As we approach the final month of the NBA season, the debate for NBA MVP is starting to heat up. For a while the debate looked to be between Stephen Curry and James Harden, but with Russell Westbrook on a historic tear and Anthony Davis being so pivotal for a bad team fighting to make the Playoffs on Davis’ shoulders, there is no clear favorite.

Yes, there are other players who are in the conversation, but I am going to focus on Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. LeBron James and Chris Paul should be right there as well, but I don’t think they have as strong of a case as the four mentioned do.

Let’s compare the stats for the four players. Anthony Davis doesn’t really shoot 3-pointers, so I did not include the stat for him. Win shares describe how many games the player produces for their team. Value over replacement measures how valuable a player is versus an average NBA player.

Player	PPG	APG	RPG	3-Point Percentage	Field Goal Percentage	Win Shares	Value Over Replacement
Stephen Curry	23.6	7.8	4.4	0.422	0.483	12.4	6.1
James Harden	26.9	7.1	5.8	0.375	0.443	13.2	6.4
Russell Westbrook	27.5	8.3	7.2	0.3	0.434	8.4	5.9
Anthony Davis	24.7	1.9	10.4		0.546	11.4	4.3

There is a lot to take away from this chart. There are plenty of reasons for debate within these stats, which makes the MVP decision very difficult.

1. Stephen Curry

Looking at Curry’s stats doesn’t tell the entire story of the season he is having. He doesn’t have the highest average in points, assists or rebounds among these candidates, but what makes Curry stand out are his percentages. To shoot .422 from 3-point range and .483 from the field is incredible. Curry is efficient. He works in the Golden State offense and makes his team better. Curry doesn’t force the issue, and because of that, the Golden State Warriors own the best record in the NBA.

That is the second thing Curry has going for him. Curry’s team is the best team in the NBA, and a large reason for that is how great Stephen Curry is. Curry plays great defense and is one of the best ball-handlers in the NBA. His ability to break down defenses makes the game a lot easier for his teammates. The respect opposing teams must give to Curry’s shot also helps his teammates. There are a lot of intangibles that make Stephen Curry so valuable to his team.

Looking through Curry’s stats, nothing stands out as bad. You may not see it above, but Harden’s defensive stats are not very good. Harden is notorious for his bad defense. Westbrook doesn’t have the best percentages. Davis has a low value over replacement rating and is very injury prone playing for a team who wouldn’t even be in the playoffs right now. There is nothing you can really knock Stephen Curry for. Consistency across all statistics is another positive for Curry.

2. James Harden

The case for James Harden comes down to who he has around him and where he has the Houston Rockets. Dwight Howard has missed half the season for the Rockets, yet they find themselves as the fourth seeded team in the powerful Western Conference. You have to give a ton of credit to James Harden for doing this.

Harden is dynamic. His game is predicated on dazzling ball-handling while attacking the basket, welcoming contact and either finishing or drawing the foul. If you prepare to take Harden off the dribble, he has no problem shooting it right in your face. He is one of the hardest players to guard in the NBA and if given a better supporting cast, you would see an even greater player.

Harden owns the highest win shares among the four players as well as value over replacement. You cannot argue how important this player has been to his team.

3. Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is on a historic tear right now. With Kevin Durant missing large portions of this NBA season, things did not look good for the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was already a team with a thin roster outside of Durant and Westbrook. It has been a real fight for the Thunder to get into positioning for the playoffs. As things stand right now, the Thunder own the eighth seed in the Western Conference and Russell Westbrook has fought to get this team there.

Friday night Westbrook recorded his sixth triple-double in eight games. Westbrook owns eight triple-doubles this season. The next highest total in the NBA is three on the season. Westbrook is a stat stuffing machine and his season averages show that.

The problem with Westbrook is the volume it takes to get him to these totals. He doesn’t own the greatest percentages and gets sloppy in his play at time. He turns the ball over more than you would like and shoots a little more than you would like as well. It seems like Westbrook realizes the fate of the Thunder rests on his shoulders while Durant is out, and he tries to do all he can to make things happen. You can’t knock the guy when he is playing this well and he is the reason the Thunder are in the playoff hunt.

Like Harden, you look at the supporting cast and say Westbrook doesn’t have much to work with. Westbrook has better stats than Harden, but he is much less efficient.

4. Anthony Davis

Davis has reached superstar level in the NBA. He is playing on a sub-par team and has then jockeying with the Thunder for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Davis is a monster in the post. He shoots a high percentage, plays phenomenal defense and unlike a lot of dominant big-men, Davis shoots free throws well.

The problem with Davis is his durability and how bad his team really is. I find it hard to give Most Valuable Player to someone who’s team doesn’t make the playoffs. Right now Davis and the Pelicans would be out of the playoffs. It also bothers me how often Davis has to miss games. I’d like to see him become more durable and play for a team that desperately needs him.

The bottom line is that Davis is one of the best players in the NBA and should someday win this award, but it may be a bit premature. There are better cases this year, and if he goes on a tear leading the Pelicans to the playoffs you would have a hard time arguing against giving him the award.

Conclusion

If the season ended today I would give the award to Stephen Curry. He doesn’t lead any category but the ones that lead to consistency. Curry’s percentages are a large reason why the Warriors succeed. Harden and Westbrook have the stats and they play on worse teams than Curry, but I’ll take the consistent and effective player over the gaudy stats. The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA and Stephen Curry is their best player. His teammates play better when Curry is on the floor. The team performs drastically better when he is on the floor. I can’t say the Warriors would still be good without Curry, which is what a lot of people say as the knock on him. The fact of the matter is that the attention that must be given to Curry’s shot and his ability to break down a defense are key to the Warriors success. There is no better shooter in NBA history than Stephen Curry. He can shoot, defend, dribble, pass, work without the ball, rebound, etc. This is the most complete player in the NBA right now and he deserves the Most Valuable Player award.