Houston Rockets guard James Harden is a clear cut NBA MVP, says legend Clyde Drexler.
Harden leads the NBA in scoring at 30.7 points a game and is guiding the Rockets to a league-best record as they aim to emulate the Houston team that last won the championship in 1995.
Drexler was part of that 1995 championship-winning team and he believes that Harden will be the MVP and has no doubts about it.
“I think the Rockets have been so successful because they have a bunch of stuff working for them,” Drexler said during an international conference call.
“One, they have incredible talent. Their roster is comprised of a lot of veterans who know how to play this game. When you think about guys like Trevor Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Luc Mbah a Moute, Nene, PJ Tucker and Aaron Gordon, they’re all veterans who know how to play.
“They are role players because James Harden and Chris Paul are the stars on that team but even a guy like Clint Capela has a place. So when you look at that team coming off the bench you’ve got Gerald Green and Joe Johnson as well, you’ve got 12-13 guys that Coach Mike D’Antoni can play and they all know their role, they’re productive, they know what’s expected of them and there’s not a whole lot of youth in that equation. Experienced, veteran ball clubs, no nonsense and one of the best offences in the entire league.
“They’ve also got the MVP of the league in James Harden running the show and so when you say success, they’re good on a bunch of different levels because one they can defend and have great defenders every night in PJ Tucker, Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza who are stand out defenders, along with Chris Paul.
“So in that starting unit you’ve got some really good defensive players but they’re going to outscore most teams every night because they shoot the ball and stretch the court so well. They also play at a very fast pace and force you to keep up with it and they beat a lot of teams just from that approach.”
