Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma took some time out of his Wednesday afternoon to clarify his stance on who should be dubbed this season's MVP.
As part of his tweet, Kuzma warned the media not to “mess up” the voting process. The “mess up” that Kuzma is referring to is in direct relation to the league's decision to give Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo Defensive Player of the Year over Anthony Davis this season:
Kuzma, now in his third season with the Lakers, is clearly pulling for his teammate, LeBron James. Others, however, are favoring Antetokounmpo.
Whether or not James will earn what would be his fifth MVP remains to be seem, but he would certainly be deserving of the honor. In his 67 appearances during the 2019-20 regular season, The King racked up averages of 25.3 points on 49.3 percent shooting from the field (34.8 percent from beyond the arc), a career-high and league-leading 10.2 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 34.6 minutes per outing.
Though he would like to win MVP for this season, James has always said he is more focused on being the best to ever play the game:
“Winning MVP has never motivated me,” James said in a March interview, via Mark Medina of USA TODAY Sports. “The regular season MVP has never motivated me. To be the best? To be the best to ever play the game is what's motivating me.”
Los Angeles finished the regular season with an impressive 52-19 overall record, earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers are currently leading the Houston Rockets in the second round by a count of two games to one. LeBron James has been absolutely dominant in the playoffs, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks just got eliminated in five games in the second round.