Brooklyn Nets star James Harden declared himself the league’s most valuable player after posting an impressive 44 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists en route to a 113-111 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
The Nets were without stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on Friday night – but Harden’s phenomenal play was enough to secure the team its seventh win in its last eight games.
After the game, Harden had a simple message to those who withhold his name from the MVP conversation.
“Do I feel like I belong in it? I feel like I am the MVP,” Harden said, via ESPN.
“I mean, it’s just that simple. I don’t want to be speaking individually on myself. I am just going to leave it at that.”
Harden is averaging 25.8PPG, 8.1RPG, and a career-high 11.4APG on 46% shooting from the field and 36% shooting from three.
Harden won the MVP award in 2018 whilst averaging similar numbers across the board.
As of now, Denver Nuggets big-man Nikola Jokic is viewed as the clear MVP favorite – but Harden certainly has a case.