With the regular season of NBA nearing its end along with postseason and finals looming, MVP picks are starting to climb the ladder to reach the top. The top ten feature players who not only have some of the highest statistics, both for their team and compared to other players, but contribute to the overall performance of their team.
The top two players in the race are tied for first – Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Westbrook, guard for Oklahoma City Thunder, has stayed at the top of the ladder consistently for the past few months. With an average play time of 34 minutes during regular season, he has managed a triple-double this season. His average is 34 points per game with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Harden is a guard for the Houston Rockets and has stayed at the top of the ladder since week 11 began in January. He is averaging a double-double with 29 points per game and 11 assists. His play time averages 36 minutes during regular season. He has a plus/minus contribution of five.
The third man on the ladder is LeBron James, forward for Cleveland Cavaliers. James plays an average of 37 minutes per game and scores 26 points. His team contribution is a seven plus/minus. He has fluctuated in the top five since January.
Kawhi Leonard comes behind James in the fourth spot but has moved up from the eighth spot a few months ago. Leonard is a forward for the San Antonio Spurs and averages 26 points and 33 minutes of play time. His plus/minus contribution to the Spurs is six.
Boston Celtics guard, Isaiah Thomas, rounds out the top five spot where he has remained since January. Thomas averages 34 minutes of play time and 29 points with a plus/minus of three.
John Wall comes in at sixth on the MVP ladder. Wall is a guard for the Washington Wizards and has moved up from the 10th spot since week 11 began. He has an average play time of 36 minutes and scores 22 points with 10 assists per game. He has a double-double average with a plus/minus of four.
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry is currently sitting in seventh place where he has fluctuated since week 11. Curry is a guard for the Golden State Warriors with a plus/minus contribution of six. He averages 24 points and 33 minutes of play time each game in the regular season.
The last three athletes in the top 10 have moved up since January. They were either in the top 15 or not ranked at all.
The eighth player on the ladder is Gordon Hayward, forward for Utah Jazz. He averages 34 minutes of play time with 22 points per game. He has a plus/minus contribution of four.
Paul George is the ninth spot on the MVP ladder. He is a forward for the Indiana Pacers with an average play time of 35 minutes. He scores 22 points per game on average.
Rounding out the top 10 is Mike Conley, guard for the Memphis Grizzlies. His average play time is 33 minutes with 20 points per game.
The next five players are still in the running but not ranked in the top 10: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks,) Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls,) DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors,) Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) and Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers.)
Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors) and Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors) have been removed from the MVP ladder due to long-term injuries.
The MVP award will be announced in the first ever NBA Awards. The awards will air on Monday, June 26 exclusively on TNT. Other awards presented will include Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player.
Complete statistics can be found on the NBA website.
Brittany Fletcher
Creative Director