LeBron James should be the early (early) season frontrunner for MVP

LeBron James has been the most exhilarating player to watch since Michael Jordan. That hasn’t changed this season and he looks to be the early favorite for NBA MVP.

Watching LeBron James dominate on the court has become so normal that it’s overlooked. But in Season 15, James is showing off a revamped shooting form on his way to putting up his best numbers since 2011-2012, the season he won NBA MVP and looked like an unstoppable force near by the Biscayne Bay.

In fact, in recording a PER of 30.0 so far this season, James looks to be well on his way to winning his 5th NBA MVP award.

Fun fact: Every season where James posted a PER of 30.0 or above led to him winning the NBA’s most lauded individual accolade.

In the 2011-2012 season, James recorded a PER of 30.7 while averaging 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 53.1 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three-point range and 77.1 percent from the free-throw line. James went on to win his first NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP award this season, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 in the 2012 NBA Finals.

Perhaps the most impressive part of this season, aside from James’ improvements as a jump shooter, was his ability to come back a season after many believed him to have a Finals meltdown and not just dominate but leave no questions about his greatness.

In the 2009-2010 season (at the age of 25), James recorded a PER of 31.1 while averaging 29.7 points, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.0 block per game. He shot 50.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the three and 76.7 percent from the free-throw line. Although James would lose to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, setting the stage for his departure in the coming offseason, this is generally regarded as the year James took the mantle as the NBA’s best player.

Although Shaquille O’Neal was 37 years old, the Cleveland Cavaliers placed a solid team around James this season with Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon joining Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison. J.J. Hickson, Anderson Varejao and Delonte West in the Cavs’ rotation. Cleveland would finish with 61 wins that year, the second-most in franchise history.

In the 2012-2013 season, as James recorded a PER of 31.6, he averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. He shot 56.5 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from three-point range and 75.6 percent from the free-throw line, improving on his previous season (and best season to that point). James would reach his third consecutive NBA Finals that season and won his second straight, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4-3 in an epic 2013 NBA Finals showdown. James would win Finals MVP as well.

This season was the first of “1-5” LeBron being in full effect. Miami Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra found creative ways to use James’s positional versatility. The result was James playing every position on the floor on offense and defense.

In the 2008-2009 season, James recorded a career-high PER of 31.7 (at 24 years old). He averaged 28.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from three and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line. James would win his first NBA MVP award in this season, matching Michael Jordan’s age when he won his first MVP award and perpetuating the parallels between he and the previously undisputed “G.O.A.T.”.

James and Mo Williams, a scoring-minded point guard who meshed well with James on the court, would lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to 66 wins, the most in franchise history.

Fast forward to 2017 and James is averaging 28.3 points, 8.5 assists, 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 58.2 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from three and 78.3 percent from the free-throw line.

So far this season, there have been several standout players whose individual and team performance merit their names being seriously considered in an early season MVP race: Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics are names that come to mind.

Though some of those names come with more star power than others, this is a group of players who’ve led their team to records above .500 with quality wins on their schedule. They’ve done this while being the leading scorers on offense and making their impact felt on the defensive end. Many doing so despite injuries to feature players on their team.

However, while early MVP candidates like Antetokounmpo and Harden have had impressive seasons thus far, there are flaws in their MVP argument:

The Greek Freak’s efficiency from outside and the points he’s responsible for as a playmaker (28.3 points and 8.5 assists per game for James compared to 29.7 points and 4.4 assist per game for Antetokounmpo) pales in comparison to James.

Harden’s defense – or lack of it – makes him a

one-hit

one-side-of-the-floor wonder while James has routinely taken on the responsibility on guarding the opposing team’s best player late in games.

James has taken the reigns of the Cleveland Cavaliers and enhanced his game all the while. With the load on his shoulders, both on the court and as the face and voice of the team, James has more responsibilities than any other player in the league. He’s the Cavs leader in minutes per game, points per game, assists per game, steals per game and blocks per game. Only Kevin Love is averaging more rebounds per game than him.

He’s also leading the team in field goal percentage while being third on the team in three-point percentage.

While the numbers are impressive, the in-game performances have been as well. James has 10 double-doubles, 1 triple-double, 6 games scoring between 30-40 points and one masterful game in which he scored 57 points, tying the Cavs’ single-game franchise record.

James’ dominance has come in part because his basketball IQ and his physical prowess have merged seamlessly to create a bionic superstar. As Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers noted, James has managed to meld his knowledge and athleticism in a way that great players rarely have the chance to.

Quote transcribed by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:

"“I don’t see a difference except for he’s smarter. I’m amazed, really. We were laughing about it, it wasn’t so funny to us watching film. Most players when they get to his age are smart enough now they see everything. But usually when they get to that age, they’re too old to do anything about it. Kevin McHale had that comment. ‘If I had the knowledge now but my body at 22, I would have been the greatest player of all time.’ LeBron has the knowledge of all those years and he’s still top two, three athletic in the league. He has both going for him. He can beat you with his brain, he can beat you with his power. It’s a daunting task when you watch him on film.”"

James’ dominance is also due to a newfound stroke in his outside shooting that has him looking like a player with absolutely no weaknesses. His shooting stroke, size, athleticism, skill and intelligence has caused and allowed him to play every position for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season – sometimes even in the same game.

The league would be hard-pressed to find anyone playing better basketball than James is or a player more valuable to their team. That James is leading the league in minutes per game, with the team’s second-best (healthy) player playing 10.0 less minutes than him, is evidence of that.

Then again, citing evidence for James’ MVP case is like trying to find a needle in a … pi;e of needles.

Related Story: 3 players who have been stepping up while Cavs short-handed

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com, stats.nba.com and basketball.realgm.com