We keep an eye on the latest developments in the NBA basketball season in the United States and our resident expert, GRANT MILLER, fills you in on the last week and more.

Perhaps the theme of this NBA season is channelling Hall-of-Famers because our MVP candidates have been compared to past greats like Michael Jordan, Alex English, and Nate Archibald. No complaints here though. If anyone can substantiate these comparisons (yes, even Jordan), it’s the players on this list. Hopefully, they can maintain it for the whole season.

LeBron James (23.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 9.6 apg)
James continues his stellar play with near triple-double numbers. In a win against the Washington Wizards, James became the youngest NBA player to score 27,000 points, beating Kobe Bryant. After that, the Cavaliers won two straight, and James stepped up huge against the Toronto Raptors, dropping 28 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds.

‘People think I’m slowing down, but I’m only going to get stronger,’ James said after that game.

The truth is James has slowed down athletically, but he still runs faster and jumps higher than the majority of the league, and he continues to improve his skill set while being strong enough to punish his defenders. He may be a little more human in the run-and-jump category, but he’s still showing no sign that he can be stopped. James will likely continue his stellar play, and if the Cavaliers’ loss against the Indiana Pacers proves anything, it’s that they’ll have a hard time winning without him. That’s strong evidence of MVP status.

Chris Paul (18.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 8.3 apg, 3.08 spg)
Paul gets a long-deserved mention on this list because the Los Angeles Clippers are winning(10-2), and he is the driving force with strong leadership and numbers that reflect his high basketball IQ. It’s hard to call Paul anything less than a genius, and his dissection of the Brooklyn Nets on his home floor showed us why. He scored 21 points and dished nine assists and maintained his league-leading status on defense by snatching five steals. He’s also shooting a career best 46 percent from three this season. After beating the Nets, Paul said the stats mean ‘absolutely nothing’.

‘For us, it’s all about playing the right way and not paying attention to the score,’ Paul said, and his game reflects that attitude. Paul is the decision-maker in the league, and has been for years. Perhaps with more regular season and playoff success, he would have an MVP of his own already.  He’ll have his chance this year if he continues to play this well and his team continues to win.

Russell Westbrook (31.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 9.8 apg)
Despite his herculean numbers, Westbrook’s team went on a four-game losing streak until their recent win against the Houston Rockets. After his 41-point, 16-assist, 12-rebound effort in a loss to the Orlando Magic, he became the second player in NBA history to score 300 points and dish 100 assists in his team’s first 10 games of the season. The first was Oscar Robertson, and though their stats are similar, Jordan was the one who compared himself to Westbrook when he presented him for induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

‘When I watch him play, I see a lot of resemblance of his passion for the game of basketball in the way I played the game of basketball,’ Jordan said. ‘The thing about him that very few basketball players have is his passion for the game of basketball … and  you can’t give that.’

Jordan’s right to say Westbrook doesn’t lack passion. Though his shooting goes up and down still, one thing Westbrook does consistently is get to the line. He’s leading the league in free throws made and attempted (shooting 15-18 against the Raptors) because of his aggressive style, but it does have a downside. He turned the ball over eight times against the Raptors too, seven times in a loss to the Detroit Pistons, and he’s averaging five turnovers a game for the season. He’s bound to have games like this as such an aggressive scorer and the primary ball handler for his team, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt when it matters. As it stands, the Thunder are 7-5, but they would be a lot worse without Westbrook. Who else is going to deliver game-winning facial dunks on the Rockets?

DeMar DeRozan (33.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 50.6%FG)
At this point, claiming DeRozan has exceeded expectations would be an understatement. He’s gone from a good shooting guard to drawing comparisons to Jordan that you can actually justify. He’s leading the league in scoring, shooting 50 percent from the field and leading the league in two-point field goals made and attempted. DeRozan’s stats almost mirror Jordan’s at the same age (His Airness scored a couple points with higher percentages), and though he’s abysmal from three, he can score on any team in the league. But if you ask DeRozan who he would compare himself to as a scorer, it’s not Jordan.

‘Alex English,’ DeRozan told reporters after practice on Monday. ‘He was slow. He was one of the best at it … He was never rushed. He didn’t really do nothing spectacular. He just got to his spots and got it in.’

Anyone who has watched DeRozan play wouldn’t call him slow, and his dunks and acrobatic finishes are pretty spectacular, but his game is quite simple with little wasted movement. He knows where to go and gets there with consistency.  Duke head coach Mike Kryzewski, who coached DeRozan during the Olympics in Rio, told the National Post that he did not expect DeRozan to score like this, but it doesn’t shock him.

‘He knows he’s as good as those other guys [he played with],’ Kryzewski said.

DeRozan showed his confidence while addressing the media after practice. A reporter asked him what was different about the ends of his games now. After pausing to think of a ‘good one,’ DeRozan said: ‘It’s like being in your house in the dark. You turn the lights off, you still know where you’ve got to go … you know where’s what … I’m just used to it, I’m comfortable with it, and if I run and step on a toy or something, I know I didn’t put it there.”

If that mentality results in these kinds of numbers, he should keep the metaphors coming.

James Harden (28.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 12.8 apg)
Harden the ‘points guard’ is still the lead stat-stuffer for the Houston Rockets as they are now second in the Southwestern Division behind the San Antonio Spurs.  He dropped a triple-double in three quarters against the Portland Trailblazers and got the win. When asked what he did differently to bounce back from a loss in Oklahoma City, Harden’s answer was simple.

‘Nothing,’ he said.

Harden notched  two more triple-doubles in the last five games, and he is leading the league in assists as a top-five scorer, drawing comparisons to Archibald. During the 1972-73 season, Archibald averaged 34 points and 11 assists per game, ranking him first in both statistics. Look at Harden’s stat line. That’s not exactly out of his reach on a Mike D’Antoni-led team.

Kawhi Leonard (25.0 ppt, 5.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.4 spg)
Leonard’s scoring has decreased during the San Antonio Spurs’ four-game winning streak, but he is still the main catalyst and leading scorer while shooting 42 percent from three and over 50 percent in the last five games. The Spurs’ last loss came to the Rockets, but they played them again and won with Leonard scoring 13 points less and grabbing two more steals.  After both their wins against the Rockets and the Detroit Pistons,  Leonard still found flaws in their defense, pointing out how many points they gave up in the fourth quarter(their goal was 23 points and below).  When asked about his dip in scoring, Leonard brushed it off.

‘It’s not about that,’ Leonard said. ‘I’m trying to win, and I’m just happy that we did that tonight. We had about 24 assists, and that’s what it’s about.’

Leonard must be happy right now while his team is 9-3, and if scoring less keeps them there, he will likely shoot less.