LeBron James has been the most dominant player over the past two decades, but this season, he is making a real case for it. The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to stay competitive in a stacked Western Conference for the past four seasons. They were leaning on an aging LeBron James to do the heavy lifting to capitalize on the team’s success.
Whether scoring, passing, rebounding, or defense, you can name any other stat that the NBA measures, and you can see LeBron charting that list. It was looking pretty grim for the 40-year-old to win a championship at this stage of his career, but lo and behold came the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to LA, and the rest was history.
Before the Lakers swung the trade for Luka, they were inconsistent and struggling to keep their heads above .500. LeBron was doing it all, averaging 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game. More importantly, he was playing 38 minutes per game, which at 39 years old is unheard of. The team had no secondary playmaker. D’Angelo Russell was inconsistent, and Anthony Davis, while dominant, couldn’t create his own out on the perimeter.
As a result, the Lakers were ranked 26th in defensive rating and hovered around a .500 record. It looked like a first-round or play-in exit was bound to happen. Even though LeBron was dominating, it wasn’t enough to consider him in the MVP race.
The Lakers did the impossible; they sent Anthony Davis, a dominant center in his prime, to Dallas for a superstar in Luka Doncic. It was one of the biggest trades in recent history, pairing the game’s most cerebral playmakers together. Instantly, the impact was felt.
Luka came in and did what he does best – run the offense. With him handling the ball, LeBron didn’t have to initiate every possession. Suddenly, the Lakers’ offensive flow became smoother, and their defense tightened up because they weren’t scrambling as much during the transition.
Since Luka arrived, the Lakers have gone 10-2, skyrocketing the Western Conference standings to second seed with an overall record of 39-21. The team’s defense was a disaster earlier in the season, but it is now ranked number one in the league.
Luka’s presence has freed up LeBron to play a more controlled, efficient game. Instead of logging 38 minutes per night, he’s down to 34 minutes per night. Mind that even with the decrease in playing time, LeBron is still putting up multiple games with 30+ points or triple-double performances.
This shows how smart LeBron is at this stage of his career. With no indication of slowing down at the age of 40, he is still able to put up numbers that no 40-year-old has ever done in the best basketball league in the world.
With the ability to adapt with another ball-dominant guard, LeBron can showcase his skills differently. With added leisure time because of having a talented secondary playmaker, he can pick and choose his spots and is dominant in other facets of the game. Just playing off feel and the newly added spacing contributes to his dominating performances as the Lakers ride this momentum toward the post-season.
Here’s where it comes all together. The MVP award isn’t just about putting up numbers but elevating your team to another level. Since getting Luka, LeBron has done precisely that. He adjusted his game, allowed Luka to thrive, and, in doing so, made the Lakers a legitimate title contender.
The narrative matters, too – at 40, LeBron is still outplaying guys 10-15 years younger than him. He just became the first player ever to reach 50,000 points combined with the regular season and playoffs, proving that his longevity and dominance can’t be denied.
With the Lakers looking like a serious contender and LeBron showing that he’s still the key to their success, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be in the MVP discussion. The numbers, the wins, and the impact are all there. This might be his last shot at MVP he gets, and if he keeps leading the Lakers the way he has post-trade, he’s got a strong case to take home this award.
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