Lakers: Christian Wood says LeBron James is an MVP contender

LeBron James is playing at an unprecedented level for his age. With James leading the Lakers in scoring and finishing so many games, is it time for him to enter the MVP discussion?

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  Edwin Garcia
  

• exist November 22, 2023 8:24 am

Every time LeBron James steps onto the court, he further etches his name into the history books. On Wednesday, he scored 17 points and made 5 of 3 three-pointers, becoming the only NBA player to score 39,000 points and moving up to seventh all-time in three-pointers made.

James’ achievement this year is more than just a personal milestone in his 21-year career. He is the reason the Lakers win games.

He leads the team with 25.7 points and 6.6 assists per game, and he continues to be the catalyst for the Lakers’ offense. When the game is close, Los Angeles needs that extra push to come back or call the game, and all decisions are made with the ball in James’ hands. He’s second in the league in fourth-quarter minutes, according to NBA.com.

We all understand James’ greatness and impact on the game, but is it time for him to re-enter the MVP discussion at age 38? Christian Wood certainly thinks so.

“He’s unbelievable, man,” Wood said after the win over the Jazz. “I really can’t describe it in words – from the time I got here, to him waking up in the morning, how he performs on and off the court, how he takes care of his body, how he prepares before every game. It’s overwhelming. Believe it or not, he’s still scoring, rebounding, and assisting at 38 years old. I think he should be in the MVP race because he’s 38 years old. Who do you know who is still doing this at 38? What did it do? 39,000 today, it’s incredible.”

More than any other year-end award, the MVP award is about narrative. The determination of value is so vague that its meaning and weight are subjective. Therefore, it seems that no matter how well James performs, he cannot win this award because he has “already won it too many times” or “it’s time for someone else to win it,” which often becomes the argument of others. Why he shouldn’t be part of the conversation, or why his participation is so low.

This season, his greatness seems to have taken another step forward. The fact that he remains the most valuable player on the league’s most iconic franchise, and one that the team says appears to be a top contender for the championship, creates a narrative that the league is salivating over.

Talk of an MVP race may be premature, but if James continues to perform at this level and the Lakers continue to win because of him, he could add to that legacy by becoming the oldest MVP winner in league history Adds sparkle.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter: @ECreates88.

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