The Oklahoma City are 12-2 on the season and have already dealt with a myriad of issues. The early struggles of Russell Westbrook, backup point guard Eric Maynor going down for the season with a torn ACL and the struggles to get Serge Ibaka flowing offensively have all been issues to point at for Scott Brooks' team. Yet...they're 12-2. Still tough to complain.
While Kevin Durant has been nothing short of his usual, consistently phenomenal self, the play of James Harden has begun to raise eyebrows across the league. Harden's play has caused some to compare him to the second-coming of a Manu Ginobli.
That person would be Tom Ziller, as he's put both Durant and Harden in his latest MVP Rankings this Wednesday:
| 2. | Kevin Durant | Thunder | 25.7 points on .595 TS%, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists | -- |
| Durant is playing as well as he ever has, which is saying something. The scorer's points are down as he attempts to play a more complete floor game -- that's where the 3.5 assists, up 30 percent over last season, come from -- but he remains the efficient leader for a great Oklahoma City attack. | ||||
Thoughts on Harden at No. 9:
| 9. | James Harden | Thunder | 17.8 points on .663 TS%, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists | -- |
| Harden won't likely stay on this list for long, but geez. He's scoring almost 18 points per game on 10 field goal attempts ... plus he's defending, rebounding and making plays for others as a de-facto backup point guard. He is basically a young, healthy Manu Ginobili right now. Just an absolute joy to watch. | ||||
The Thunder travel to Chocolate City to face the Washington Wizards tonight at 6 p.m. Central time looking to extend their 7-game winning streak.
For more on this game Thunder fans should head on over to Welcome To Loud City and Wizards fans should check out Bullets Forever. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA page.