Los Angeles Lakers: 5 realistic predictions for the 2018-19 season
1. LeBron James finishes third in MVP voting
There’s no denying that LeBron is still the best player in the world. We have yet to see evidence to the contrary, as he actually turned in one of his best seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-18. Unfortunately, at 33 years of age, James is going to hit a wall eventually.
Part of me feels like last season may have been a turning point. The aging James clearly got gassed, having to be the entire offense at times for the Cavaliers. As a result, we often saw him taking plays off on defense. That’s what happens when, during the playoffs, LeBron is forced to play almost all 48 minutes just to keep things close.
So how much does he have left in the tank? Based on my predictions, it’s not enough to carry the Lakers through the playoffs. It’s also very likely that it’s not enough to complete a fifth run at the NBA MVP award.
That doesn’t mean he won’t come close, though. There are plenty of candidates for the honor heading into 2018-19 — James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo, to name a few. New recipients have walked away with the trophy in four of the last five years, so maybe it’s time for another fresh face to take the podium. Davis and Antetokounmpo, I’m looking at you two.
Either way, I’m predicting James will come in third in voting. He’ll have another terrific season, returning the Lakers to relevance and doing his usual thing of victimizing opposing defenses. His own shortcomings on defense and battle with Father Time will cost him, though.
For most players, third place in the MVP race is quite the feat. For James, it’s another reminder of his ever-so-slightly deteriorating skill-set. We knew he couldn’t keep it up forever.