Whoever happened to tune in to the Sunday night contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans got a dose of the ESPN hype machine. Throughout the fourth quarter, and during the post-game, ESPN hyped LeBron James up as a realistic challenger to the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and questioned why James wasn’t being thought of as a legitimate threat for the MVP. While ESPN is rightfully trying to insinuate that the MVP race is tight, for ratings, of course, that’s simply not the case.
The MVP Race is Over
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Firm Grasp on the MVP Award
The Milwaukee Bucks have 21 games left and are in the midst of a historic season as they currently hold a 52-9 record. Although he has a fantastic supporting cast with the likes of Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and Brook Lopez, the majority of this success is due to the historically great season Antetokounmpo is currently having. The reigning NBA MVP is currently holding per-game averages of 29.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.
His counting stats are remarkable but taking a look at his advanced statistics paints an even more dominant picture. He is currently leading the NBA in PER at 31.8, which is nearly a full point higher than his NBA leading 30.9 from last season. Antetokounmpo is currently first in win shares per 48 minutes, first in box plus/minus, first in defensive box plus/minus, second in win shares, and second in value over replacement player.
He also plays defense. Antetokounmpo has a legitimate shot at winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award this season. His current defensive rating of 95.7 ranks first in the NBA.
ESPN is rightfully trying to build up some drama to help boost ratings by suggesting there is an actual MVP race. However, they are discrediting Antetokounmpo’s historically good season slightly by doing so. They should be building his season up instead.
Playing Devil’s Advocate and Making the Case for LeBron James
While Antetokounmpo is on the verge of being the second ever unanimous MVP, James is still having a remarkable season. It’s even more remarkable when the realization that he is in his 17th season and is 35 years old sinks in.
James, aided by Anthony Davis, has the Lakers soaring out in front in the Western Conference with a 46-13 record. They are a whopping five and a half games in front of the Denver Nuggets as things currently stand.
While he has always been a willing passer, James is doing this season what many thought he would do when left the Cleveland Cavaliers the first time to play for the Miami Heat. He is leading the NBA in assists per game at 10.6. There was a school of thought that James would morph into a Magic Johnson type of player when he left for Miami and allow Dwyane Wade to lead the team in scoring. It turns out that wasn’t necessarily the case and all it took was turning 35 years old and teaming up with an all-time great talent in Davis to get him to that level of distributing.
The rest of James’ counting stats are also fantastic, of course. He currently holds per-game averages of 25.5 points and 7.8 rebounds.
His advanced statistics are still fantastic but they don’t hold a candle to Antetokounmpo. James is 15th in win shares per 48 minutes, seventh in box plus/minus, 19th in defensive box plus/minus, seventh in win shares, and fourth in value over replacement player.
Another incredible season for an all-time great.
Honorable Mentions for James Harden and Luka Doncic
There arguably hasn’t been another season in the history of the NBA where the clear cut third and fourth place players for the MVP award were also having all-time great seasons.
James Harden is again leading the NBA in scoring as he is currently averaging 34.9 points per game, and he, along with Russell Westbrook, have the undersized Houston Rockets in fourth place currently in the Western Conference. Harden is also averaging 7.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds per night.
His offensive advanced statistics stack up against anybody in the NBA. He is first in offensive win shares and first in offensive box plus/minus. He also leads the NBA in win shares at 11.3 and in value over replacement player.
Luka Doncic was fantastic last season and was the deserving NBA Rookie of the Year. However, the jump he has taken in his second season is remarkable. Doncic currently possess per-game averages of 28.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. He also has the Dallas Mavericks, a team that would likely be looking at a top five draft pick without him, in the 2020 NBA draft, sitting at 37-24 and seventh in the Western Conference.
It’s fantastic for the NBA that two guys having seasons as good as they’re having are likely trailing behind Antetokounmpo and James for the MVP award. It shows the incredible talent level in the league currently.
The MVP Race is Over
As much as ESPN wants the MVP race to be close, it’s simply not. Quite honestly, Antetokounmpo is just as deserving as a unanimous MVP this season as Stephen Curry was when he was named the unanimous MVP for the 2015-16 season. Unless the Bucks and Antetokounmpo completely fold over the last five weeks of the season, it will be a crime if he isn’t the second ever unanimous NBA MVP.
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