The NBA’s criteria for the MVP award have always been extremely subjective, especially since several individuals from the media cast their votes to reach a democratic solution on the matter. To address this subjectivity, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James proposed that the league follow suit with the NFL and introduce a new award.
On an episode of the “Mind The Game” podcast with Steve Nash, James floated the idea of the “Offensive Player of the Year” award, similar to the NFL. He rationalized this idea by saying:
“I did think about how the NFL does Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. I thought that could possibly be something in our league, where you give an Offensive Player of the Year and an MVP.”
The NFL uses distinct criteria to determine each award’s recipient. But there was something in this that drew Nash’s attention. He chimed in, saying:
“You could be on a poor team, have an unbelievable offensive year, and still win Offensive Player of the Year. And vice versa, you could maybe not have the best player in the league, but you were the most valuable in taking your team to a new height.”
The issue with the MVP award lies in the definition of “value”, a term that doesn’t necessarily equate to “best” player at any point in time. In this regard, the narrative presented by James has some basis in reality.
“It’s like, OK, so is it the best player? Is it the player who had the best season with their team? Maybe that’s Offensive Player of the Year,” James continued. “Or is it just simply the best player in the league? Statistically, this was the best player in the league. Obviously, you’re not going to have someone in there whose team didn’t come close to making the playoffs … it’s not the most valuable, then.”
James’ proposition certainly presents an interesting perspective. When considering some of the most gifted offensive players in the league, they may not impact winning the same as some other players might. Similarly, some players may be immensely successful with their teams, but their statistical contributions may not necessarily reflect that.
This year’s MVP race would be a great case for the distribution of these awards. Although it remains up for debate, some would argue that Nikola Jokic was a superior individual performer to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who eventually won the award, while also securing the top seed in the West.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s individual accomplishments also impacted his team’s success, eventually helping the Oklahoma City Thunder secure the NBA title.
In many ways, the Thunder guard’s performance also challenges James’ proposition, illustrating that the “best” player can also be the “most valuable” player in some cases. But considering that the idea itself presents an opportunity for several players to get recognized for their efforts and capabilities, it may be worth taking into consideration.
