LeBron James will need to get past James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo to win his league MVP No. 5 so it's not exactly a walk in the park for the King. But Nick Young, who once played for the Lakers as a guard, is tapping the NBA superstar as the easy winner and for a simple reason.
Young said James is the reason the Lakers are playing high-level basketball again, which was last seen when Los Angeles was winning NBA titles in succession with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal on the roster.
When Bryant retired, it has become a struggle for the Lakers to even qualify for the playoffs and the team tried to earn that ticket by bringing in James in season 2018-19. Still, Purple & Gold did not make the cut because James got injured.
The team had to wait until this campaign and the Lakers indeed are geared up to figure in playoffs series, which Young credited to a healthy James playing incredible basketball at age 35.
"Why Bron should win MVP ... Take him off this team do they make the playoffs?" Lakers Daily reported the former LA star as saying.
Young's argument is anchored on the King's incredible run in the season so far. James is firing 25.4 points per game and his overall excellence on the court has no doubt powered the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference.
While the Lakers are playing great because Anthony Davis is also there, it's easy to see that James' imposing presence on the court says a lot. It can be said that the King is the heart and soul of his team, and Young could only affirm that fact.
He declared that there are no playoffs for the Lakers had James is not part of the team, or at least the superstar is playing below par. James is beyond astonishing so far in the campaign and Young is convinced the NBA star is the runaway MVP winner.
According to Clutch Points, Young's readings of the MVP race likely overlooked that the NBA season was disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. Before the season was suspended, James was simply dominant and took charge of the heavy liftings as the Lakers overwhelmed the competition.
In the last few weeks leading to the season suspension, the Lakers conquered the supposed title contenders in the season, which include the Clippers and Bucks, and James was the consistent headliner.
In the bubble city, James continued to impress but not at the same level and the Lakers seemed to be faltering, losing four of the six games that the squad played so far. However, incredible he remains, the bubble stats will no longer matter in the MVP race and it would have been a different story had the momentum enjoyed by James was not interrupted.
