This season has seen incredible displays of individual talent that have led to some unprecedented statistical performances from the likes of James Harden, Russell Westbrook and to a lesser extent, Giannis Antetokounmpo. But despite all these, should LeBron James still be considered the league MVP?
The Ringer makes the case that despite James Harden churning out 50-point triple-doubles and Russell Westbrook averaging a triple-double for the season so far, LeBron James remains the most valuable player to his team. As noted by the article, in the 22 games the Cleveland Cavaliers have played since LeBron James came back, they have only won four of those games. In case that stat alone does not make it clear enough how valuable LeBron James is to the team, The Ringer points out that the Cavs outscore their opponents at a rate of 7.8 points per 100 possessions with James on the floor; in contrast, Cleveland is outscored by 4.4 points without the King—a difference of 12.2 points.
This season, Russell Westbrook is the only player in the league with a bigger on/off court point difference than LeBron James. As pointed out by Danny Chau of The Ringer, Westbrook is the difference between the seventh seed in the West and a lottery team, while LeBron James is the difference between a mediocre team and a perennial championship contender. That is no exaggeration, as James has been in the Finals for six straight seasons. The Miami Heat went to four straight Finals with LeBron James on their team—they haven’t gotten past the first round since he left. Similarly, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a lottery team before James returned, they’ve been in back-to-back Finals since, and on pace for another trip this year.
As noted by Fox Sports, coming into the All-Star break, LeBron James was in the midst of one of the best months of his career, averaging 27 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, while shooting 63 percent from the field and 60 percent from deep. LeBron James may not be voted the league’s MVP this season, but it remains clear as day that not only is he the most valuable player on any team he’s on, he is still the game’s best player after all this time.
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