The James Harden trade was one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NBA history. It was a huge 4-team trade that put James Harden on the Brooklyn Nets. When he was first traded there, James Harden was supposed to be the third star behind Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, taking up a slightly smaller offensive role than he did with the Houston Rockets.
On the Brooklyn Nets, James Harden has adjusted his game to become more of a traditional point guard, focusing on playmaking and letting his co-stars do a large majority of the scoring. James Harden running the offense has let his teammates thrive, and his ability to get the non-star players involved has been key to success. Recently, Paul Pierce has made the bold claim that James Harden is the current MVP of the league:
He is the MVP of the league as of today. They’re on a 7, 8 game winning streak and we see what the Beard has been able to do: elevate not only himself but his teammates. The Nets are one game away from being the top seed in the Eastern Conference. I don’t see why we don’t talk about this guy being the MVP. Even though he does have Kyrie, even though he does have KD. But you gotta remember, he’s only played 7 games with those guys. They haven’t had an 8 game winning streak all year long… They’ve done this without KD. James Harden to me is the MVP as of today.
James Harden is a legitimate MVP contender, who leads the league in APG with 10.9. He is the only player averaging double digits in assists. While it is true that things may change once Kevin Durant comes back, James Harden currently has a pretty good claim to the award, due to his amazing individual performances and how important he is to the Brooklyn Nets’ offense in recent memory.
