#5 James Harden, Houston Rockets

James Harden was the MVP according to NBA players for the 2014-2015 season, and right fully so. He ended up chasing Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (who’s next on our countdown) for the NBA’s scoring title. Harden showed extreme levels of leadership without Dwight Howard for half of the season. Harden can score and many ways, and with his defense improving, he should be a top five player for years to come, and that could even win him some MVP awards.