JJ Redick vouches for LeBron James to make it into the 2023 MVP race if the Los Angeles Lakers pull off a miracle
LeBron James
© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James is averaging 29.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in the 2022-23 season, yet he fails to make it big amongst the top stars running for the 2023 MVP honor. If you ask JJ Redick, a Los Angeles Lakers miracle could see their No. 1 superstar make a strong case for another individual accolade.
Officially being less than 300 points away from surpassing Kareem Abdul Jabbar on the All-Time Scoring List, Redick feels this could be the perfect chance for LeBron James to present his claim for the MVP honors. However, for this, the Purple and Gold should finish the playoffs berths.
The former Pelicans star said on the latest episode of his podcast, "Let's paint a picture of a lot of what-ifs. What if they (Los Angeles Lakers) do make a couple of trades? What if they do end up in the top 5 in the Western Conference? All of a sudden, we've got to add another name to the MVP conversation, which is very deep right now. There are a lot of people in that conversation. When the season started, LeBron (James) was at +2200 for MVP. He's right now at 1400 (improved MVP odds) … If some stars align (for) the Lakers and they end up with the top 5 seed in the Western Conference, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility."
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Is LeBron James a worthy MVP candidate?
The 38-year-old LeBron might not have the same influence on the game as Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic have for their respective teams, yet there is no denying that he is single-handedly inspiring his team to fight against some of the greatest star-studded giants.
While Anthony Davis has missed 21 games so far in the 2022-23 season for Darvin Ham's team, LeBron and Russell Westbrook have pretty much stabilized their ship to an improving 21-25 tally. The Lakers have fought until the end and only registered nail-biting defeats.
What next for LeBron James and the LA Lakers?
The Purple and Gold are coming off a strong win against the uprising Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers ended their opponent's 11-game winning streak to edge past the victory line by just a point (122-121), seemingly boosting their confidence to take games deeper.
Given that Los Angeles Lakers are only short of 5 wins from the playoff berths, don't count the magic of LeBron James out just yet. Will we witness the King establish his legend once again? Hopefully, all speculations will be answered sooner than expected.
