Skip to main content

LeBron James Has MVP Case

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the consensus NBA Most Valuable Player at the moment. But is he really ahead of LeBron James?

Is it really such a foregone conclusion that Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently the NBA MVP over LeBron James?

Let me get this out of the way. Giannis has been awesome. Better than his Most Valuable Player campaign from a season ago. His Player Efficiency Rating is unprecedented (even beating out Wilt Chamberlain's best) and the Bucks are on a 70-win pace while posting a historic point differential. The Greek Freak is a beast.

But James is also worthy. Not only is he leading the league in assists while averaging more than 25 points per game but the Lakers are in first place in the mighty West. If he were doing what Giannis is in the East I'm sure there would still be some pointing out the conference disparity.

Now I realize the biggest difference between the two is that LeBron has Anthony Davis. However, who is the Lakers third best player? I'll wait. Meanwhile, Milwaukee is deep. 

The Bucks are still outscoring opponents by nearly six points per 100 possessions with Giannis off the floor. The Lakers are outscored without James, the only player on the roster that is true for. They rely on him to create absolutely everything. When combined with his renewed commitment on the defensive end, it's easy to remember Los Angeles was hapless before LeBron.

No one needs to see any stats though. As Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry put it, deep down we all really know who is always the MVP.

You've all witnessed James' impact with your own eyes for years. He's a one man dynasty. His mere presence elevates every team he is on to contender status. 

And while I get there may be a degree of LeBron fatigue, it is amazing that the NBA is still his league in year 17. 

There's never been anyone this good for this long. What more can I say?