NBA: Top 5 MVP candidates for the 2015-16 season
The MVP TrophyEDITOR’ÂS NOTE: Ryan, you seem to have replaced the content for the Paul George slide with LJâÂÂs.With the NBA now in December, it is a good time to take a run through the league and see who the best players are and what the MVP candidates look like at this stage. As it stands now, we have some perceived MVP candidates who are struggling (Anthony Davis and James Harden), opening the door some new blood in the current top five.We have also seen some breakouts who have raised their game and will find themselves on the early list, hoping they can find continue their hot streak and turn it into a career year. When we take a look at this list again come January, this list will no doubt be different (well, besides maybe the top spot). With apologies to Blake Griffin, Kyle Lowry, and Kevin Durant, lets dive into the list and see who is taking the league by storm.
#5 Russell Westbrook
#5 Russell Westbrook
I was torn with who to choose between Russell and his teammate Kevin Durant, but after looking at their how the Thunder had performed with each star off the court, there was no contest to me. With Durant off the court, the Thunder are -0.9 in net rating, per NBA.com, but without Russ on the court, the Thunder are -9.9 in net rating. Durant no doubt has a higher number because he missed six games, but the point still stands, the Thunder plummet with their dynamo of a point guard isn’t on the court. With Russ on the court, the Thunder have an all around playmaker who they can rely on to get both himself and his teammates easy baskets while ending opponents posssesions by gobbling up rebounds.
What has helped Westbrook carryover his stellar play from last year, and possibly even up his production is how efficiently he is shooting, a theme you will see throughout these rankings. Russ is knocking down a career high 47% of his shots, even though he is still a below average three point shooter. He simply has not been stopped getting to the lane this year and combine this with a deadly pull up, mid range jumper, defenders have been helpless against the seventh year guard. But Russ doesn’t stop at scoring, as he dishes out 9.6 assists per game and is continuing to evolve as a passer, something the Thunder need with so few natural passers on their roster. If Russ can keep up the playmaking while being an efficient scorer from the field, he has a chance to climb these rankings.