James Harden is, and should be, the favorite to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award this season. His efforts to keep the Houston Rockets afloat through a seemingly unending myriad of injuries have pushed what was a great individual year into a historic one. Having just capped an entire month averaging 43.6 points per game–the highest scoring average for one month since Wilt Chamberlain–there is clearly no other on his level right now. At least offensively.

But Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George does a heck of a lot more on the other end of the floor while still putting up career numbers. His 27.3 points per game is the sixth-highest mark in the NBA. His 2.3 steals per game is second to none. By all accounts, he may be the most complete player in the league not named LeBron James. George is unquestionably a Tier-1 offensive player and a Tier-1 defensive player. That’s his case for MVP.

Yet, despite George’s well-earned place in the conversation, he’s not about to leverage that talking point to further his cause. Speaking with Action Network’s Matt Moore on Wednesday, he explained that MVP has more to do with what a player’s team needs them to be, pointing to Harden as a shining example.

“I’ll speak on James’ case,” George said. “He’s the only guy that can create and do things . I think you have to account for the guy that’s going to do whatever it takes. And I think defense, when there’s a guy that’s willing to play on both ends and is relied on to score and to make plays offensively and at the same is relied on to get stops and guard the best guy on a nightly basis, has to be accounted for, as well. “But that’s not to take away from what James has done. To be honest, James would be exhausted if he had to at the level he’s doing it offensively. He’s putting up 60 and they’re winning by 3 or 4. I just think it’s whatever guy does to help his team win, that’s what should stand out for the MVP.”

Harden has long been criticized for taking plays off on the defensive end (perhaps unfairly, as Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni has suggested). His sometimes languid approach is not hard to spotlight. But if he needs a breather from time to time, the Rockets are not going to fault him. Those who would suppose Harden hurts the team in this way are not measuring his overall impact. For Houston, he is the difference between legitimate title contention and the draft lottery, a span only the most elite (or *ahem* most valuable) can cover.

So George’s point is well-taken. MVP is not about stringent criteria. It cannot be by its nature. Harden’s case for the award would certainly be strengthened by high-level defense, but it doesn’t have to be because he’s doing “whatever it takes” to makes his team better already. George is too. Trying to undermine either player’s career-year is a fool’s errand.