At 37-years-old, LeBron James has already cemented himself as one of basketball’s All-Time greatest players. A 17x All-Star, 4x MVP, and 4x NBA Champion with over 18 years of experience, his resume is about as good as it gets for a professional athlete.
But this season, as he puts the Lakers on his back, there is a sense he could add even more to his long list of accolades.
In a segment on Undisputed, FOX Sports analyst Skip Bayless gave some rare props to LBJ, explaining why he’s got a shot to lift his 5th MVP trophy this season.
“I gotta tell you from my heart, I think he’s got a good shot at winning MVP. Because of narrative. I think the Russell WestBRICK narrative will work to his advantage even though it was LeBron’s fault that he’s here. In the larger picture, people are gonna say ‘look what he’s overcoming. He’s overcoming the guy who’s running away with the turnover lead in the NBA. The guy who clearly has become a liability to the Lakers. And LeBron is playing at the highest level we’ve ever seen a year 19 player play.”
Skip makes some solid points here and he’s hardly the first one to hold such a position. In fact, last month, Metta Sandiford-Artest gave his own reasons why James is the MVP this season.
But are they right? No doubt, LeBron has the numbers to warrant winning the award. With averages of 28.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, he’s actually having his best season as a Laker.
The problem is L.A.’s performance as a team, which has been mediocre at best. With a 20-19 record overall, they have played far below expectations so far.
In a league where guys like Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are enjoying both individual and team success, it’s hard to ignore the struggles that Bron’s team is currently enduring. Unless they can turn it around, it could eliminate him from the conversation altogether.
