How real are the Lakers as NBA title contenders?
The Lakers have been on a roll since trading for Luka Doncic, but are they good enough to win a championship?
LeBron James won’t win his fifth MVP this season.
But it can be argued that he deserves a top-five vote. Maybe not top three in what is a two-man race for the award. Is there a forward besides Giannis Antetokounmpo who is having a better season than James? Maybe Boston’s Jayson Tatum. But it’s debatable.
James averages 25.1 points, 8.5 assists and 8.1 rebounds — just one of two players (Nikola Jokic is the other) to average at least those numbers this season — and he shoots 51.8% from the field, 39.1% on 3-pointers and 77.9% on free throws.
Compare that to his last MVP season in 2012-13: 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 56.5% from the field, 40.6% on 3s and 75.3% on free throws.
At 40 years old, James, who could miss as many as two weeks with a left groin strain sustained against Boston on Saturday, is performing as well as he did when he was 28. And regardless of his place in the MVP discussion, he will extend his record of All-NBA selections to 21 — each of those being consecutive, starting with the 2004-05 season.
One aspect to watch is his eligibility for season awards as he is sidelined. An NBA rule states a player must play in at least 65 games to be eligible for major awards such as MVP and All-NBA. James has played in 58 games.
Here is the fourth installment of USA TODAY’s NBA MVP power rankings.
5. Lakers forward LeBron James
LeBron James was named the NBA’s Western Conference player of the month for February, becoming the oldest player — and first 40-year-old — in league history to win player of the month. In 11 games last month, he averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals and shot 55.5% from the field, 44.3% on 3-pointers and 73.8% on free throws. The Lakers went 9-2 in the month. The new partnership with Luka Dončić has worked well, too. With those two playing in the same game, the Lakers score 112 points and allow 107.3 points per 100 possessions, and they are 8-3.
4. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum
Over the past 10 days, Tatum has posted some monster performances; he dropped 46 and 16 boards in a loss against the Cavaliers and poured in 40 and 12 in a victory against the Lakers. This season, the most important development in his game, however, has been a willingness to find open teammates. He’s averaging a career-high 5.8 assists per game, which also leads all Boston players.
3. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the league’s second-leading scorer at 30.9 points per game, and he’s averaging 12.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 blocks. His 60.5% shooting from the field ranks seventh in the NBA and, among players who have attempted at least 800 shots, it’s the highest shooting percentage. It’s the second-best scoring average, second-best shooting percentage and third-best rebounding average of his career. He missed games before the All-Star break with a calf injury but since his return on Feb. 20, the Bucks are 7-3.
1a. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; 1b. Nuggets center Nikola Jokić
This race, at this point of the season, is too close to call. It feels like this seesaws on a weekly basis, with both Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander picking up their play. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 38.8 points per game over his last five, on 53.5% shooting in that span. Gilgeous-Alexander has been a model of consistency this season, extending his streak of consecutive 20-point games to 58 — which happened to come in a 127-103 victory Sunday against the Nuggets.
Not to be outdone, Jokić has continued to anchor Denver, who struggles when Jokić is slowed. In Sunday’s loss against the Thunder, Jokić had a 14-point first quarter, but a tough fall on his right elbow in the second frame appeared to give him discomfort. The Nuggets would then struggle to keep pace in the second half, as Jokić’s shots stopped falling. Still, he posted a historic triple-double Friday in which he scored 31 points, hauled in 21 rebounds and dished out a career-high 22 assists. It was the first 30-20-20 triple-double in NBA history and the 22 dimes were also a record for most ever by a center.
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