If you're a betting man, then you're likely to take Giannis Antetokounmpo as your pick for this season's Most Valuable Player award — and for good reason. The 25-year-old has been killing it for the Milwaukee Bucks, leading his team to the best record in the league thus far. Moreover, he's also putting up better numbers than he did in his MVP year last season, so for him to lose out to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James would be a travesty, right?
True as this may be, we would still like to argue why LeBron has a shot of emerging out of Antetokounmpo's shadow in terms of snagging MVP for 2020. Admittedly, James has the odds stacked against him, but he might just be able to convince more than a few voters as to why he deserves his fifth MVP trophy of his career this season.
For starters, let's look into the thoughts of LeBron's coach, Frank Vogel, on the matter. For Vogel, it's all about the intangibles James bring to the Lakers:
“I do believe that he should be the MVP this year,” Vogel said, via Christian Rivas of Silver Screen and Roll. “…That’s not to take anything away from some of the other candidate, but what LeBron means to our team — even before the season season begins, when the roster is being put together, with a number of guys that are on the Lakers because LeBron James is here and want to play with him … I think it starts there.”
LeBron's mere presence on the team and his ability to inspire his teammates is something that cannot be ignored. There are no metrics for this, and there is no way to translate this intangible into a statistic. However, Vogel is absolutely right in saying that a number of players on the team opted to play for the Lakers with one of their primary motivations being the opportunity to play with the great LeBron James.
Perhaps none more so than Anthony Davis. When the former New Orleans Pelicans cornerstone superstar publicly requested for a trade last season, every other team in the league joined in on the sweepstakes. Davis had options and could have put any team he wanted on his list, but at the end of the day, he chose the Lakers. You can be sure that Davis' decision was significantly influenced by the opportunity to play alongside LeBron in order to form superstar duo that could mount a serious challenge for the 2020 title, and beyond.
Then you also need to take into account a guy like Dwight Howard, who also joined the Lakers in the summer. The former Defensive Player of the Year had a tumultuous 2018-19 campaign, playing only nine games for the Washington Wizards. There was some doubt if Howard still had it, but he has been able to redeem himself this season.
The biggest factor that contributed to Howard's resurfacing is his willingness to take on a reduced role for the Lakers. From being a starter and a go-to guy throughout his career, Howard accepted a bench role for the Lakers and has since become one of the most important guys on the roster. If you think that Howard buying into this had nothing to do with LeBron, you are likely mistaken.
Vogel also went into detail as to what else he believes James brings to the table, once you set aside the intangibles. LeBron is still one of the best players in the NBA today, and his ability to provide an all-around contribution for his team is invaluable:
“Then obviously, you know what he’s able to do on the basketball court: orchestrating the offense, leading the league in assists, and really setting the tone on the defensive end,” Vogel said. “We’re the third-best defense in the NBA, best in the West, and a lot of that comes from his commitment this season, which has been been greater than the last few years, from what I’m told. That has really set us apart in terms of being the best record currently in the Western Conference. And like I said, I’m hopeful those two awards go to those two players.”
This season, LeBron James is averaging 25.7 points per game, which is his lowest scoring output since the 2015-16 season. He is, however, dishing out a career-best 10.6 dimes per game. He is currently leading the entire league in this particular category — the first time he has done this throughout his career. That in itself is testament to how he has elevated his playmaking this season.
Vogel's statement about the Lakers' defense is another important factor that adds siginificant value to LeBron's MVP case. Last season, he was criticized for his lackluster defense, which trickled down to the rest of the squad.
James heard his critics, and instead of bickering about it, he let his game do the talking. He completely transformed the mindset of the Lakers, putting so much emphasis on what they do on the defensive end. Aside from being a vocal leader on this front, he led by example first.
One can always argue that the Lakers' success this season is primarily because of Anthony Davis. LeBron was already with the team last season — albeit injured for a good chunk — and we all know how their season played out. However, with the arrival of Davis, this team is now one of the most dominant in the NBA.
While this may also be true, it's simply unfair to undermine LeBron's role in the success of the Lakers this season. For what it's worth, even Davis himself believes James should be the MVP (h/t Paul Kasabian of B/R):
“Basically he can do everything on the floor. He can shoot the ball, he can pass, he gets everyone involved. He can take over games,” Davis said.
“You guys see when LeBron's off the floor how our team operates. We kind of struggle a little bit with him off the floor. I think that this is about who is most valuable to their team. And for me, being around him this whole season, my vote goes to LeBron.”
At the end of the day, Giannis still has a more compelling case for MVP. That's something that we cannot deny. However, it's not as if the MVP voting is rocket science. Voters can always be swayed to look into another direction, especially in certain extenuating circumstances.
At this point, we can confidently say that LeBron James doing all that he has for the Lakers this season — in his 17th season, at age 35 — is indeed an extenuating circumstance.
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