Golden State Warriors Mailbag: MVP Race, Playoff Concerns, Iguodala

By Maggie Pilloton | Mar 5, 2015

2 of 4

Mar 2, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) gestures after tying the game in the last minute of play against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Brooklyn Nets won 110-108. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The leading candidates for MVP of the 2014-15 NBA season are Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James. We’ll discuss each one briefly.

Curry is currently averaging 23.9 points (fifth in the NBA), 4.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game on 48.6 percent shooting, 41.2 percent shooting from three-point range, and 91.0 percent shooting from the free throw line. He also averages 17.1 field goal attempts per game, 8.0 three-point attempts, and 4.5 free throw attempts.

Curry has helped lead the Warriors to the second best record in the NBA at 47-12, and the Warriors have had the best record in the NBA for most of the NBA season. He started his second consecutive All-Star Game this year, and he is the reigning Three-Point Contest champion.

More from Golden State Warriors

Harden is averaging 27.1 points (first in the NBA), 5.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists per game, and 1.9 steals per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field, 38.1 percent shooting from three-point range, and 86.6 percent shooting from the free throw line. He also averages 18 field goal attempts per game, 6.9 three-point attempts, and 9.6 free throw attempts.

Harden has helped lead the Houston Rockets to a 41-20 record, which is the fourth best record in the Western Conference. Harden has become more of a distributor this season, and he’s kept the Rockets afloat when Dwight Howard has been injured, which are both impressive attributes.

Westbrook is averaging 26.5 points (second in the NBA), 6.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on 43.2 percent shooting from the field, 27.7 percent shooting from three-point range, and 84.1 percent shooting from the free throw line. He also averages 20.9 field goal attempts per game, 3.5 three-point attempts, and 8.9 free throw attempts.

Westbrook has helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 34-27 record, which gives them the eighth seed in the West. Westbrook has also had to lead the Thunder while Kevin Durant has dealt with injuries. He also won All-Star Game MVP this year.

James is averaging 26.2 points (third in the NBA), 5.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 49 percent shooting from the field, 33.5 percent shooting from three-point range, and 71.8 percent shooting from the free throw line. He also averages 19.2 field goal attempts per game, 5.0 three-point attempts, and 8.1 free throw attempts.

James is in the MVP race every season, because he is currently the best player in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a slow start, but now that James is healthy, he has led them to a 39-24 record, which is the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference.

Given this information, let’s compare these players. All of these players are gifted scorers (in different ways), they’re all pretty good rebounders and distributors for their positions, and they are all leaders of their respective teams.

One noticeable difference is that Curry is not only the most efficient scorer, but he is also the most efficient in the least amount of shot attempts (besides three-point attempts, which can be attributed to the fact that he’s more of a volume three-point shooter than the others).

The most important difference of them all though is 46-12. Curry’s Warriors have the best record in the NBA, and that deserves recognition in this MVP race.

This is all oversimplified, of course, and is a little hard to fully discuss on just one slide, but for me, the MVP of the NBA this season is none other than the baby-faced assassin.

Curry, “you the real MVP.”

Next: Biggest Concern for the Warriors Heading into the Playoffs?

Home/Golden State Warriors