NBA MVP Mondays: LeBron James barges into conversation as Lakers surge
Yesterday at 05:13 PM
Not much time remains for those to leave their mark on the NBA MVP race. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic have battled at the top of these rankings all season, yet a slight opportunity still exists for other players to possibly swoop in and put together a strong MVP resume. No player has a better chance to do so than LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers at this very moment.
The Lakers have arguably been the best team in the league over the last few weeks. Before trading for Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis was the focus of this team, and he was inside the top five of these very NBA MVP rankings for quite some time.
However, LeBron has been the steady constant for the Lakers all season. He is still making an MVP-like impact at the age of 40 for a team with true NBA Finals aspirations.
After finding themselves with a 20-17 record at one point, Los Angeles is now in second place at 38-21 overall. James may not always lead the team in scoring, but he has his fingerprints on every bit of offensive excellence the Lakers find nightly. Whether it’s scoring, pushing the tempo in transition, or finding an open teammate as a willing passer, LeBron continues to excel as an all-around leader.
With only 23 games remaining, could James solidify himself in this MVP race with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic to become the oldest player in NBA history to win the MVP award?
It is highly unlikely that anyone outside of Jokic or SGA will win this award. At the same time, we can’t overlook how good James has been for the Lakers, especially since they could claim the 2-seed in the West between now and the end of the regular season.
Between his double-doubles, triple-doubles, and eagerness to continue winning, LeBron has earned MVP consideration in the top five of these rankings.
Previous 2023-24 NBA MVP Rankings: Week 17 | Week 16 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Previous ranking: #1
2024-25 season stats: 59 games, 32.3 points, 6.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, 52.4 FG%, 36.9 3P%
The Oklahoma City Thunder still own the best record in the Western Conference at 49-11 overall. Unless Gilgeous-Alexander gets hurt, they will not fall from this top spot. More importantly, as long as SGA remains healthy, he will be the favorite for the MVP award since team record will factor into many media members’ decisions.
Even though the Thunder are the best team in the West over the likes of the Lakers and Denver Nuggets, that isn’t the sole reason why Gilgeous-Alexander will be this season’s MVP. Aside from leading the league in scoring, he leads all players in 20, 30, 40, and 50-point games this year. Gilgeous-Alexander has also played in 59 of the Thunder’s 60 games.
The frontrunner for this year’s MVP award closed out the month of February averaging a league-high 31.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor. His best performance of the month was a 50-point game on Feb. 5 against the Phoenix Suns.
2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets
Previous ranking: #2
2024-25 season stats: 55 games, 28.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 57.8 FG%, 44.3 3P%
If Jokic goes crazy over the final month of the season with his triple-doubles and can reclaim the 2-seed in the West from LeBron and the Lakers, then he will have a really strong resume against Gilgeous-Alexander.
The thing about Jokic, which looms large in many people’s minds, is that he’s won the NBA award in three of the last four seasons. Voters always like the new name on the block, and this year, that’s Gilgeous-Alexander given all the success he’s found with the Thunder. This shouldn’t take away from Jokic, though.
Although his scoring numbers after the All-Star break dropped slightly, Jokic closed out the month of February with five straight double-doubles, highlighted by a 23-point, 17-rebound, and 15-assist triple-double against the Detroit Pistons. In total, Jokic has 47 double-doubles and 28 triple-doubles in 55 games this season.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
Previous ranking: #3
2024-25 season stats: 47 games, 30.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, 60.6 FG%
While he missed some time with a calf injury, Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in all six of the Milwaukee Bucks’ games since the All-Star break, averaging 24.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in said contests. The fact of the matter with Giannis is that the Bucks wouldn’t be in a position to claim home-court advantage in the playoffs without his heroics.
Antetokounmpo is second in scoring this season behind Gilgeous-Alexander, and he is one of four players with at least 40 double-doubles, joining Domantas Sabonis (50), Jokic (47), and Karl-Anthony Towns (44). He also trails Gilgeous-Alexander (52) and Jokic (39) with 37 total games scoring at least 25 points.
Whether or not Giannis is eligible for the MVP award and All-NBA honors will come down to if he can remain healthy. With 23 games left on their schedule, Antetokounmpo can’t miss more than five more games to remain in consideration for this award.
4. Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics
Previous ranking: #4
2024-25 season stats: 58 games, 26.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 45.2 FG%, 35.2 3P%
Jayson Tatum has been on a tear since the All-Star break, averaging 24.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the floor. He is the only player in the league putting up these types of numbers in each category since the All-Star Game.
No matter what he does, Tatum is always overlooked. Even with a championship under his belt, many still look down on Tatum and don’t give him the credit he deserves.
Well, the Boston Celtics are still the 2-seed in the East, and Tatum remains one of the most consistent two-way players in the entire league. He will once again finish inside the top five of the NBA MVP voting.
5. LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
Previous ranking: #8
2024-25 season stats: 55 games, 24.8 points, 8.6 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 51.8 FG%, 39.1 3P%
When you really look at what LeBron has accomplished next to Luka Doncic, who is a very ball-dominant player, it’s quite simple to see why he is suddenly in the top five of the NBA MVP rankings.
In eight total games alongside Doncic, James’ stats have remained constant: 24.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. The Lakers have gone 6-2 with Doncic on the court with James.
No matter how you look at it, this has been yet another extremely efficient and successful season for LeBron. To be doing all of this and continuing to be a triple-double threat at 40 years old is something we are taking for granted and not giving enough applause to. James has played at an MVP level and deserves to be in this conversation just as much as Antetokounmpo and Tatum.
Just missing the cut
6. Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers (Ranked No. 5 last week)
7. Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons (Ranked No. 9 last week)
8. Karl-Anthony Towns – New York Knicks (Ranked No. 7 last week)
9. Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves (Ranked No. 6 last week)
10. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors (Unranked last week)
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