MVP

Lebron James

It’s been 5 long years since Lebron won his last MVP award. For the majority of that period he has been viewed as the best player in the world. But the MVP isn’t about anointing the best player in the league, it’s about narrative. Steph Curry won because he was like nothing the league had ever seen before, pulling up from near half court and draining threes, he revolutionised the NBA as we know it. Then Westbrook averaged a triple double for the whole season, putting the Thunder on his back after the devastating loss of Kevin Durant. Finally James Harden winning in 2018 after finishing as runner up on a number occasions, deserved to win the award, especially when he led the Rockets to the number one seed in the Western Conference-

James has joined the most historic franchise in the NBA, with a young talented team around him willing to learn. He’s also joining a team with a number of playmakers, something he hasn’t ever had in his career. This means we might see Lebron play off the ball more, scoring easy points from the creativity of others. The Lakers haven’t made the playoffs since 2013 when they were swept in the first round. The narrative is in place for Lebron to return the franchise to its former glory and claim his fifth MVP award.

Lebron takes incredible care of his body, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds each year on the best treatments. But father time is undefeated and Lebron is not the physical freak he once was. This might be one of the last years we see Lebron near the peak of his powers and his last chance to win his fifth MVP

 

Honourable mentions. 

Kawhi Leonard.

Has a lot to prove this season after demanding a trade from the Spurs. The Raptors weren’t his ideal destination but he is in a great set up to lead them to the top of the Eastern Conference and show the league why he was one of the favourites for MVP last year. A healthy Kawhi is the best player in the East and can be the player to take the Raptors too the next step. He has started the season on fire, his offensive game is looking smooth and he’s brought great intensity to the Raptor’s defence. Worryingly he did sit out the second game of a back to back, which implies he might not have fully recovered from that injury to his right quad ,this could affect his MVP chances.

Outside chance  

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The ‘Greek Freak’ has improved every year he’s been in the league and has shown the physical capabilities to be an unstoppable force in the NBA. Unfortunately for the most part that hasn’t translated into success for the Bucks. They finished 7th in the Eastern Conference last season and lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. If Giannis can lead the Bucks to a top four finish in a wide open Eastern Conference and continue to show improvement in his shooting, he could be a real contender for MVP