NBA Awards 2019: 3 reasons why Paul George should win the Most Valuable Player awardÂ
The Most Valuable Player award is the most prestigious (individual) award in the regular season. The best players of the NBA are considered for this award, and it goes to the player that had the best performance in the season. The award is a high honor, and only the best of the best win it.
Throughout the years, some of the best players in the NBA have won the MVP award. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most MVP wins with six wins in his legendary career. He won three with the Milwaukee Bucks and three with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is a five-time MVP, winning the award multiple times in his career. LeBron James is a four-time MVP winner, and Stephen Curry is a two-time winner. Curry won the award in back-to-back seasons. The MVP award is prestigious, and several players (legends and current) have been fortunate enough to win.
Last year's MVP was Houston Rockets guard James Harden. Harden won the MVP as he was the leading scorer of the league with 30.4 points. His performance in the season led to him beating LeBron James and Anthony Davis to win the MVP award. Now, it is time for three other candidates to battle for the award.
This year's race features three deserving candidates. This is a tight race and can honestly go to any one of these players. The candidates are James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Paul George. The debate was usually between Antetokounmpo and Harden, but George has a legitimate case as well. Here are three reasons why Paul George should win the Most Valuable Player award.
#3. George was effective on both ends of the floor
This season, George averaged a career-high 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and a career-high 2.2 steals. He was also the NBA steals leader this season.
Paul George is a skilled player that can help teams on both the offensive and defensive end. His performance this season led to a rare accomplishment. He is a finalist for not only the MVP award but also the Defensive Player of the Year. The nominees are well deserved as George has constantly played well on both ends.
He is a multiple All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Team member. He was a third team member four times in his career and a first team member for the first time in his career this season. George was also an All-NBA First team member this season. This was another first in his career. George's season was incredible, and he gained the recognition he deserved. He played well for the Thunder and proved why he is an MVP candidate. When you are a player of his caliber, you can do it all. And, he did just that.
Antetokoumnpo and Harden were also solid on the defensive end. Antetokoumnpo is a skilled defender and while Harden is not known for his defense, he slightly improved. However, neither one of them were better on both ends than George.