It would appear LeBron James' argument for MVP has been strengthened after this past weekend.
Entering the weekend, it seemed as if Giannis Antetokounmpo was a shoe-in for his second straight MVP award. However, after the league-best Bucks lost to James' Los Angeles Lakers, the race no longer appears to be definitive. In fact, not only did the Lakers beat the Bucks, they also soundly defeated the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time this season.
Considering James' astounding production, it would appear the 35-year-old's case for the MVP award is better than it was just four days prior. According to ESPN's Rachel Nichols, the strength of the argument that James deserves the MVP award is due to his “leadership.”
“We have leaned on stats more and more every year… I do think value comes into play with leadership… the fact that he went out and recruited Anthony Davis, that he has made Anthony Davis so comfortable and into the monster he is.”
Not only is James leading the Lakers to the best record in the West — 6.5 games ahead of the Clippers — his production is better than it has been in years. The 16th-year veteran is averaging 25.7 points and 10.6 assists per game this season. While the points per game is slightly down, the assists per game is a career high. In fact, James has never averaged double-digits in assists per game in his career.
While it's safe to assume that the MVP debate is between Antetokounmpo and James, there is no doubting that the latter may just unexpectedly walk away with his fifth MVP award.
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