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The latest edition of the NBA regular season has tipped off in thrilling fashion. With a plethora of new player-pairings and exciting matchups to look forward to, this year might turn out to be the most unpredictable in recent times.
Just to touch upon some storylines so far, the Golden State Warriors have been hit with major injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers lead the West with a five-game winning streak, while the Philadelphia 76ers remain the only unbeaten team in the league. Megastars like Anthony Davis & Kawhi Leonard have made themselves fairly comfortable playing in their latest threads, while the Houston Rockets apparently find it irksome to incorporate Russell Westbrook into their system smoothly
Now that we have over 10 days of basketball data to go through, it makes sense to skim through a bunch of early season leaders for the MVP hardware. Let's take a look at the top 5 individual performers so far, who have managed to open up an early cushion in the running to be the best.
#5 Damian Lillard
One can never count the Portland Trail Blazers out, considering they house one of the most explosive point guards in the league. It might be just six games but Damian Lillard has broken out in a major way for his team.
To list some of his stats this year, he is averaging 29.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game thus far, all of which are career-highs by a respectable margin. Moreover, Logo Lillard is shooting a career-best 47.6% from the floor and over 40% from the deep as he carries the long-range shooting torch of the league in Stephen Curry's absence.
Along with being the prime facilitator on the Portland Trail Blazers' roster, Dame is managing to conjure offensive production that is third best on the league's standings. If his shots keep falling consistently at the current rate, the 29-year-old is projected to be a strong contender in the MVP discussion before All-Star break. Given some early adjustments (currently 0.500 in the West), Portland can easily make their way to the postseason riding on Dame's skillset.
#4 Kyrie Irving
In Kevin Durant's season-long absence, the reins of the Brooklyn Nets franchise have been duly handed over to Kyrie Irving for the coming year. Uncle Drew has been playing with a grit that is reflecting his desperation to make up for the lost time. His impatience to restore his name amongst the elite point guards in the league who can also lead a side, is clearly showing through his clutch plays down the stretch.
So far, Irving has taken most (if not all) of the Nets' crunch shots and is averaging a career-high 30.5 points per game (second highest in the league), playing over 33 minutes per contest. The 6-time All-Star is yet to lead a winning campaign in Brooklyn as his team has now lost four of their first six matches to start the season.
Along with his offensive prowess, Kyrie has put together impressive numbers in 6.5 rebounds and 7.5 dimes per game as well, shooting over 90% from the FT line.
#3 Kawhi Leonard
Coming off a career-high scoring season with the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard is brimming with confidence to begin this one. His initial impressions in a Los Angeles Clippers' uniform have been truly majestic. The 28-year-old is averaging 30.5 points, in over 22 field goal attempts per game.
Playing almost 30 minutes per matchup, the 2-time champion is looking sharp and comfortable even in Paul George's absence. With numbers like 7.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.2 steals (4th best in the league) per game, his two-way game is as laudable as it can be.
If the Clippers franchise effectively implement load management through the year as well as include Paul George in the rotation successfully, it can open up a higher ceiling for Leonard to reach out for this year.
#2 Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis' ability to dominate the paint as well as spread the floor is sitting well with the surging Los Angeles Lakers squad. Headlined by a performance that included 40 points, 20 rebounds (in 3 quarters) just recently, the Brow has finally added his freakish skillset back to the NBA's talent pool. AD is averaging a team-high double-double of 28.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, shooting over 46% from the field. He is also attempting a career-high 11.5 free throws per game and making 87% of those as well.
The 26-year-old is already a 6-time All-Star and playing alongside LeBron James is helping him be more of himself on both ends of the floor, without any added pressure of carrying the team's burden.
#1 James Harden
Well, if you are snubbed for an MVP award after averaging 36 points, what's left to be done? You run it back!
And that's exactly what James Harden is planning on doing this year. Despite his team's apparent shortcomings as a unit, the Beard is averaging a league-best 35.3 points per game. In just his first six games this season, Harden has already recorded a 59-point statline (against the Washington Wizards) which was preceded by a 40-point performance against OKC.
He is going to the line at an average 16 times per game and converting an impressive 95% of those, making up for a large part of his offensive tally. Harden has built an insurmoutable individual scoring gap this early in the season and looks to continue doing so just like he always has.
