The NBA MVP Award is one of the biggest talking points of this season, and for good reason (rhyme unintended). In my eyes, there are 4 candidates for the award: Russell Westbrook (OKC), James Harden (HOU), LeBron James (CLE), and Kawhi Leonard (SAS). Each one has a legitimate case for the award, and in any other year, each candidate would be taking home the award. It’s a testament to the talent level of the NBA that we have 4 deserving players, but sadly, only one can take home the award.
That player is number 0 for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook, and although the triple doubles are part of it, they are not my entire case, and before you question me, let me break it down for you. MVP. Most Valuable Player. The name of the award is indicative to who is the most valuable to their team in the league. Take LeBron away from Cleveland. You still have Kyrie, you still have K-Love, and you still have a team in the playoffs. Take Harden away from the Rockets. You still have Beverly, an established defensive guard, Lou Williams, Eric Gordon, and Clint Capela. Although they are not the best names in the league, as in Cleveland, the scoring power of Williams and Gordon along with the presence of Beverly make the Rockets a probable playoff contender, most likely holding the 8 seed in the West. Now, take Leonard off of San Antonio. What still remains is Parker, Ginobili, Aldridge, Gasol, and other pieces such as Mills, Anderson, and Dedmon. Most of all, you still have Popovich, one of the leagues all time great coaches. Lastly, take Russell Westbrook off of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now take a look at what you have left. A starting five of Semaj Christon, Victor Oladipo, Andre Roberson, Taj Gibson, and Steven Adams. A lineup which is lack luster (putting it nicely) and is offensively challenged. Those dudes cannot put the ball in the basket, with all due respect. Without Westbrook, that team coached by Billy Donovan rivals the Nets, Lakers, and Suns as the league's worst teams.
That being said, now let's talk numbers. Russell Westbrook, as of today, has 42 triple doubles this season. Move over Big O, that's a record. The man is averaging 31.9 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 10.4 APG, with a PER rating of 30.9. In 34 minutes (per night avg.) might I add. Let us not forget that even in the past couple weeks, Westbrook has also hit 4 game winning or game tying shots (DAL, ORL, MEM, and DEN), all of which are now instrumental in the Thunder being 6th in the West. He has single-handedly elevated this Thunder team, after the exit of Durant, and made them a playoff team. When most teams lose a star (Cleveland losing James, MIN losing Love, Magic losing Howard, and Lakers losing Kobe) there is a significant drop in wins and playoff appearances. Russell has the Thunder in the playoffs, when the rest of the roster gives him no other viable shooting options (like Harden has in Houston) and no other star power (Leonard has Aldridge, James has Irving and Love).
In addition, some may bring the argument that "winning matters", thanks to James Harden's recent comments about the MVP. If you wanna see what winning actually is, click the link below.
WATCH: Westbrook hits game winner to eliminate Nuggets
And that my friends, is the brilliance of the MVP race this year. While Harden is swallowed up in winning MVP and talking to the media about being MVP, Russell Westbrook is just playing basketball. That's what makes this season so special for Russell. He is just going out there, and doing what he has to do for his team to succeed. Even after Durant leaves, and all of the drama surrounding that, Westbrook still has the Thunder in the postseason. Regardless of the Thunder being 6th in the West and not a top 3 team such as Cleveland, Houston, or San Antonio, Russell Westbrook has the Thunder leaps and bounds ahead of where they should be.
No disrespect to Harden, Leonard, or James, but there is one true MVP this year, and it's the new Triple Double King in the NBA, Russell Westbrook.
That being said, now let's talk numbers. Russell Westbrook, as of today, has 42 triple doubles this season. Move over Big O, that's a record. The man is averaging 31.9 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 10.4 APG, with a PER rating of 30.9. In 34 minutes (per night avg.) might I add. Let us not forget that even in the past couple weeks, Westbrook has also hit 4 game winning or game tying shots (DAL, ORL, MEM, and DEN), all of which are now instrumental in the Thunder being 6th in the West. He has single-handedly elevated this Thunder team, after the exit of Durant, and made them a playoff team. When most teams lose a star (Cleveland losing James, MIN losing Love, Magic losing Howard, and Lakers losing Kobe) there is a significant drop in wins and playoff appearances. Russell has the Thunder in the playoffs, when the rest of the roster gives him no other viable shooting options (like Harden has in Houston) and no other star power (Leonard has Aldridge, James has Irving and Love).
WATCH: Westbrook hits game winner to eliminate Nuggets
And that my friends, is the brilliance of the MVP race this year. While Harden is swallowed up in winning MVP and talking to the media about being MVP, Russell Westbrook is just playing basketball. That's what makes this season so special for Russell. He is just going out there, and doing what he has to do for his team to succeed. Even after Durant leaves, and all of the drama surrounding that, Westbrook still has the Thunder in the postseason. Regardless of the Thunder being 6th in the West and not a top 3 team such as Cleveland, Houston, or San Antonio, Russell Westbrook has the Thunder leaps and bounds ahead of where they should be.
No disrespect to Harden, Leonard, or James, but there is one true MVP this year, and it's the new Triple Double King in the NBA, Russell Westbrook.
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