For the past couple of seasons, it has basically become inarguable that LeBron James is the NBA’s best player.
With eight consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, a number of records broken, and so many memorable moments, James has been the face of the league for some time.
This season, however, that has been called into question as a number of stars have threatened the mantle. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the MVP favorite, while Paul George has reached a whole new level. Additionally, the likes of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry continue to dominate at every turn, but arguably no player has been more impressive than James Harden.
Harden put the Houston Rockets on his back when the team was decimated by injuries, notching the second-longest 30-point game streak ever. It’s so impressive that Paul Pierce believes that he, not James, is the NBA’s best player, via NBA on ESPN:
“The stats say yes. But I don’t think so. It’s another James that comes to mind. James Harden. … He’s the single most impactful player in the game today.”
Of course, this argument is a subjective one and there are cases to be made for a number of players. As Pierce said, Harden could very well be considered the most impactful player in the game. He is practically unguardable at this point and has lifted his team into a prime playoff position after an awful start.
James’ numbers have remained the same, but the lack of team success is always going to call into question things such as this argument. Harden has the Rockets in the playoffs and Antetokounmpo has the Bucks with the best record in the NBA so people would tend to lead towards them in an argument such as this.
Whether or not it is believed that James is still the best player in the NBA, he is undoubtedly still amongst the elite and after a disappointing season such as this one, could look to remind everyone next season.
