DeMarcus Cousins, if reports are true, proved a locker room hit during his short stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. Boogie is not with the Purple and Gold anymore, but without hesitation, he is giving his vote to LeBron James as the league's 2020 MVP.
The confidence coming from Cousins is no surprise. The King is a virtual machine in the season. In the few weeks before NBA games were suspended in March, James was averaging more than 30 points per game with an accuracy of over 62%.
Around the same time, the Lakers overwhelmed the NBA's top teams - the Bucks, Mavericks, and Clippers - as if proving that he and club are unstoppable.
So it's only natural that Cousins will bet on his former and perhaps future teammate.
"I think he's the MVP. He's 35, he's the only player in the league right now with gray hair," Cousins was reported as saying.
While the reasoning might sound hilarious, Clutch Points said James owning his MVP No. 5 makes sense considering the level that the King has been playing so far in the campaign. The Lakers' superstar is an imposing presence in all the aspects of the game, but his most notable contribution to his team's cause is in the assist department.
The season is seeing James leading in the total assists dished out every game, which somehow indicated that while he dominated the production of points, James is making sure that his teammates are in the game and playing their grand part. It also showed greater maturity on the King's part.
The MVP honor coming his way will also serve as an affirmation of James' efforts in the ongoing campaign. The Lakers are in the lead on the west side of the competition, and James has a clear shot at another Larry O'Brien.
It is only fitting that his NBA title No. 4 will be coupled with MVP No. 5, and such a reality is not remote for James.
However, the MVP race at the moment has Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the last check showed that the Bucks superstar seemed hard to beat. According to Silver Screen & Roll: "The numbers are still overwhelmingly in favor of Antetokounmpo."
When the overall accounting includes all the games played in the season, it is Antetokounmpo who is the NBA juggernaut. The Milwaukee star lords it over in scoring production, in shooting accuracy on the floor, and he might just conclude the season being the league's defensive king.
Although James may not win the MVP this year, he could again emerge as NBA champion and Finals MVP, so losing one personal honor might just prove a blessing in disguise after all.
