ESPN has just released its picks for the 2021-22 season which was meticulously prepared by an esteemed panel of experts. Unfortunately for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, it is clear that the folks over on ESPN aren't too high on their chances for the upcoming campaign.
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant is the favorite to win the MVP award this season (45 points), with Giannis Antetokounmpo coming in as a close second (38 points). Where does LeBron stand, might you ask? Well, The King barely made it to ESPN's MVP rankings list. James garnered just seven points, which has him ranked at just seventh. Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Stephen Curry were all given better odds to win the MVP award than LeBron.
James will be 37 this coming season and he will be playing in his 19th year in the league. There's no denying that Father Time is slowly creeping up on the four-time NBA champ, but it does seem a tad disrespectful that he's ranked this low in the MVP race.
As for the Lakers, ESPN does not expect them to win it all in 2021-22. That honor goes to Durant's Nets, who are a massive 78.9-percent favorite to emerge as the champs. To be fair, ESPN did predict that LeBron and the Lakers will be able to come out of the West, but they also gave LA just a 15.8% chance of winning the chip against the Nets.
LA fans aren't going to be too happy to hear about this news, but for LeBron and the rest of the new-look Lakers squad, this will likely serve as motivation for them to prove the critics wrong. Needless to say, it's going to be a really interesting campaign in Hollywood this term.
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