Piecing together a historic offensive campaign is never an easy task but James Harden and the Houston Rockets have made it look simple this season. With a roster perfectly crafted with shooters and versatile forwards to accentuate Harden’s strengths, the Rockets currently hold the NBA’s best record of 51-13.
Though Harden is the clear frontrunner for MVP honors this season, many believed he had been snubbed for the award last year, and perhaps even the year before. Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan is one of those believers. DeRozan recently stated he believes Harden should’ve secured the MVP last year, and believes him to be a lock to win it this season. Following from ESPN’s Tim McMahon:
Raptors star DeMar DeRozan says James Harden "should have been MVP" last season and has eliminated any doubt this season. "He's earned it. The things he's doing are incredible. He should be a lock."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 9, 2018
There’s no doubt that plenty agree with DeRozan’s sentiment, especially regarding this year. The campaign James Harden is piecing together is nothing short of spectacular and should be rewarded with the most coveted individual prize the NBA has to offer.
DeRozan himself is having a stand-out year as he has his Toronto Raptors perched atop the Eastern Conference with just over a month left in the regular season. Both DeRozan and Harden actually have plenty in common this season.
Not only are both shooting guards two of the elite scorers in the NBA, but neither of their teams were expected to make as much of a splash as they have. The two California natives have led their teams to the top of their respective conferences and will look to keep it that way heading into the playoffs, where they will hope to curb the recent annual trend of a Cavs-Warriors Finals matchup.
