James Harden playing at MVP level for gutsy Rockets

James Harden is the league's most valuable player through six weeks of the season.

It sounds strange considering his history as an oft-derided defender – and the two-way nature of such an award – but Harden's performance to date has been remarkable, his effect on the 17-5 Houston Rockets too profound to ignore.

Those Rockets, by the way, have achieved that record while missing Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley for 12 games apiece and Terrence Jones for 18, leaving Harden and offseason acquisition Trevor Ariza as the team's only consistent starters. Simply keeping their heads above water under such circumstances would have made the Rockets' start impressive, but the bearded superstar has Houston terrifying the rest of the Western Conference.

What's most notable about their start is that the offense has actually struggled, ranking 20th in the league, while the defense thrives. Howard and Beverley, along with Ariza, make up the team's defensive core, but even with their extended absences the Rockets are second only to the Golden State Warriors on the defensive end – an improvement due in large part to Harden buying in on that end of the floor.

There remain instances, particularly in transition, when Harden can be caught napping, but for the most part he has embraced a larger role on the defensive end. The team's defense is actually two points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor than off, and defensive metrics, while fickle in small samples, grade him as a net positive so far.

But it's Harden's offense that makes him a star and has been paramount to keeping the Rockets afloat. The team's offense as a whole has been middling, but Harden leads the league in scoring at 26.4 points while adding career highs of 6.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists. While his shooting percentages are down, he has made a living at the free-throw line en route to a career-best 25.4 player efficiency rating, sixth among qualified players.

Harden dropped 44 points in Thursday's overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings, hitting a game-tying three in regulation and carrying the load with 20 points across the fourth quarter and the extra frame. It's not the first time he's been heroic as a Rocket.

Houston is an obscene 17 points per-100 possessions better with Harden on the floor than without overall, and he's the primary reason they're a top-10 offense in NBA.com's definition of clutch situations.

Summing up a player's production can be done a variety of ways, though none are particularly effective at this early juncture. Still, those metrics provide some insight and the two most cited catch-alls, Basketball Reference's Win Shares and ESPN's Real Plus Minus, rank Harden as a top-three player so far.

The case can be made for Anthony Davis or Steph Curry fairly easily and the Kings' collapse without DeMarcus Cousins speaks to his immense value, too. The numbers and impact for all of these Western Conference studs speak for themselves, but Harden has dealt with the most adversity and lifted his team more than any other.

With his usual offensive brilliance, a renewed vigor on the defensive end and a team on his back thriving against all odds, few can match résumés with Harden so far. It's still early, but Harden's the guy a quarter of the way through the season.