Kidd backs Harden's MVP candidacy: 'He's one of the best players in the world'
We're past the halfway point of the season and some teams have started separating themselves from the pack. The same can be said for certain players, too, when it comes to individual honors.
Andrew Wiggins, for instance, appears to be a shoo-in to capture the Rookie of the Year award, and it's likely a two-man race for Coach of the Year between Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks' Mike Budenholzer.
As for the MVP award, there are a number of players having seasons worthy of consideration, but the clear frontrunners are Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and the Houston Rockets' James Harden, who has been picking up endorsements from his colleagues as he's continued to power the Western Conference's third-place Rockets.
Former teammate Chandler Parsons recently called Harden the MVP to date, and Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd was singing the same tune.
"He's one of the best players in the world," Kidd said Friday, when Harden dropped 33 points on his Bucks to lead the Rockets to their sixth win in seven games. "He puts a lot of pressure on your defense. He has great hands. He can score from beyond the arc right when he crosses half court. He can get to the basket and he lives at that free-throw line. You know it's coming. It's just hard to stop."
The three-time All-Star leads the NBA in scoring (averaging 27.1 points per game), has taken 100 more free-throw attempts than anyone else in the league, has the fifth-most 3-pointers made, and ranks among the league leaders in defensive win shares, player efficiency rating and other catch-all advanced metrics.
Harden is also chipping in 6.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds and two steals, and has kept the Rockets among the game's elite despite starting center and eight-time All-Star Dwight Howard missing 18 games.
Houston has gone 13-5 without Howard, and its 35-15 record through 50 games is the second-best mark in franchise history.
"Give (Harden) credit, because he has worked at his craft at a very high level, and he deserves the recognition," Kidd said.