Charlotte Hornets Round-Table: 2019 NBA Award Predictions

Most Valuable Player of the Year

Zachary Padmore: James Harden.

“It’s clear that this has become a two-man race between James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but I’m going with The Beard.

Harden has had a historic season and is the top dog on a Rockets team that are legit threats to win the championship this season.

Like him or not, we haven’t seen a player perform at this level in a long time, and he is on track to become one of the greatest to play this game.”

Giovanni Spillman: Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“Yes, James Harden did average a historic number this season, but Giannis was the player that got his team to the playoffs, while finishing with the best record in the NBA.

He has worked hard this season and was a dominant threat every night that he played. He is averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. His defensive abilities should also be mentioned, as he averaged 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

This man can do everything, and he has had a fantastic season in Milwaukee.”

Elijah Edwards: James Harden.

“I feel like it’s essentially a two-man race between Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden at this point. I personally would pick Giannis, but I have a feeling Harden will win his second consecutive MVP award after it’s all said and done.

Either way, both are integral parts of their respective teams and each team would be much less of a factor in the playoffs without them. One could argue that neither team would even make the playoffs without them.”

Daniel Abee: James Harden.

“Where do we even begin to explain what we just saw from “The Beard” this season? Harden had a truly historic season and one the NBA hasn’t seen in quite some time.

For starters, James averaged an absurd 36 points to go along with 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds. Houston’s season began with weaker roster than last years, which meant Harden would have to carry the load even more than he did during last years MVP season.

Chris Paul started the season with an injury and the Rockets got off to a slow start. It didn’t take long for The Beard to get going, though. In the month of January alone, Harden averaged 43.6 points. At one point, he had a 32-game streak in which he scored 30+ points. He also had nine games of scoring 50+ which features two 61-point performances.

With all of that shooting, he was surprisingly efficient throughout. At times, he looked virtually unguardable resembling a human cheat code. He scored a total of 2,818 points, including 378 three pointers. While Giannis has had a stellar season in Milwaukee, The Beard gets my vote and takes home back-to-back MVP awards.”