For example, a quick look at previous MVP winners since 1979 shows that all but one, Allen Iverson, won the award while producing more than 0.200 win shares per 48 minutes. Win Shares are an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player – the league average hovers around 0.100 and higher is better. This threshold eliminates New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, who is producing just 0.103 win shares per 48 minutes of play.

We can also eliminate any player with a Player Efficiency Rating — a measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15 — less than 22 since Steve Nash set that lower limit with his MVP award at the conclusion of the 2004-05 season.

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And finally, a player has to be an active part of the team’s possessions, as measured by usage percentage, an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. The minimums were again set by Nash, who was used in just 20.5 percent of the Suns’ plays during the 2004-05 season.

Now that we have a short list of players, we can start to narrow down the list of eligible candidates to the five most deserving.

1. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

Through the early part of this season, Davis leads the league in win shares (2.4) and is averaging 0.353 win shares per 48 minutes. Plus, he has a true shooting percentage of 61.8 percent and has been a force inside the paint.

Defensively, he has helped the Pelicans hold opponents to 95 points per 100 possessions and is blocking four shots per game, including these two in two seconds against Portland.

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He is also getting his name mentioned in some esteemed company.

2. James Harden, Houston Rockets

There has never been a question that Harden could score – he averaged 23.1 points and 6.7 assists per game last season — but this year he has improved the defensive part of his game, and that has taken him to another level.

Harden also ranks second in the NBA for win shares with 2.1 and fourth in value over replacement (6.4).

3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Here is where Curry, ranks for some of the more familiar stats:

24.8 points per game: fourth

7.7 assists per game: fifth

2.3 steals per game: third

He is also hitting from beyond the three-point arc, where he is shooting 39.7 percent.

Curry is also in the top ten for points created by assist per game (17.7) on 59.3 passes per game.

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4. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Lillard was named Western Conference player of the week and is averaging 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game this season. His 35 three-pointers made lead the league and he is third in value over replacement (7.2).

5. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors