v Milwaukee Bucks

James Harden doesn't need the press or paparazzi to show off what he's doing; his moves on the court do all the talking. This applies to every aspect of his life. Whether it comes to questions about life and family or about what he's planning to do on the court in the next game, he is very reserved with his words and lets his game do the talking. Many may not agree with this, but he has had a few record-breaking months in the recent past, which no one can even deny.

Just in terms of stats, he has scored well over 400 points, with over 90 assists, and over 60 rebounds in an average span of any 10 games. These kinds of numbers have been breaking NBA records all season. However, these stats aren't everything a player needs to have to become MVP.

Now, this isn't based on the viral memes that have been mocking his step back jump shot, and this surely isn't based on the conspiracy theories the internet has been coming up with, but here are a few unpopular reasons we believe that James Harden will not be NBA MVP 2018-19.


#1 Number of triple-doubles (read as one-man show)

James Harden is a leader in the MVP race alongside players like Luca Doncic and Giannis
James Harden is a leader in the MVP race alongside players like Luca Doncic and Giannis

James Harden has been player of the week many times in the Western Conference. During the months of December and January he was the gift that kept on giving in terms of the points he made. Throughout this time frame, he was also able to climb into the ranks of the all-time greats with some of his records matching up with those of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

However as beautiful as those stats may seem, basketball remains a team game. No number of triple-doubles would matter without the team that makes those possible. And of late, James only seems interested in putting the ball up, not passing it around.

As of Jan 19, 2019, only 53 of his 463 shots have been assisted. While this may not seem like a low number for a point guard, in comparison, Steph Curry has 305 shots, of which 201 were assisted and Kevin Durant had 405 shots, with 204 assisted. The closest person to Harden-like numbers is another person accused of playing it alone; LeBron James who shot 104 assisted shots out of a total of 340.

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