James Harden Should Be The Favorite To Win NBA MVP (2016-17)
Even though James Harden took a step back during the 2015-16 season, there is a reason to believe that he should be the front-runner for the most valuable player award during this season. This is because Harden will be playing in Mike D'Antoni's half court offense which is built around a pick and roll concept where the point guard would bring the ball up to the three point line and then a big man would set a screen. Once the screen was set the point guard would pay attention to his defender to determine the next course of action for instance, if the defender went under the screen, the point guard would go over the screen and take the wide open shot. On the other hand, if the defender went over the screen, the point guard would go over the screen as well and drive towards the basket where he would score or pass the ball to the player next to him or to the perimeter depending on whether he was double teamed or not. Furthermore, opposing teams will have a hard time trying to limit the impact that Harden has on a game because the Houston Rockets organization has filled the roster with enough players who are capable of consistently making a three. As a result, opposing teams can't afford to clog up the paint or double team Harden because it will give the team a wide open three. Due to this, Harden will be able to hurt opposing teams in multiple ways which increases the likelihood that he will be able to accumulate the statistics and wins necessary to win the award.
(the 3 point percentage of every player on the roster last season)
(Eric Gordon's 3 point percentage)
(Ryan Anderson's 3 point percentage)
(Mike D'Antoni's offense)
