5. Last season was tough
On Christmas Day, just as the Lakers were in the process of defeating the two-time defending world champion Golden State Warriors 127-101, LeBron injured his groin, causing him to miss the next month of action. That same game, Rondo also got injured and was out for a few weeks.
That win bolstered the Lakers’ record to 20-14, which put them at fourth place in the West. But in many ways, that game was that season’s invisible line of demarcation.
If the Lakers have a great season and win, say, at least 55 games while LeBron puts up his usual numbers and avoids any significant injuries, the contrast alone from last season will make him look good in the minds of the people in the media who vote for the NBA’s regular season MVP award.
Look how well the team did before he got hurt, they may say, and how much they struggled afterwards. Look at how flawed their roster was in 2018-19.
As a point of reference, Kobe Bryant won his one and only MVP in 2007-08, after the Lakers had struggled through painful mediocrity for three years, just months after Kobe himself wanted out of Lakers Nation and after he took a media beating for years like maybe no other NBA player ever has.
As they say, everything is relative.