Early Top 3 MVP Candidates

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We are in the second half of the first half of the season and these three players are the top contenders for the Most Valuable Player plum.

#3 Blake Griffin

I know that this is quite unexpected but hear me out. Griffin has the fifth best net rating in the league and the second best, just beyond his teammate DeAndre Jordan, if we narrow it to players who play more than 30 minutes.

Net Rating measures the net of your Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating so it deserves a clear cut consideration in stacking up players. Here are his advantages to other prominent players:
Chris Paul: 1.2
Stephen Curry: 3.3
Kevin Durant: 3.7
Lebron James: 6.6

#2 Stephen Curry

Kevin Durant has overshadowed him on the eyes of a lot of people but if you look deeper, you will see that Curry is still the more important on the current run of Golden State.

He has the highest usage rate and net rating in the team. Curry also have a higher On Court net rating than Kevin and he also have a lower Off Court net rating. The team with the best record and best Net Rating deserves a representative in an MVP conversation and I choose Stephen.

#1 Russell Westbrook

The traditional stats easily point to Russell as the best choice. He is currently producing 31.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 42.8% FG per game. In terms of Player Impact Efficiency, Russell has the best with 21.8.

Here is the biggest argument for Russell's MVP candidacy. His team currently stands with a 15-9 slate. He is doing that with only two teammates posting above 15.0 PER. History is against Russell Westbrook but his current production and some other arguments could help him with his candidacy.