Magic Johnson has an early-season pick for the Most Valuable Player award. Surprise, surprise, it's Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
While some Lakers bias is to be expected from the Hall of Famer and former president of basketball operations, Johnson argued that if King James can keep up playing at this same pace for the entire season, he might just walk away with his first MVP since 2013:
LeBron this season is averaging 25 points & 11.1 assists making him #1 in assists. If he continues at this pace he will definitely be the league MVP this season! No one is playing better than him & what’s scary is his story is still being written!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 20, 2019
James is averaging 25 points through this early stretch, along with a league-leading 11.1 assists per game. The Lakers also have the best record in the league. If they wind up with it by the end of the season, it could build a genuine case to see him regain that title, even in his 17th season.
But that isn't as clear cut as Magic paints it to be. James will have to compete with the likes of James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and others who are quickly building a case to become the league MVP.
James has been putting up dominant numbers each of the last six seasons, but he has been overshadowed by other players who have since added to their own legacy. Since last winning his last MVP trophy in 2013, Kevin Durant (2014), Stephen Curry (2015, 2016), Russell Westbrook (2017), James Harden (2018), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019) have won the award.
James is rewriting history and climbing up the all-time scoring ladder, but he will need legitimate standout reasons to shine over other candidates looking to win the award. Nothing will make that case better than helping the Lakers to the best record in the NBA.
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