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LeBron Is Making the NBA MVP Race With Giannis Interesting After Big Wins Over Bucks and Clippers

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At this point in the season, the MVP Award is a two-horse race between Giannis and LeBron. I’d be lying to you if I said I had been watching the Bucks closely this season. I recognize that they’re having a historic season and are one of the best teams in the league, plus ya know…GIANNIS…but since I can’t watch them on TV unless they’re on a national network (ESPN, ABC), it makes it hard to keep up. But since I live in Los Angeles and can watch the Lakers whenever I want, I am continuously amazed by the performances LeBron gives on a nightly basis. It’s most evident how much he means to the Lakers when he goes to the bench. I have been very vocal in previous blogs about how bad the Lakers bench is, and that they are a completely different team with him in the game. In addition, he leads the league in assists, which shows how he isn’t just a scorer, but a playmaker that gets other guys involved and makes the whole team better. Since I will clearly come off as biased if I just talk about the things I’ve seen, I’ll let the stats do the talking to determine the argument.

PLAYER GP MIN PTS FGA FG% 3 PTS Made 3P% FT% OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK
Giannis Antetokounmpo 57 30.9 29.6 20 54.7 1.5 30.6 63.3 2.3 11.5 13.7 5.8 1 1
LeBron James 59 34.9 25.7 19.6 49.7 2.2 34.7 70.4 1 6.8 7.8 10.6 1.2 0.5

So as you can see, statistically, Giannis is having the superior season so far. He is averaging more points, rebounds (offensively and defensively), and has a better field-goal percentage. The only significant stats LeBron is leading in are assists and free-throw percentage. However, I do want to take your attention over to “MIN”. Lebron is averaging four more minutes per game than Giannis. This goes back to how bad the Lakers are without LeBron, which doesn’t allow him to rest as much during games. Instead of Jared Dudley subbing in the last few minutes of garbage time, LeBron is forced to stay in the game to secure the lead.

LeBron is 35 years old and has been playing in the league since he was 19. He has played in 1,257 games over his 17-year career and 34.9 min/game is actually his lowest average in a season so far. From 2004-2008 he averaged at least 40 minutes per game, with 42.5 min/game being his highest mark during the 2005-2006 season. The most minutes Giannis has ever averaged in a season was 36.7 in 2017-2018. Giannis, 25, has played in 735 less games than LeBron and they are still putting up comparable numbers, with LeBron carrying a heavier load.

LeBron has already won four MVP’s. A fifth would just be icing on the cake at this point and would tie him with Michael Jordan – an ode to his jersey number. And while I don’t want this to feel like a pity prize (like when Leonardo DiCaprio won the Best Actor Oscar for The Revenant, which wasn’t even close to his best role), if the season ended today I think the award should go to LeBron. To do what he’s doing at his age and with Anthony Davis as his only real help among an inconsistent supporting cast is unprecedented. After beating the Bucks and Clippers in back to back games this weekend they’ve solidified themselves as the best team in the league which is even more impressive considering their third-best player is a toss up between Danny Green, KCP, and Kyle Kuzma. LeBron’s leadership above all else is what separates him from the pack and is what makes his teams so successful. You can hate him off the court all you want (he irritates me every now and then) but you can’t discount the player he is on the floor and the VALUE he’s added to this 2019-2020 Lakers team. It is the Most VALUABLE Player after all…

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Lakers Get Bullied by Ja Morant, Grizzlies in 17-Point Loss

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While the above shot of Ja Morant posterizing Anthony Davis didn’t go in, it basically summarizes how last night went for the Lakers. A younger, inferior Grizzlies team bullied the Western Conference title favorite Lakers all night.

Sure, Danny Green was out last night in the Lakers’ 105-88 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. But, the Grizzlies were without Jaren Jackson Jr, Brandon Clarke, and Justise Winslow; on paper, the score should’ve been reversed. The Lakers had all the momentum on their side, especially riding an 18-game road winning streak against the Western Conference and a 7-game win streak overall. Coupled by the fact that the Carushow (Alex Caruso) was getting his first start of the season and LeBron was riding the high of seeing his son win the CIF Southern Section Open Division Boys Basketball Championship, I thought they’d have so much energy. But, the Grizzlies are fighting for that 8-seed, and clearly wanted it more. 

The Grizzlies got huge games out of Jonas Valanciunas, Dillon Brooks, and Ja Morant. Valanciunas absolutely bullied the Lakers in the paint all night, as he had 20 rebounds and 22 points. With Valanciunas holding things down on defense (15 DREB), Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant was able to do his thing on offense – he combined for 27 points and 14 assists.

Then you have the Lakers, who as a team, combined to shoot just 40.9% from the field. LeBron and AD can’t save the day all the time, and this was another prime example of the weakness of the Lakers’ supporting cast. The other “scorers”: Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Avery Bradley, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, combined for 36 points on the night, which means they averaged 9 points each. Being that neither LeBron or AD eclipsed 20 points last night, these guys need to be able to step up when those two guys aren’t on their A-game. In my opinion, the biggest storyline for the Lakers to come out of last night’s loss is Anthony Davis’s case for DPOY is growing stronger by the game.

Davis added another two blocks and nine rebounds (7 DREB) to his resume, making his candidacy for the award even stronger. LeBron and Frank Vogel have already voiced their opinion on the issue which goes to show that he is already highly favored at this point.

