After piecing together another stellar campaign, Houston Rockets guard James Harden was rewarded for his historic offensive play with the 2017-18 NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
The announcement was made during tonight’s 2018 NBA Awards Show on TNT.
James Harden was named the 2018 NBA MVP over Pelicans big man Anthony Davis and Cavaliers forward LeBron James. The Arizona State product concluded his speech with a promise: that he would be back next year after falling short of his ultimate goal of winning an NBA title.
Though his Houston Rockets fell one game short of a championship berth, Harden was his usual dynamite self on the offensive end all season long and also made noticeable strides on defense. His increased effort on defense built a legitimate winning culture in Houston, transforming the Rockets from just a trigger-happy offensive team into a well-rounded juggernaut on both ends.
Along with the MVP, Harden also secured the scoring title as the only player to average over 30 points per game on the season with a career-high mark of 30.4.
However, it wasn’t just Harden’s outrageous scoring or his ruthless efficiency that earned him the most esteemed annual honor in the NBA. His ability to remain a phenomenal distributor alongside Chris Paul to the tune of 8.8 assists was just as crucial.
Allowing Mike D’antoni to have one elite playmaker on the floor at all times propelled the Rockets to new heights this season and Harden was rewarded appropriately. The 28-year-old combo guard had come close to taking home the MVP multiple times and finished second last season before finally securing it in 2018.
