The extended All-Star break meant an extended break for the MVP rankings, but now they return with a vengeance. The last time we met, James Harden and Anthony Davis were neck-and-neck for the top spot. Has anything changed since then?
James Harden stays atop MVP race, but here comes Russell Westbrook
The Houston Rocket stays at No. 1, but his former Oklahoma City Thunder running mate is charging up the list.
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
It sure has. Harden still holds onto the top spot, but there’s been a major shakeup in the top five.
1. James Harden (Previous ranking: 1)
Harden is one of the few players in the league who can make a 7-of-20 shooting performance look good. Harden shot 7-of-20 in a win over the Timberwolves on Monday, but he scored 31 points thanks to going 5-of-11 from the three and 12-of-15 from the charity stripe. Not to mention he also recorded a triple-double with 11 rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks and one broken Ricky Rubio ankle.
Harden had an eventful two games prior to the All-Star break. In the last game before the break, Harden scored just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting in Los Angeles, marking just the second time all year he failed to score in double figures.
But the game before that, Harden recorded his second consecutive 40-point game by putting up 40 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a victory over the Suns. Twenty of those 40 points came in a dominant fourth-quarter effort worthy of an MVP.
2. Stephen Curry (Previous ranking: 3)
Curry finally gets back into that No. 2 spot after Davis took it from him a while ago. Curry slumped heading into the All-Star break, but he came out of it with a vintage performance against San Antonio. The point guard notched 25 points and 11 assists in 32 minutes in the convincing victory.
We also got a taste of how just valuable Curry is when he misses a game. Golden State scored 38 first-quarter points against Indiana with the point guard sidelined with a foot injury, but managed just 60 points the rest of the game in a rare loss. Golden State shot 38.2 percent overall and 9-of-26 from three, so it’s safe to say Curry was missed. A lot.
3. Russell Westbrook (Previous ranking: 6)
A strong argument could be made that Westbrook has been the best player in the NBA in February. He’s averaging 30.6 points, 10.1 assists and 7.9 rebounds in the month, while shooting an efficient 49.4 percent overall and 39.4 percent from three. He’s taking 10.3 free throws per game in February and knocking down 92.5 percent of those attempts.
And of course, much of Westbrook's work this season has been without Kevin Durant, which was the case the last two games. The electric point guard delivered two MVP-esque performances, putting up 21 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds in just 27 minutes against the Nuggets and 33 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Charlotte.
Westbrook has had quite the season without Durant thus far:
Russell Westbrook appears to be adjusting to not having Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/OBX8Gnd4JX
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 23, 2015 The Thunder have won six straight games and eight of nine in February. Oklahoma City now firmly holds the No. 8 seed in the West, and with San Antonio struggling, the No. 7 seed is in the Thunder's sight.
4. LeBron James (Previous ranking: 4)
James hasn't been as good as previous years, but there's still no denying his massive importance to Cleveland. We noted last time how the Cavaliers were 25 points per 100 possessions better with James on the court since he returned from his extended injury absence. That number has since come down because Cleveland has been functioning better of late with James on the bench, but the Cavaliers have still outscored their opponents by 17 points per 100 possessions with him on the court since the injuries.
5. Anthony Davis (Previous ranking: 2)
Davis returned to the lineup after missing the final two-plus games before the All-Star break and the All-Star Game itself, but he struggled in a rough loss in Orlando. The next night, Davis re-injured his shoulder, which has him on the shelf for at least another week or two.
Davis gets to stay in the top five simply because of his impressive numbers to date, but with Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies rolling, The Brow could fall further if he doesn't get back on the floor soon.
6. Marc Gasol (Previous ranking: 5)
Gasol had a rough showing in the final game before the break against the budding Thunder juggernaut, but he has responded with two strong games since. First came a team-high 21 points in a stirring victory in Portland, which featured eight points in the fourth quarter during a huge comeback.
Gasol and the Grizzlies followed that up with another impressive road win, going into Los Angeles on the second night of a back-to-back and grinding out a victory over the Clippers in typical Grizzlies fashion. As often is the case, Gasol’s line of 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks wasn’t all that impressive, but he was brilliant on defense and helped initiate much of the offense from the high post.
7. Chris Paul (Previous ranking: 11)
It was a shame how Paul’s game ended against Memphis. With Blake Griffin still on the shelf, Paul put the Clippers on his back, putting up 30 points and 10 assists in 39 minutes. It was only Paul’s second 30-point outing of the year and his first game with at least 30 points and 10 assists on the season.
But it ended in disastrous fashion, as Paul got his pocket picked by Mike Conley with the game on the line. While many will focus on that killer turnover, Los Angeles wouldn't have been close to Memphis without Paul's brilliance throughout the rest of the game.
Even with the heartbreaking loss to the Grizzlies, the Clippers have done much better without Griffin than anybody could have expected and Paul deserves plenty of the credit. Los Angeles is 4-1 without Griffin, with wins over all three Texas teams and a blowout victory over Sacramento.
8. Jeff Teague (Previous ranking: 7)
Teague was mostly superb before the All-Star break, but his last three games have been underwhelming. Still, he's the straw that stirs the Hawks' drink and he'll get recognition as long as his play doesn't crater for a long period of time.
Even with a few whatever games, Teague’s PER is still well above his previous career high and his offensive efficiency remains well up despite what would be a career high in usage.
9. John Wall (Previous ranking: 8)
The Wizards are floundering, losers of eight games out of 10. Wall shouldn't be to blame for all of the struggles, but he shouldn't escape all criticism. His three-point shooting has been woeful of late, as he's 2-of-15 from deep over the last four games.
Wall also isn’t getting to the free throw line much, and the Wizards could use those easy points with the offense struggling in the absence of Bradley Beal. The point guard is still racking up assists at a high rate, but perhaps it would be better if he took matters in his own hands and tried to take over games with his scoring sometimes, even if that’s not how he usually plays.
10. LaMarcus Aldridge (Previous ranking: 9)
Aldridge missed the loss to the Grizzlies with a sprained right thumb and he shot the ball dreadfully in the previous two games, going 11-of-36 from the field. Still, the power forward keeps his spot in the top 10 because nobody else made a strong case to take it.
Next five: Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Kyle Lowry, Al Horford, Jimmy Butler
See More:
