Kendrick Perkins has made the case for James Harden as the best player in the NBA right now and probably the leading candidate to win the MVP this year in his book. The former player-turned-analyst has been active on social media, as usual, giving his hot takes about basketball-related topics.
During a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, the 2008 NBA champion talked about the best players in the league this season and he did name LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and more but ultimately picking the new addition of the Brooklyn Nets, James Harden, as the best player this season.
“With due respect to GOAT James, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, the best player till February 24th has been James Harden. Not only is he the best player, he’s the best point guard in the league and if you look at what James Harden has been doing this season, this season is arguably his best season of his career. (…) Let me just take you on a short trip down memory lane for a second. The Brooklyn Nets just went on a West Coast trip. First stop, Golden State Warriors. James Harden goes into Steph Curry’s arena and gives him that business.”
“They take a bus ride to Sacramento. He goes down against De’Aaron Fox; he gives them that work. And then off a back-to-back, he goes to Phoenix, without Kevin Durant, and without Kyrie Irving, being 21 down at the half while the Phoenix Suns had been on a six-game winning streak at home and goes and drops 38 and 11. And then he’s back to L.A., back to Compton, back to Compton when he was born and raised and take on the top dogs on the Lakers and Clippers and hand them the business.”
"The best player in the league this year … has been James Harden! Not only is he the best player, he's the best point guard in the league."
👀 @KendrickPerkins pic.twitter.com/egghX0zqjF
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 24, 2021
Harden has been on a tear ever since he made it from Houston to Brooklyn. Even if he was in a duo with Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving or with the Big 3 fully healthy, Harden has been playing great basketball and the Nets are having a great moment right now. If they manage to keep this level, the rest of the NBA will have to be very careful with this team and all the things they can do not only on the offensive end of the ball.
