Los Angeles Lakers: Why the NBA MVP is LeBron James’s for the taking
By Duncan Smith
Availability and durability: Two of LeBron James’s greatest traits
When the NBA announced plans to return before Christmas, barely more than two months after the Los Angeles Lakers finished off the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, players weren’t impressed. In particular, the players who had played all the way until the middle of October weren’t happy about this arrangement, led by LeBron James.
It’s understandable. After almost four months away from his family in the NBA’s Orlando bubble, getting thrust back into real game action just 73 days later seemed ridiculous, whether the league wanted to capitalize on Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Day games or not. There was speculation that some of the higher-volume players might play sparingly in the early days of the season once the NBA swiftly won their standoff.
After all, for a player like James, the games barely matter until the playoffs anyway, and what’s the harm if he takes the first month off and skips back to backs?
It turns out that wasn’t the plan after all, and LeBron James is all-in on this season. He’s played all 18 games the Los Angeles Lakers have participated in and he’s 12th in the league with 588 minutes played so far. We can clearly see that James had no intention of punting on this regular season after all, and the possibility for one more MVP award might be the biggest reason for it.
Of course, even the best can’t win MVP if they don’t score, and he’s done that with remarkable effectiveness this season. This brings us to our next point.