The NBA Restart is well underway, and as such attention is already turning to the postseason drama. The Toronto Raptors have regressed slightly since last year and so they may just relinquish the NBA Championship that they won in fine style, and that means that a new name will be etched onto the trophy.
👑x 〰️ Mood. 😤 https://t.co/npcyCEDRJy
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 23, 2020
The LA Lakers have already booked a play-off spot come what during the rest of the regular season, and so LeBron James, considered one of the greatest ballers in history and one of the most well-known athletes in sports, will already be eyeing a fourth Championship ring – it has to be said that the Western Conference is stacked, however, and so it will take all of The King’s powers of persuasion to guide the Los Angeles franchise to their first Finals since 2010.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks are going great once more – inspired by their irrepressible playmaker, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek god has taken them to the top of the standings, and a deep run into the business end of the campaign looks wholly likely.
While team glory takes precedence, of course, there’s no doubt that both of these stars will have individual glory in mind too. Such is the proximity of their class, the winner of the 2020 MVP Award will probably come down to which team triumphs in the Finals – or at least goes the furthest in the postseason anyway. As far as the sportsbooks are concerned, they make the Bucks their narrow favorites over the Lakers in their odds on the NBA.
LeBron has already earned some of the bragging rights by leading the West to victory in the All-Star game, and he will be hoping to win his first MVP crown since 2013. But can he usurp the current standard-bearer Giannis?
🌟📽️🌟
2020 NBA All-Star Game mini-movie in Chicago! #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/CHfMDFFqtz
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2020
The Case for LeBron
Many eyebrows were raised after LeBron’s docile first season in LA, but any concerns about his longevity have been cast aside in a stellar 2019-20 campaign.
He has guided the Lakers to a handsome lead at the top of the Western Conference, and The King has to take plenty of credit for that – he leads the NBA in assists per game so far this term.
But what is curious is that James’ other key performance metrics are down on prior seasons. He’s averaging 25.7 points per game and 7.9 rebounds – both considerably down when compared to his past three years, and his defensive actions are also behind on previous years.
The thing is that LeBron was on a heater when the season was disrupted. In the four games during March he averaged 30 points per game, 10.6 assists and shot 55.7% from the field – the first player in more than 30 years to achieve that hat-trick.
So if James can take that form into the rest of the season, the MVP Award is his for the taking.
The Case for Giannis
When you look at the 2019-20 campaign as a whole, it is hard to see past Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP.
Pick any statistical department you want and the Bucks man outperforms LeBron. From points per game (29.6) and rebounds (13.7) to field goal percentage (54.7%), Giannis has delivered a consistently higher performance level.
There are arguments that the Eastern Conference is easier than the West – debatable, for sure, and even so Giannis is still delivering MVP levels no matter who the opponents are.
Right now, he has to be the favorite for the Maurice Podoloff Trophy…but can he team it up with an NBA Championship ring as well?