There has been quite a bit of movement in the MVP rankings this week, with Westbrook and the Thunder getting hot and Curry missing time due to injury. Instead of Rookie and Sixth Man ranks, which haven't changed much in the past couple weeks, I'm picking my current All-Stars, along with the players who are close but not quite in so far. Here are my current ranks, with previous rank in parentheses:
Most Valuable Player
1 (1) James Harden - HOU - 32.1 P, 5.1 R, 9.0 A, 1.8 S, .449 FG, .390 3P, .870 FT
Even though the Rockets have lost 5 straight, there is still no doubt that Harden is the best player in the league so far this season, and he's playing for one of the best teams. He is #1 in the league in scoring, #3 in assists, and #9 in steals, and Houston still has the second-best record in the league.
2 (3) LeBron James - CLE - 27.8 P, 8.2 R, 9.3 A, 1.5 S, 1.0 B, .560 FG, .401 3P, .778 FT
James is the only player close to Harden statistically, currently #3 in scoring and #2 in assists, while also playing the third-most minutes of any player and shooting 56% from the field.
3 (9) Russell Westbrook - OKC - 24.5 P, 9.5 R, 10.0 A, 2.1 S, .421 FG, .309 3P, .719 FT
Westbrook and the Thunder are coming to life, and the reigning MVP is now leading the league in assists and is #2 in steals, all while flirting with another triple-double season.
4 (5) Giannis Antetokounmpo - MIL - 29.1 P, 10.4 R, 4.6 A, 1.7 S, 1.3 B, .547 FG, .777 FT
The Greek Freak is doing it all, leading the league in minutes, #2 in scoring, #6 in blocks, and #8 in rebounds while keeping the Bucks in the playoff race without a superstar teammate.
5 (6) DeMar DeRozan - TOR - 24.1 P, 4.3 R, 4.9 A, 1.2 S, .480 FG, .330 3P, .815 FT
You won't find DeRozan on the league leaderboards, but you will find him leading the #2 team in the East while playing a very balanced game.
6 (2) Kevin Durant - GSW - 26.1 P, 7.0 R, 5.1 A, 2.3 B, .500 FG, .393 3P, .889 FT
Durant is #5 in scoring and second in blocks as he focuses more on becoming a better defender, but he and the team have struggled in the past couple weeks without Curry.
7 (10) Anthony Davis - NOP - 25.7 P, 10.3 R, 2.4 A, 1.1 S, 2.0 B, .568 FG, .393 3P, .810 FT
Davis is in the top 10 in scoring, rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage, making him the best true big man in the league, and the Pelicans look like they have a good shot at making the playoffs.
8 (8) Kyrie Irving - BOS - 24.7 P, 3.0 R, 5.0 A, 1.2 S, .489 FG, .404 3P, .892 FT
The best player on the team with the best record in the East, Irving is #9 in scoring, but is not the all-around player most ahead of him on this list are.
9 (7) Victor Oladipo - IND - 24.9 P, 5.3 R, 3.9 A, 1.8 S, 1.0 B, .485 FG, .423 3P, .790 FT
The Pacers are struggling without their star this week, but the #8 scorer in the league should be back soon, and when he returns he should resume his rise.
10 (NR) DeMarcus Cousins - NOP - 26.1 P, 12.3 R, 5.3 A, 1.5 S, 1.5 B, .479 FG, .350 3P, .744 FT
Cousins is #4 in both scoring and rebounds, and he has been putting up 30-20 games like they're easy, the most recent of which vaulted him back into the MVP rankings.
Honorable Mention: Stephen Curry - GSW, Jimmy Butler - MIN
All-Star Picks
This year's All-Star format will be a little different, with the top 2 vote-getters acting as captains and picking their teammates, so it won't be the traditional East-West game for the first time ever, but the selection process will remain the same, with 5 starters selected from each conference by voters and 7 reserves from each conference by the coaches, and the captains will select their teams from those pools of players. Here are my picks for each conference's current starters and reserves, along with a few who are close and should be considered:
East
Starters
F LeBron James - CLE
F Giannis Antetokounmpo - MIL
C Kevin Love - CLE
G Victor Oladipo - IND
G Kyrie Irving - BOS
Reserves
G DeMar DeRozan - TOR
C Joel Embiid - PHI
G Bradley Beal - WAS
F Kristaps Porzingis - NYK
F Otto Porter - WAS
F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - BKN
F Khris Middleton - MIL
Contenders
C Nikola Vucevic - ORL
G Kemba Walker - CHA
C Andre Drummond - DET
G Ben Simmons - PHI
G Dennis Schroder - ATL
West
Starters
F Anthony Davis - NOP
F Kevin Durant - GSW
C DeMarcus Cousins - NOP
G James Harden - HOU
G Russell Westbrook - OKC
Reserves
G Stephen Curry - GSW
G Damian Lillard - POR
F TJ Warren - PHX
F Paul George - OKC
C LaMarcus Aldridge - SAS
G Jimmy Butler - MIN
G Tyreke Evans - MEM
Contenders
G Lou Williams - LAC
G Klay Thompson - GSW
G Devin Booker - PHX
C Clint Capela - HOU
C Karl-Anthony Towns - MIN
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