What is Devin Booker showing us about the MVP race?
What is Devin Booker showing us about the MVP race?
You probably wonder what does Devin Booker, the Suns’ guard, have to do with the MVP race? Well, in my opinion, a lot. Maybe you’ve heard that last night Booker scored again 50 points which means that he is the youngest player ever with two consecutive 50-games. This is a big accomplishment for him and I think that this performance exposes James Harden.
What I mean is that a lot of analysts and professionals in the game of basketball are saying that Harden should be the MVP over Antetokounmpo because of his scoring ability. The Beard has had an amazing season where he is averaging 36.2 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 6.5 RPG. Harden managed to score more than 50 points in 8 games this season, between 40-49 points in 19 games, and between 30-39 points in 24 games. This is truly an accomplishment, but as I said in another article, I keep my opinion that all the conditions are in his favor.
Let me explain this. Basketball has changed: the game is freer and more offense-oriented, the defense is not as aggressive as in the past, the 3-pointers are more common, and the pace of the game is higher. That’s why more points are scored on a nightly basis and that’s also why players are having this crazy scoring games. I’m not saying that Harden is not talented because he is an extraordinary player. All I’m saying is that in the ideal conditions a lot of players could do what he does.
And the last two games by Devin Booker confirmed my idea. He scored 59 points against Utah Jazz a couple of days ago and last night he finished with 50 points against Washington Wizard. Of course, over the past, Booker has proved that he is a great scorer. We remember the match against the Boston Celtics when he had 70 points. But it is also a matter of having the right conditions and in the last two games, Devin Booker had more freedom to shoot at will. Therefore, I think that in Mike D’Antoni’s system and with how the game is in the present a lot of players could average similar numbers to James Harden.
The harder part is to make rebounds or to dish some assists. That’s why Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averages 27.3 PPG, 12.6 RPG, and 6 APG, looks to me like a more serious candidate for the MVP race. He has dominated all year long and he has taken Milwaukee Bucks to the first place in the East and to the best record in the NBA.
