James Harden, Not Giannis Antetokounmpo, Is Our NBA MVP Ahead of the All-Star Break

We named our mid-season NBA award winners and some people might take issue with our selection of the most valuable player.

Lead Mid Season NBA Awards 2019
Complex Original

Lead Mid-Season NBA Awards 2019

Lead Mid Season NBA Awards 2019

A year ago, picking an NBA MVP before the All-Star break was a no-brainer. It was James Harden, no questions asked. Now, it’s a different story.

As the league heads toward its annual All-Star break, it's time for us yet again to crown winners in the league’s six most coveted individual award categories: Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Coach of the Year, and, most prestigiously, Most Valuable Player.

Our selection of Harden as the MVP more than halfway through the regular season is probably going to piss some people off and might blow up our mentions. We’re fine with that and we’ll explain why it’s The Beard’s award to win and not The Greek Freak’s in the simplest terms possible as well as the other five award winners are so worthy. Some of you’ll absolutely agree with (e.g. Rookie of the Year) while others you’ll vehemently disagree (e.g. Sixth Man of the Year). But that’s the beauty of basketball and today’s NBA—just about anything about the league is ripe for debate. We’ll see you on Twitter if you have any beef.

 

MVP — James Harden

James Harden Trophy Mid Season Awards 2019

Rookie of the Year — Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic Mid Season NBA Awards 2019

Defensive Player of the Year — Paul George

Paul George DPOY Mid Season NBA Awards 2019

Sixth Man of the Year — Montrezl Harrell

Montrezl Harrell Sixth Man NBA Mid Season Awards 2019

Most Improved — Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam Most Improved NBA Mid Season Awards 2019

Coach of the Year — Mike Budenholzer

Mike Budenholzer Coach of the Year NBA Mid Season Awards 2019

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