Via Silver Screen & Roll:

Davis currently leads the Lakers in blocks (2.5) and steals (1.5) per game. Davis is also second in the league in blocks per game. Davis has a total of seven games where he’s finished with three blocks and two steals in a game this season, which is the second most in the league. There are only two players in the league that average at least two blocks and one steal per game, one of which is Anthony Davis.

Davis still ranks further behind in several categories league-wide such as rebounds and steals, but his solid defensive play night in and night out make him a solid contender. NBA Canada doesn’t give “Block of the Night” honors to just any schlub.

The Lakers clearly still have some things to clean up, but hopefully a “rivalry” game tonight against the Pelicans will light a fire under their ass and get them to play harder.

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Giannis to the Lakers Isn’t out of the Realm of Possibility

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In an interview with Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today Sports, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hinted at the possibility of joining the Los Angeles Lakers in the future. The Lakers were only brought up because Giannis’ younger brother, Kostas, is currently serving as a bench player for the Purple and Gold. His older brother, Thanasis, is ON the Bucks, though he doesn’t get much playing time. Regardless, Salmon was inquiring about whether or not Giannis would be open to teaming up with “having everyone together”. To which he replied “I think that would be amazing. Obviously we’d spend more time together, and I’m 100% sure my mom would love that, but if we could team up in a team — Milwaukee, L.A., whatever — that would be awesome.” Not exactly music to Bucks fans’ ears.
Personally, I think Lakers fans need to chill out on Twitter, because this is a very unlikely scenario. The Bucks currently have the best record in the league and are (obviously) in championship contention. The earliest the Lakers would be able to sign Giannis is in 2021, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent However, a lot could happen before then. Most likely, the Bucks throw as much money at him as possible because he’s Giannis. Unless they’ve learned nothing from the Red Sox, there’s no way they part ways with their franchise player in his prime. He is the future of Milwaukee, and if they want to continue to be in championship contention for years to come, the Bucks front office needs to pay him – which they will.
NEVERTHELESS, the Lakers have structured their roster so that they will have maximum cap space in 2021, which is (as you might recall) the same year Giannis is a free agent. With Anthony Davis’ future in Los Angeles uncertain, it’s not hard to imagine the Lakers making a run at Giannis if they fail to sign AD to a long-term contract. Plus, with LeBron getting older, being the star of the Los Angeles Lakers once LeBron is out of the league could be appealing to the Greek Freak. Plus, Southern California’s Mediterranean climate (shoutout Geography 110) would certainly be more appealing to the Athens, Greece native than the blisteringly cold winters endured in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It would almost be like a homecoming.
Again, I don’t think it’s likely that Giannis ends up in the purple and gold, but it’s not technically out of the realm of possibility. Rob Pelinka is already making moves.

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The Lakers Stay Quiet During 2020 NBA Trade Deadline While Rest of the League Gets Hit With Woj Bombs

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It’s hard to complain as a Los Angeles Lakers fan right now, being that we have the second-best record in the NBA plus a roster that includes LeBron James and Anthony Davis…but I will anyway. Many teams got better as a result of today’s 3 p.m. EST NBA trade deadline, but the Lakers weren’t one of them.

 

Lakers fans have been calling for a trade that would most likely include Kyle Kuzma for some time now, as he has not lived up to expectations this season. While Kuzma is averaging 43.7% from the field and 33.7% from three in 25 minutes, which are comparable to 2020 All-Star Jayson Tatum, it’s the rest of his numbers that irk the Lakers fan base. He is averaging just 13.1 points, 1.1 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 4.7 pre-game Instagram posts per game (unofficial).

What’s so frustrating about GM Rob Pelinka not making any moves at the deadline is that despite the winning, they have holes. They are a much worse team when James is on the bench, proving that they don’t have the supporting cast (aside from Anthony Davis) to pick up the slack when James isn’t in the game. Thinking back to their January 1st game against the Suns in which they almost blew a 34-point lead once James went to the bench, it shows why Laker Nation has reason to be nervous. They’ve also lost both games to their biggest competition in the West – the Clippers – who have just showed that they want it more, especially in the final minutes of the second matchup.

However, not all hope is lost. They still remain the favorite to sign Darren Collison, who retired this past offseason. Collison, a career 39% shooter from three would help the Lakers in spacing and would surely add to their depth alongside James and Davis.

BREAKING NEWS – *J.R. Smith has entered the chat*

OUT OF LEFT FIELD the Lakers announce they will bring in J.R. Smith for a workout. Smith, currently a free agent, hasn’t played in the NBA since November 2018, so it seems like the only reason they’d be looking to sign him is because he’s played with James before, so he knows his system?? He did win a championship with James in 2016, so maybe they’re hoping some of that mojo transfers over to this season. However, he’s basically just another Rajon Rondo, so do we really need two of these guys? Plus, with All-Star Alex Caruso and KCP as the primary shooting guards, I’m not really sure where Smith would work into the line-up.

The Lakers have problems that still need addressing, but hopefully if they can sign Collison, it’ll tighten up some loose screws on offense that have been evading them this season. Another scorer is essential to their playoff run, and especially if they expect to be able to compete with the highly favored Bucks out of the East in the Finals.

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