The real “chef” of the NBA is not Stephen Curry, but rather James Harden. Unpopular opinion, James Harden should have two MVP awards, and this year should be his third. However, despite two snubs, “the Beard” has continued to elevate his play and remained the star of a stacked Houston Rockets team that features “The Point God” himself, Chris Paul. Harden thus far in the season is averaging an incredible, league leading, 31.2 points per game and an impressive 9.1 assists per game (good for second best in the league.) Looking deeper into his stats, James Harden has a PER (Player Efficiency Rating, a standardized measure of per minute production, the league average is 15) of 30, which is also best in the league. As well, more proof of his dominance is that Harden has the highest Usage Rating and Win Shares in the league.

Besides his stats, Harden is playing for a winning team, as the Houston Rockets have the 2^nd best record in the Western Conference only behind the “Super Team” known as the Golden State Warriors. What makes all of this even more impressive is that James Harden has been forced to share the role of primary ball handler with future hall of fame point guard, Chris Paul. Harden has looked dominant all season long and his 60 point, triple-double outing against the Orlando Magic, further exemplifies this. In that game Harden set the record for most points in a single game by any player in Rockets history, as well as becoming the first person in NBA history to have a 60+ point triple double. For his play this year James Harden has been recognized as an All-Star game starter and is being widely recognized as the favorite to win the MVP Award this season, which he deserves. However, this NBA season is still far from over and James Harden cannot stay content where he is and must continue to elevate the play of both himself and his teammates. Thus far however, no team has been as fun to watch as the Houston Rockets and a lot of that can be attributed to their star player, James Harden. Unequivocally the 2017-2018 season has been the year of Harden and given a warning to the entire NBA, “Fear the Beard.”