NBA MVP

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It is early in the season to start talking about the MVP race, but it is always a fun discussion. Without a doubt Stephen Curry has been the overwhelming favorite so far this season. It is worth noting that he has earned every little bit of spot light he has gotten so far this season. With the light so bright on him it has overshadowed other players who have been playing very well this season. So lets take a look at the players who have been been playing very well so far this season.

Kevin Durant has playing much better than many expected him to after missing almost all of last season. He is averaging 27.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game all while shooting 53% from the field and 44.3% from three. Those shooting percentages are the highest of his career and if Stephen Curry wasn't playing out of his mind Kevin Durant would easily be the front runner for MVP.

Just behind Durant would be Paul George.

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George is also returning from injury. He played at the end of last season, but he had a minutes restriction and was just getting back on the court. This year he has had the whole off season to work himself back into basketball shape and that's exactly what he did. George is averaging 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game, just on par with Durant's numbers. George isn't shooting as good as Durant with a field goal percentage of 44% and three point percentage of 42.9%. What stands out about George's play is how well his team has performed so far this season. His team is 13-9 and while they have struggled a little bit as of late, they have still played better than many expected them to this season. And the reason for them playing so well is because of George's presences on the court. For that reason he is third behind Curry and Durant.

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Another player who has played very well this season is Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has been scoring the ball more this season and very efficiently. Leonard has averaged 20.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2 steals per game. He has brought the same defensive mentality he does every season while putting points up on the board. He has also done this while shooting 50.3% from the field and 48.3% from three. I would move Leonard higher on this list, but the team play of the Spurs has been the main reason for their success so far this season. Not to say Leonard hasn't contributed, but their have been games where Lamarcus Aldridge has been the Spurs best player. Spurs fans should be excited because the future for this team is very bright and Leonard is only 24, so he still has time to continue to improve.

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And what would an MVP list be without LeBron James. James has averaged 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. James has not shot well from three this year sitting at 28%, but his usage percentage is at it's highest since 2009-2010. That means LeBron is really carrying the team right now. And LeBron doesn't mind. He has said multiple times this year that he wants to play all 82 games. That can't happen of course since he sat out one game so far, but he hasn't been resting as much as we saw in Miami and I'm sure basketball fans appreciate this.