NBA MVP Race: Ranking the Top 5 MVP Candidates

You can't start the MVP Debate without hearing "LeBron James" on a regular basis. We all know he is the best player in the world right now, who is having which is arguably the best season of his career. Anthony Davis has been breathtaking all season, but let's face it, we've been sleeping on him until DeMarcus Cousins got injured back in January against the Rockets. The absence of Cousins has only shunned a light on the real potential of Davis.

On the other hand, the Beard is paving his own path to greatness by propelling his team to the best record in the league and let us not forget his 60-point triple-double which was the first of its kind in NBA history. Kevin Durant has been finding his way and his position in the team, which is said to be the favorites to be the champions and he has been quite successful. Giannis Antetokounmpo just cannot stop improving, he won the Most Improved Player award last season and his upward trajectory hasn't stopped as of yet.

So will this be the MVP season for any one of these players? All of the aforementioned players are at the peak of their performance, but who has a better argument for the Most Valuable Player award?

Let us look at these players individually.

#5 Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Except for rechecking if we wrote his name right or wrong, the Greek Freak has made us look back at him again and again. Giannis has gone from winning the MIP award to now being in the MVP debate as he's almost single-handedly taken the Bucks to the Playoffs. Giannis is averaging 27.1 points, 10.0 rebounds along with 4.8 assists a game which is quite the season for the Bucks.

“He’s unselfish and he just wants to win,” Bucks backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova said of Antetokounmpo. “When you combine those two things with everything else that he has, it makes him hard to stop.”

If not for the Greek Freak, the Bucks might go from playoff contenders to fighting for the first draft pick in the lottery. We all know that's enough for getting even the slightest of consideration for the MVP Award.

#4 Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

The 2014 MVP and 2017 NBA Finals MVP is certainly no joke.

While the previous year was a bit iffy for Durant because of the heat he got for jumping ship to the Golden State Warriors. But this season after Stephen Curry's injury, it's been Durant's chance to show that he can lead the team to wins and he certainly has been doing that by putting up 26.6 points,6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists a game. This is leading to wins as the Warriors are behind the Beard and his Rockets for the second seed in the Western Conference.

However, the roster is so loaded that sometimes it works against him as there are too many mouths to feed such as Klay Thompson and Curry. As long as LeBron is doing what he is doing, the chances are thin for Durant to even come near the award.

Although, Durant can strengthen his case if he gets a bit more active on defense, having the wingspan of a center and the movement speed of a guard can not only help wreak havoc on the offensive but the defensive side as well.

James Harden who is the frontrunner in the MVP race clearly has issues on the defensive side so if Durant gets into All NBA Defence consideration he might become a worthy contender for the award.

#3 Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis might have been overlooked but after an Achilles injury ended Boogie's season, he has come out on top as a diamond who didn't break but thrive under pressure.

Cousins got injured at the end of January, it is then when AD proved his worth by having multiple 40-point games and against the Phoenix Suns, when he had a monster game dropping 53 points, 17 boards, and 5 blocks.

When asked about his tremendous play as of late in an interview with Rachel Nichols, AD said, "It’s tough, it’s tough. You have got to kind of have that Russell Westbrook mentality when KD went out. Russ just went out there and played. He shot 40 shots sometimes. Whatever it takes for your team to win. And I’m kind of taking that approach.”

We're ignoring the bigger picture here, AD has been phenomenal all season as he is right behind James Harden in Points Per Game (PPG), he leads the league in Blocks Per Game (BPG) and his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is 29.09, which is better than the PER of LeBron James and again second only to Harden.

#2 LeBron James

LeBron James

If you're a basketball fan, heck, even if you are a sports enthusiast you have heard the name "LeBron James" more than once and for a good reason. James is not only one of the best athletes in the world, he is also very active when it comes to social issues and raising his voice instead of just "shutting up and dribbling".

But if you are a basketball fan then let's just stick to a name you are more familiar with, the King. This wasn't just a name given by LeBron to himself unlike "The Process", he was given this name by the fans and the media because that is who he is, a king on and off the court. The King might be the most dominant player both offensively and defensively that this generation has ever seen and some might argue the NBA has ever seen.

James is averaging 27.7 points, 9.2 assists and 8.7 rebounds with a Player Efficiency Rating of 28.70. Also, let us not forget he just recorded 2000 points for the 10th time in his career, which is second only to Karl Malone (12) and Michael Jordan (11).

LeBron has been in the MVP debate every year after his Heat chapter, but closer to the bottom than to the top of the ladder. Harden is taking Houston to heights the franchise has never seen before as they have just recorded over 60 wins, which is a franchise record.

Chances are slim for LeBron this year as the trades really messed his whole season up, but that really isn't stopping him from having the best season in his 15th year in the league.

#1 James Harden

James Harden

James Harden has ticked all the boxes required to be a frontrunner in the MVP Race. His team has the best record in the league right now and show no signs of slowing down. If this splendid level of play is any evidence of what is to come in the playoffs, Houston will finish strong this season and Harden is going to be at the helm of this strong finish.

Harden has been performing at MVP level for three of the past four season but this time it definitely feels that the third time is going to be the charm. The Beard is leading the league with 31.4 PPG to go with 8.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds. When we look at PER i.e Player Efficiency Rating, Harden leads the league at 29.19.

It definitely feels that this year's award is Harden's to lose. Actually, its been feeling like this every season since 2014. His team is on the top and if the Rockets lose Harden, things won't look so hot for them so it is safe to say that Harden is the Most Valuable Player to a team than any other player.