Los Angeles Lakers and NBA legend Magic Johnson recently endorsed LeBron James and Ja Morant for the NBA MVP award this season. Johnson believes both superstars should be in the conversation.As of late, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic are the top-three candidates in the latest NBA MVP ladder.
Despite his incredible numbers in the Lakers past 10 games, James remains out of the top-5, currently averaging 28.9 points, 6.6 assists and 7.4 rebounds. Ja Morant is barely making the Top-10, having missed several games due to injury earlier in the season.
The Lakers are at least mediocre so far this year, however, James is doing everything he can to keep them relevant in the title conversation, defying father time almost every night. So far, James has recorded three triple-doubles and 11 double-doubles while playing nearly 37 minutes a night for the Lakers.
These are astonishing numbers for a player in his 19th year in the league. If it weren’t for the abysmal record the Lakers have now, he would be the favorite to win his fifth MVP award of his career. James also had a great year playing in a different position as Frank Vogel opted to deploy James as the center.
Morant is leading the Grizzlies to new heights this year, averaging 24.7 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds while shooting the ball better than 38% from the perimeter and nearly 49% from the field. He came big for Memphis, who is ranked fourth in the tough Western Conference and they seem to be a lock for a playoff spot this season.
His incredible dunks and blocks have caught the NBA fans’ imagination, offering some of the best highlights of his young career this season. In the last nine games, Morant is playing on an MVP level, heading to his first All-Star appearance.
The high-flying guard is averaging 27.0 points, 6.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds shooting a massive 51 percent from the field and a career-best 43 percent from deep, while the Grizzlies are averaging a +24.8 net rating, when Morant is on the floor.
