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It is only November, but it is never too late to see who has impressed enough to possibly be considered for MVP with just 15% of the games played so far.
The biggest surprise so far in the new season are the Boston Celtics, who lost their star free agent guard Gordon Hayward six minutes into the season. Since losing Hayward, they have gone 11-1, including winning 11 straight games.
Another surprise on the young season are those expected to be top teams struggling early such as the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-7) and Oklahoma City Thunder (5-7). Cleveland has reached three straight NBA Finals and are expected to contend for a fourth; while Oklahoma City added Carmelo Anthony and Paul George in the offseason.
This article will take a look at five of the top early candidates for MVP in the young season:
#5 Kyrie Irving - Boston Celtics
After Gordon Hayward was lost for most, if not all, of the 2017-18 season, the Boston Celtics surprised everyone by going 11-1 since then; which includes an 11-game winning streak to give them the NBA's best record at 11-2. A lot of the success goes to the play of Kyrie Irving, who the Cleveland Cavaliers traded to Boston in the offseason.
Irving leads the team in scoring at 20.3 PPG and ranks a tied-third in the league for steals with 1.92 SPG. If Boston is going to maintain this winning pace without Hayward, Irving will definitely be in the running for league MVP in his first season without LeBron James.
#4 Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks took great strides to improve in the 2016-17 season with a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference, and in this young season, the Bucks are not off to the hottest start at 5-6, but they have one of the leagues hottest stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The "Greek Freak" currently leads the league in scoring with 31.5 PPG; while averaging 10.0 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.8 BPG. The addition of Eric Bledsoe via trade instantly makes the team better and they won his debut with the team with a surprising 94-87 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.
If the Bucks push towards the top of the Eastern Conference, Antetokounmpo will definitely be in consideration for MVP.
#3 Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
Considering that Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is already a two-time NBA MVP, the fact that he's leading the team in scoring (25.4 PPG) and steals (1.8 SPG), all with the Warriors sitting at 9-3 puts him in the running for MVP of the NBA.
Curry is currently seventh in the NBA in points per game and ninth in steals per game. After starting the season slow with a 4-3 record, the Warriors have won five straight games and only trails the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference.
While most of the times, Kevin Durant proves to be the difference maker with his big shots and swats, it's Curry that leads the team in PER with a 28.19 rating, good for seventh best in the league.
#2 Kristaps Prozingis - New York Knicks
When the New York Knicks drafted Kristaps Porzingis fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Knicks fans were not pleased. Porzingis let his tremendous play over the past two-plus seasons win him over with the fans, and his jersey sales ranked seventh overall as of last spring.
Though the Knicks are not sporting as good of a record as some teams at 6-5, they did start the season 0-3 and followed it up with a 6-2 record, and a lot of it is thanks to the play of Porzingis, who ranks second in the league in scoring at 30.0 PPG and third in the league in blocks with 2.30 BPG. Not to mention, he ranks fourth in the league according to ESPN's PER - 29.30.
If Porzingis leads the Knicks to their first playoff berth in five years, he will be an MVP candidate for sure.
#1 James Harden - Houston Rockets
One of the best MVP races in recent history occurred last season when James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder were lighting up the stat sheet. Harden would end up finishing second getting 22 of the first place votes and a voting score of 753.0 compared to Westbrook's 69 of first-place votes and a total score of 888.0.
With Oklahoma City struggling to start the season and Houston off to a hot 9-3 start, Harden has the upper-hand for now. He is third in scoring at 29.9 PPG, third in assists at 10.0 APG, and tied for ninth with Stephen Curry in steals with 1.83 SPG. If the Rockets continue these winning ways, it could be an easy MVP for Harden.
The Beard also ranks among the league's elite in PER - 29.26 (5th best).
Guess the Lakers players!
