James Harden Finishes Third in NBA Media MVP Poll
Rockets guard James Harden finished third in an MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN on Monday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the MVP race in the survey of 70 media members, earning 60 first place votes. LeBron James finished second in the MVP survey as he snagged the other 10 MVP votes.
Antetokounmpo earned 670 total points compared to Harden's 220 at the completion of the survey. Luka Doncic trailed Harden to finish in fourth place, followed by Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and former Rockets point guard Chris Paul. Russell Westbrook did not receive any MVP votes in the straw poll.
A third-place finish in the official MVP voting would mark Harden's sixth top-five MVP finish. Harden won the 2017-18 MVP, and he finished second in 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2018-19. Only LeBron James has more top-two finishes in the MVP race among active players (7), and Kevin Durant is the only other player with four two-top finishes.
Harden was on track for a third straight scoring title in 2019-20 before the season was suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Arizona State product is averaging 34.4 points points per game this season, a dip from his 36.1 PPG mark last year.
Harden started 2019-20 on a historic scoring tear. He was averaging 38.6 points per game through 30 games, on pace for the highest single-season scoring average of any player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63. But 2020 has not been kind to the superstar guard. Harden is shooting just 40% from the field and 31% from three since Jan. 1, averaging 29.8 points per game.
The Rockets sit No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24 amid the league's hiatus. No return date has been set, though the NBA is reportedly eyeing a return to the floor in June.
