Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James or Anthony Davis can win MVP

Can either LeBron James or Anthony Davis become the first Laker since Kobe Bryant to win NBA’s Most Valuable Player award?

When the news broke that LeBron James would be moving to the West Coast to play with the Los Angeles Lakers, fans in Los Angeles were clamoring for championships and other accolades.

When James went down on Christmas Day with a groin injury, those dreams were as good as gone. The team would go on to win that matchup against the Golden State Warriors, but would ultimately lose the season and miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.

More than just the losing, last season did not appear to be any fun for the fans or the players. Guys like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram found themselves involved in major trade rumors all season long. To make matters worse, the team faced an astronomical number of injuries. In a season that many thought would be the year the Lakers finally ended their playoff slump, they instead made it nearly insufferable to watch.

After the disappointing season, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers finally completed the long-awaited trade for New Orleans Pelicans’ superstar Anthony Davis. The goal for the Lakers was always to pair James with a second star, and they did so by acquiring Davis. On paper, this move looks like a breath of fresh air to Lakers fans.

Now with two top-five NBA players on the roster, whether or not this team can compete for an NBA title remains to be seen. However, it is never too early to discuss each of their places in the league’s Most Valuable Player race.

Last year, Lakers fans hoped to see James carry the team on his back like he had for so many years. Unfortunately, his MVP race fell short. Giannis Antetokounmpo would secure his first award in his career by leading his Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA. With the 2018-19 season in the past, can either James or Davis overtake The Greek Freak’s throne?

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On paper, one would assume that this is James’ team. James joined the Lakers first, and he is also the more accomplished player. Never in the history of the NBA have we seen a guy with his attributes. Before last season, LeBron had been to eight straight NBA Finals, winning three of them. After a relatively disappointing season, James will have a chip on his shoulder as he has heard outside criticism discuss whether or not he has lost a step in his game.

Coming into the 2019-20 season, James will need to prove to the rest of the league that he is still the best player in basketball. Given his counting statistics were on par with that of the rest of his career; however, to those that followed him last year, he was not the same player. His defense has been absent often and he did not appear to be capable of hitting that “next gear”.

If LeBron is able to win his fifth NBA MVP trophy, it will be for slightly different reasons that in the past. Many would expect James to experience a dip in his production. This season’s roster is considerably better than last season’s, so the burden should be much lighter. Once again, James is being partnered with a fellow All-Star player in Davis. To be realistic, Davis is probably the best player James has ever played with.

James will need to take his leadership to another level. His presence on the court will need to be felt on both sides of the ball. Offense has never been much of an issue for James, and with the addition of Davis, he should be able to get to the rim with increased regularity. Last season, LeBron would often settle for outside shots, which is to be expected at this stage in his career. He will need to focus on his efficiency when taking those shots.

Nobody would even entertain the idea of James being a lock-down defender going into his 17th season, but for his team to be successful, he will need to be able to make things more difficult for the opposition. Although the Lakers brought in Danny Green, who will more than likely be tasked with defending the other team’s best player, LeBron will see his fair share of opportunities against the likes of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, or the reigning MVP Giannis. Stopping guys like that is relatively impossible, but James will need to turn back the clock to make them work harder.

Davis, James’ new wingman, has all of the tools that it takes to become the best player in the NBA. He is physically gifted with the skill set of a point guard. During his final season with the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis was unable to make his normal presence felt due to his outstanding trade demand. Prior to that, Anthony was considered one of the best players in the league. At the age of only 26-years-old, it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could improve even further.

Davis is known for being an elite defensive player. The Lakers are planning on playing Davis at the power forward position, which is the spot he feels most comfortable with. Playing besides guys like JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard should provide the team with fantastic paint protection.

On the offensive end of the floor, Davis has few weaknesses. He is athletic and has great foot-speed for his size. Davis also has great ball-control, which makes him difficult to guard outside of the paint as well. His perimeter shooting could use to help, but if he is able to improve from deep the NBA had better watch out.

While both James and Davis will battle for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, which of them has the better chance of winning it? Make no mistake about it, the success and failure of this team will most likely fall on the shoulders of James. Unfortunately for Davis, most will view this team as LeBron’s, which should give him the advantage in the MVP race.

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On the other hand, James said himself at Lakers’ media day that the offense should be run through their newest superstar. Is this the beginning of the torch being passed? Only time will tell, but if Davis can lead this team to one of the top spots in the Western Conference this season, his case for MVP may be as strong as anybody’s. Lakers fans should be excited regardless. In terms of top dynamic-duos, James and Davis are arguably the best there is.

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