LeBron James: Three things the King can do to win MVP this season
The annual NBA GM survey is out, and Lebron James was voted the most likely to win MVP.
It isn’t hard to see why most GMs would pick Lebron James to win the award. After all, he is the best player in the world.
This is the fifth time in a row Lebron James is voted the most likely to win the award, but he has failed to win it in each of the past four seasons. If history repeats itself, he will have another MVP worthy season, but someone else will edge him to the title. Below are three things Lebron James can do to make sure he captures that elusive fifth MVP award.
Be Lebron James
It is worth repeating: Lebron James is the best player in the world. He has the potential to consistently compete at a higher level than any player in the league. But his output over the course of the regular season is often not as good as it could be – particularly at the defensive end.
This is, of course, a tactical choice; it allows him to be fresher during the playoffs. That is when it matters the most. Nevertheless, MVP voters tend to favor players who go all out during the regular season. If Lebron James wants to win his fifth MVP, he may have to take the regular season a bit more seriously. Which brings us to…
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Miss fewer games
Last season, the King created quite a stir when he decided to sit out a few nationally televised games. Whether this was fair to him is debatable. As he mentioned, Greg Popovich has been doing it for a while.
Still, a debate erupted over how his decision to sit out games would hurt his chances of winning the MVP award. The fact that the debate was being had likely means it did affect his chances – however slightly.
The NBA’s Board of Governors approved a rule to prevent healthy players from sitting out nationally televised games. But James could still choose to sit out less high-profile games. If he wants to win the MVP award, he had better be mindful of the number of games he sits out.
Win the East
It is a fact; no team can seriously compete with the Cavaliers for supremacy in the Eastern Conference. That was also true last season, and yet the Celtics managed to grab the top seed in the East.
While that title meant very little in practice, the fact that Lebron James’ team only managed the second-best record in the relatively weak East cannot have helped his chances of being named MVP.
The Cavs only had the fifth-best record in the league last season. With the Western Conference becoming even more competitive, the top teams in the West will probably win fewer games, which should open the door for the Cavs to improve their overall standing in the league compared to last year. It is largely Lebron James’ responsibility to carry the Cavs to such heights. Whether he does will be taken into consideration by MVP voters.
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Lebron James has nothing left to prove. But the MVP award will not be handed to him simply because he is the best player in the world. What matters the most to MVP voters is what transpires over the course of the regular season. As long as he remembers that, he will have the best shot at winning it.