The level of play LeBron James has been at in his 17th NBA season and second with the Los Angeles Lakers has been truly astonishing.
James is leading the league in assists and has the Lakers atop the Western Conference at the quarter-point of the 2019-20 NBA season.
With the league being at this point, it is customary for many to begin looking at the favorites for awards races and that is exactly what is happening.
ESPN recently conducted a straw poll, asking 101 media members across the country who they would vote for the 2019-20 NBA Most Valuable Player award right now:
With 29 first-place votes and 651 total points, James placed second in the poll to reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo leading the race so far is difficult to argue. The do-everything forward has somehow raised his scoring and rebounding numbers from last season’s MVP campaign, ranking second and fourth in the league in those categories, respectively. He also leads the league in PER and double-doubles while improving his three-point shooting.
James, along with Luka Doncic and James Harden, are providing very tough competition for Antetokunmpo to repeat though.
James leads the league in assists and is the driving force behind the team’s outstanding start to the season. Doing what he’s doing at this stage of his career is truly unbelievable and a great story, which can often be a factor in determining the MVP race.
Doncic doing what he’s doing in just his second season at only 20 years old may be as improbable as James’ 17th season. He ranks third in the league in points, second in assists, second in PER, and leads the league in triple-doubles.
Meanwhile, Harden is averaging nearly 40 points per game and has somehow found another level to his already legendary scoring exploits.
Anthony Davis finished seventh in the poll behind Pascal Siakam and Kawhi Leonard, but there is a massive gap between the top-four and the rest of the field.
Without a doubt, this is a race that will come down to the final weeks of the season.