Los Angeles Lakers are sweeping the awards early in season
LeBron James
Here are the early MVP rankings
- LeBron James
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Kawhi Leonard
- James Harden
- Luka Doncic
Giannis has played like a beast this year. He’s averaging 29.9 PPG, 13.9 RPG, and 6.4 APG. Yet, he still hasn’t impacted his team as much as LeBron has. LBJ is the better passer, and the advanced stats say James has been a better defender to start the season.
Kawhi Leonard has become the league’s best two-way force. He can score out of isolation, he can knock down spot-up 3-pointers and now he’s averaging close to six assists per game. He can also lock down his assignment on defense better than any wing in the league.
But, his balky knee has inspired hundreds of load management articles over the last few weeks. All of which has led to one complicated question; can a player who misses 20 percent of his team’s games win the regular season MVP award? People will debate this question throughout the season, but in the end, he shouldn’t be named the most valuable player.
James Harden is averaging 38.3 points per game, but “The Beard” has been awful on defense. His lackadaisical approach on the less glamorous side of the ball has trickled down to the rest of his teammates, which has made Houston one of the worst defensive squads (19th in DEFRTG) in the NBA.
Luka Doncic has been incredible on offense. The guy is 20 years old and nearly averaging a 30 point per game triple-double. Unfortunately, he’s in the same class as James Harden, he’s a tremendous offensive threat, but a sieve on defense.
LeBron James is averaging 25.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 10.8 APG. He’s created 27.5 points per game off of assists, easily the top mark in the NBA. After you combine LeBron’s points and assists, he’s been directly responsible for creating over 50 points per game for the Lakers.
LeBron James is showing once again that when he healthy and rested, he can dominate games in a way nobody else in the NBA can come close to approaching.
Giannis can physically tyrannize opponents. Kawhi is nearly impossible to stop out of isolation with just one defender. Harden gets to the rack at will. And Luka is a passing wizard.
LBJ combines Giannis’s strength, Kawhi’s isolation magic, Harden’s driving ability, and Doncic’s passing skills, which has allowed him to morph into a being made to take over basketball games.
Stats are essential, but they don’t show a player’s entire worth.
Tim Duncan had a career average of 19 PPG and 11 RPG, while Kevin Garnett had a career average of 18 PPG and 10 RPG.
Kevin Love and Chris Bosh have similar career statistics as “The Big Fundamental” and “The Big Ticket,” but every GM in the NBA would take Duncan and Garnett over Love and Bosh.
Duncan’s professionalism and work ethic permeated throughout the Spurs entire roster, which was one of the significant keys to San Antonio’s success during the Duncan era.
Garnett’s intensity affected every member of the Celtics and helped Boston win a title.
You might think that Harden’s scoring or Giannis’s stat line is more impressive than James, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
James’ serious approach on defense to start the season has instilled his teammates with the desire to get stops. Also, the way LeBron has taken over games during the 4th quarter has given every Lakers player the confidence to keep competing even when the Purple and Gold are down in the second half.
We buy expensive concert tickets so that we can experience greatness in person. There’s no better sensation than when tingles start to traverse down your spine once your favorite band begins to sing the chorus to an exceptional song while the crowd goes crazy around you. We live for these moments.
Similarly, when we watch sports, we route for our favorite teams, but we also look for excellence wherever we can find it. I don’t care about hockey, but I’ll watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to witness an outstanding hockey player come up huge for his team on the biggest stage.
This season, James is doing something new in basketball. LBJ is playing at an MVP level even though it’s his 17th season in the NBA, and he’s played more than 55,000 total regular season and playoff minutes. The guy’s built differently than you or me, or anybody before him. So, sit back and appreciate his greatness as he leads the Lakers towards a championship.