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The NBA season is nearly a quarter complete and the contenders for the league's top awards are coming into focus.
Will LeBron James be able to add a fifth MVP award to his trophy room? Or, can a center win the MVP for the first time in over two decades? Does the league's most impressive rookie thus far reside in Sacramento, California? Which coaching performance has stood out this season?
Our experts answer the big questions and make their bold predictions about the NBA awards races.
1. What are you watching most closely in the MVP race?
Bobby Marks: How much separation LeBron James gets from the rest of the pack. James is the early leader for MVP by a wide margin, shooting 50% from the field and a career-high 41% from 3, while averaging 25.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists. The only question is if James can sustain that pace after having two months of rest in the offseason.
Chris Herring: Nikola Jokic's case -- a near triple-double average despite Jamal Murray being banged up and Michael Porter Jr. being out of the lineup -- is being vastly underplayed. A big part of that was Denver's record, which was below .500 as recently as last week. But if the Nuggets finish near or above the Lakers, and if Philadelphia's strength of schedule knocks Joel Embiid and the Sixers down a peg, the Joker's case becomes harder to deny.
Royce Young: How much LeBron wants to win it. Because if it's something he really wants, it's his. There are other strong candidates, but the Los Angeles Lakers haven't had a title hangover and James appears as motivated as ever. While LeBron doesn't have to win MVP every season to be considered the league's best player, he's on track to do both this season.
Kevin Arnovitz: Whether the big guys maintain their standing near the top of the heap. Centers are an endangered species in the present-day NBA, where it's entirely normal not to see one on the floor during the closing moments of crucial games. A center hasn't won the MVP since the Clinton administration, but Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are assembling strong résumés in the early season. Jokic's box score numbers are particularly gaudy and Embiid has the Sixers atop the East standings. If Jokic can keep piling up those totals and Embiid can stay healthy for the season, our MVP ballots could read big this spring.
Tim MacMahon: Can another superstar make a strong enough case to earn votes over LeBron James? There is no debate that James is the league's best player, as he reminded us with his dominance in the bubble en route to his fourth ring. We can discuss the semantics of best player vs. best regular season in MVP voting, but James' status atop the league's throne should at least be a tiebreaker.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...oy-dark-horses
Will LeBron James be able to add a fifth MVP award to his trophy room? Or, can a center win the MVP for the first time in over two decades? Does the league's most impressive rookie thus far reside in Sacramento, California? Which coaching performance has stood out this season?
Our experts answer the big questions and make their bold predictions about the NBA awards races.
1. What are you watching most closely in the MVP race?
Bobby Marks: How much separation LeBron James gets from the rest of the pack. James is the early leader for MVP by a wide margin, shooting 50% from the field and a career-high 41% from 3, while averaging 25.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists. The only question is if James can sustain that pace after having two months of rest in the offseason.
Chris Herring: Nikola Jokic's case -- a near triple-double average despite Jamal Murray being banged up and Michael Porter Jr. being out of the lineup -- is being vastly underplayed. A big part of that was Denver's record, which was below .500 as recently as last week. But if the Nuggets finish near or above the Lakers, and if Philadelphia's strength of schedule knocks Joel Embiid and the Sixers down a peg, the Joker's case becomes harder to deny.
Royce Young: How much LeBron wants to win it. Because if it's something he really wants, it's his. There are other strong candidates, but the Los Angeles Lakers haven't had a title hangover and James appears as motivated as ever. While LeBron doesn't have to win MVP every season to be considered the league's best player, he's on track to do both this season.
Kevin Arnovitz: Whether the big guys maintain their standing near the top of the heap. Centers are an endangered species in the present-day NBA, where it's entirely normal not to see one on the floor during the closing moments of crucial games. A center hasn't won the MVP since the Clinton administration, but Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are assembling strong résumés in the early season. Jokic's box score numbers are particularly gaudy and Embiid has the Sixers atop the East standings. If Jokic can keep piling up those totals and Embiid can stay healthy for the season, our MVP ballots could read big this spring.
Tim MacMahon: Can another superstar make a strong enough case to earn votes over LeBron James? There is no debate that James is the league's best player, as he reminded us with his dominance in the bubble en route to his fourth ring. We can discuss the semantics of best player vs. best regular season in MVP voting, but James' status atop the league's throne should at least be a tiebreaker.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...oy-dark-horses