Elite 8: Players making early cases for MVP

It's far too soon to declare an MVP front-runner this season, but we should be thankful there's a wide range of strong candidates around the league. Let's dive into the early-season numbers of the top eight players to date, in no particular order:

LeBron James - Cleveland Cavaliers (11-7)

It's only fair to start with the best basketball player in the world. James turns 33 in a month and is still posting insanely efficient numbers. His 30.56 PER is second in the league and his true shooting percentage of 66.5 is highest on this list of candidates.

James is also averaging his highest point total since 2009-10, and it helps that he's posting career highs in field-goal percentage (58.5), 3-point percentage (42.7), and free-throw percentage (78.2). The Cavaliers are currently fourth in the league in offensive rating, but dip to 26th when James isn't on the floor.

James Harden - Houston Rockets (14-4)

Harden finished second in MVP voting in two of the last three seasons. He's continued his dominance so far this year, leading the league in both points (31.1) and assists (9.8). And for the fourth season in a row, he's leading the NBA in free-throw attempts, taking 9.5 trips to the line per game while hitting 86.5 percent of those shots.

Harden plays the ideal inside-out game, in which 77.6 percent of his shots are either within 3 feet or from beyond the 3-point line. When that's mixed with his 50.5 percent league-leading assist percentage, Harden's clearly an analytical darling on the offensive end.

Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors (13-5)

Curry is shooting below 40 percent from three for the first time in his career. Regardless, his value on the floor can't be understated, as the Warriors' offense is not so elite without the best shooter of all time on the floor. Curry's on-court offensive rating is 117.8 points per 100 possessions, good for best in the NBA for the third consecutive season.

Despite the down year relative to expectations, Curry still ranks fifth in PER and is averaging 25.5 points per game, the second-best mark of his career. This will likely be the fourth straight season that he'll enter the playoffs as the most important player on the league's best team.

Kevin Durant - Golden State Warriors (13-5)

Durant and Curry have a habit of overshadowing one another. But while it's difficult to rationalize selecting one of two superstar teammates for MVP, keep in mind how efficient Durant has become in Golden State.

His offensive rating of 116.8 is second in the league behind Curry. And he's been surprisingly good on the defensive end, ranking second league-wide in blocks with 2.1 per game, providing the rim protection that Golden State lacked prior to his arrival.

Giannis Antetokounmpo - Milwaukee Bucks (9-8)

The Greek Freak came out of the gates scorching and is showing no signs of cooling down, averaging career highs in points and rebounds. Antetokounmpo is the league's PER leader at 30.59, while the Bucks rely heavily on their superstar - the team is 14.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.

Antetokounmpo's inability to stretch the floor has yet to hinder him statistically, as he takes 45.8 percent of his shots within 3 feet, scoring on 78.1 percent of those attempts. He entered the league as a thin and raw prospect with plenty of question marks; he's filled out and become the dominant force the Bucks were praying for.

Kyrie Irving - Boston Celtics (16-3)

The 16-game winning streak might be over, but Boston still owns the league's best record. And while the roster has largely overperformed - keeping games tight with the league's best defense - Irving closed out many wins during the streak with his late-game heroics.

Overall, he has 65 total points in 40 clutch minutes this season, best in the league. During that time, he's shooting 61.5 percent and has an assist percentage of 58. Combined with a usage rate of 48.5 percent in the clutch, it's safe to say Kyrie finally has his own team.

Kristaps Porzingis - New York Knicks (10-7)

The Knicks are good again! Most of their success is thanks to Porzingis not needing to share the ball with Carmelo Anthony anymore. The team is a whopping 16.2 points per 100 possessions better with the big man on the floor - an on-off disparity that's miles better than anyone else on the roster.

At 7-foot-3, Porzingis has the length to finish everything around the basket, all while hitting over 39 percent from three. He's also averaging a league-leading 2.3 blocks per game, providing New York with the versatility any franchise would long for.

Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers (10-7)

The dark-horse MVP candidate so far is Embiid. He's been surprisingly healthy while proving last season's production wasn't a fluke. In his second campaign, he's averaging 22.7 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.

Where Embiid is providing the most value is at the defensive end, as Philadelphia's defensive rating is 11 points better when he plays than when he sits. He's also capable of scoring from anywhere, and despite the dip in offensive efficiency, his overall value has remained elite.

Plus, we can't forget to mention that Embiid's trash talk is one of the keys to his MVP candidacy. Long live Joel!

(Shot charts courtesy: NBAsavant)

(Stats courtesy: Basketball Reference and NBA.com)