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LeBron James is arguably one of the best basketball players of all time, and his four MVPs can attest to that. With so many fantastic players in the NBA for the 2021-22 NBA, many players will have a chance to grab the MVP award, and James entering his 19th season is no different.
Last season, James was in conversation early and was seen as the favorite to win it. The Los Angeles Lakers were fresh off winning their NBA Finals and dealing with injuries all season. Anthony Davis, James’s co-star, only played in 36 games last season, missing many games due to injury.
James had to be the team's sole driving force while Davis was out, which led to some incredible stats for James. However, James would also get hit by the injury bug, only playing in 45 games but still putting up 25 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists.
The injuries caught up to the Lakers, as they had to win a play-in tournament game to make it into the playoffs. With more injuries to Davis and James during the playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers exited the playoffs in the first round.
Now they have traded for Russell Westbrook to get back to the NBA Finals. Westbrook’s presence could embed on James’ MVP hopes, but it still won't be impossible. Here are three things James will need to do to try and bag his fifth MVP award.
#3 LeBron James needs to stay healthy
LeBron James, before joining the Lakers, has never really had to deal with any significant injuries. However, since joining the Lakers two out of the three seasons, James has dealt with some types of injuries. That other season, when he won the NBA Finals, shows how important his health is for the Lakers.
In James' 19th season, he might not have to work as hard as he usually does in the regular season, and a lot of that is because of Westbrook. They both can do many of the same things, James doing it on a higher level, but they can both run the offense and create for others. This might allow James to play fewer minutes where he gives 100% effort enabling him to take fewer chances to get hurt.
This is a double edged sword in a way, as it does take some of the stats away from James that he would probably need to have to make his MVP case. It is still LeBron James, and him just going through the motions is still an elite player capable of winning the MVP award.
#2 LeBron James and the Lakers will need to have success as a team
Often, the MVP award is awarded to the best player on the best team, and LeBron James is the best player on one of the best teams in the NBA. The Western Conference is the tougher confidence out of the two, so if the Lakers are the number one seed for the playoffs, James could have a strong case for the MVP. He would be the best player on the best team, always having an excellent case to win the MVP award.
With the star power the Lakers have, they could quickly be the number one seed, with Davis and Westbrook, but they also have quality depth to help them reach that goal. However, the Lakers are one of the older teams in the NBA, and the depth is good but not great.
This lack of really good depth could work well for James’ MVP chances. James’ will still need to have some MVP-type games to win against the more formidable opponents, and if they win those games, it will boost his stock.
#1 LeBron James could play with a chip on his shoulder
Every time LeBron James fails, the haters come out of the woodwork calling out, saying, “Bron is washed,” “He can’t win in the West,” and “This will be the season Father Time catches up to him.” Last season was the first time James had ever lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs, and that might be enough for James to come out and be dominant this season.
After missing out on the playoffs in 2018-19 for the first time since he was a second-year player, James came out and won the NBA Finals. If recent history is something to go off of, James is likely to come out and win another NBA Finals to make up for leaving the playoffs early last season.
This could create a massive chip on James’ shoulders, meaning that even if he doesn’t go 100% every game in the regular season, if he is playing, James is still going to want to remind everyone in the NBA world who he is. We already got a glimpse of that in the preseason. James went off for 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists in just 29 minutes. At the same time during this preseason, James said he doesn’t care about the regular season.
If that is James not carrying about a game, well, him carrying just a little bit more could be something special.
Guess the Lakers players!
