Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons LeBron James could win 2018-19 NBA MVP
3. James is the Lakers’ only proven superstar
I want to start this off by saying this is no shot at the Lakers’ other players. They boast an exciting bunch of young stars in the making, as well as a bench bunch of wily veterans. There’s no denying this roster has talent, no matter how unorthodox it may be.
However, there is no other true superstar besides James in Los Angeles — at least not yet. That could change at some point depending on the development of players like Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. For the moment, though, it’s LeBron and everyone else for the Lake Show.
The same can’t be said for many other MVP candidates.
Let’s look at the list:
- James Harden, who now has Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Clint Capela
- Russell Westbrook, who has Paul George
- Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry always steal votes from each other
- Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward will eat into one another’s production
- Anthony Davis is the lone superstar, but won’t get enough voter love until the New Orleans Pelicans are contenders
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the same situation as Davis
While having more superstars means more wins, it also cuts into opportunities to win voters’ hearts. It may not necessarily mean a much smaller on-court impact, but it certainly hurts in the box score.
Meanwhile, James is taking on the task of supercharging this Lakers team, one of the league’s most storied and popular franchises. If he can turn that bunch of baby ballers into a legitimate contender, there’s no way he won’t be in the conversation for MVP. Putting on some of the magic he displayed last season will certainly help.