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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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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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