Lakers' LeBron James Tops 76ers' Joel Embiid in NBA MVP Straw Poll
LeBron James is the NBA's MVP front-runner this season. Well, at least according to 100 media members polled by ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
Per those results, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar earned 54 first-place votes, topping Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
Bontemps wrote: "James was named on 99 of 100 ballots and finished with a total of 760 points, leading Embiid (23 first-place votes) by just 95 points. The last MVP race to have a final margin that small came in 2004-05 when Steve Nash edged Shaquille O'Neal by 34 points. Jokic was third, garnering 18 first-place votes and a total of 596 points."
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Let's compare resumes between the three players.
James is averaging 25.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game, shooting 39.8 percent from three-point range. The 36-year-old has played all 25 games for the Lakers (19-6), who have a net rating of plus-11.9 when James is on the court and one of minus-2.1 when he sits.
Embiid, 26, is one of the most dominant two-way players this season, averaging 29.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. The Sixers are 17-3 in games he plays and just 1-4 when he sits, as Bontemps noted. And Philly—which is atop the Eastern Conference—is 11.4 points better than opponents per 100 possessions when he plays versus 3.7 points worse when he sits.
Finally, the 25-year-old Jokic remains one of the game's most dynamic offensive players, averaging 27.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in 23 games. While he doesn't offer the defensive impact of Embiid, he essentially runs the offense. Oh, and he's shooting 40.0 percent from three, too.
The Nuggets have a net rating of plus-5.7 when Jokic plays, and it drops to minus-4.2 when he's on the bench. One knock against Jokic is that the Nuggets are just 12-11.
You can make a very good case for all three players. Granted, there's an argument to be made that James is the best player in the NBA and could be the MVP every season, so few people will complain if he wins his fifth award this year.
