What Would It Mean for LeBron James to Win MVP as a Laker?

It’s early in the third season of LeBron James playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he has already put himself in the MVP conversation once again.

Will he ever win it in a Laker uniform?

Last season James finished second in the MVP, but it wasn’t really a close race. LeBron only received 16 of the 101 first-place votes. When LeBron was asked about his thoughts on the MVP James said: “It pissed me off”. This wasn’t a shot at Giannis, but a message to the voters telling them that he believes he deserved better.

After the Lakers won the NBA championship and LeBron was named finals MVP, many people thought that it proved that James deserved to win MVP that season. Even though the MVP is a regular-season award, it is counterproductive for the NBA to watch the MVP go out in the second round of the playoffs, especially in the way the Bucks did, while the runner-up ended up winning the championship and the Finals MVP.

For LeBron James, every award counts, especially when you are in the conversation of the greatest player of all time. James has 4 MVPs to Michael Jordan’s 5. For LeBron to win his fifth MVP in his third different team would mean a lot, considering he would be the oldest player ever to win it. That would pretty much define his legacy, a great and consistent player throughout all of his career.

So this season LeBron is looking to conquer the MVP trophy once again.

Can he do it with his current production?

Well, through 16 games he is currently averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists while shooting 48% from the field and 39% from three. He is doing this in 32.6 minutes, which is by far a career-low for him. Now, there will probably be players who average more points and rebounds, but the key for LeBron this season is the Lakers’ success as a team. If he manages to lead the Lakers to the best record in the NBA or even in his conference, numbers may be a secondary thing in the debate.