The Los Angeles Lakers are well represented when it comes to team and player honors, including countles MVPs, NBA Champions, and All-Stars.
Now, it looks like yet another player could win NBA MVP honors.
According to Terrence Jordan of FanSided, there is a good chance that power forward/center Anthony Davis could be the first Lakers since Kobe Bryant in 2008 to win the MVP award.
“Anthony Davis has a full trophy case, but he’s never won MVP. He did finish third in the voting in 2018 and sixth in 2020, but if the first seven games of the season are any indication, he may be making a case to be the first Los Angeles Lakers MVP since Kobe Bryant,” Jordan said.
“Davis has taken his offensive game to another level this season, as he’s averaging a career high 32.6 points per game. That number currently leads the NBA, but it’s not the only reason why Davis deserves MVP consideration, as he still remains one of the most impactful defensive players in the league, as well.”
On top of this, Davis is ranked seventh in the league in steals plus blocks (stocks) per game with 3.29. This means that he is just as dangerous defensively as he is offensively.
Overall, Davis is averaging 32.6 points, 11.6 total rebounds, three assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game.
That being said, the former Kentucky Wildcat has stiff competition when it comes to the NBA’s top individual honor. According to FanDuel, he is the sixth-favorite to take home MVP with +1400 odds.
Currently, Davis is behind Anthony Edwards (+1000), Nikola Jokic (+700), Jayson Tatum (+450), Luka Doncic (+300), and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+250).
Unfortunately, there are some factors working against Davis. One factor is his injury history, which has already begun to show its ugly head this season with Davis being questionable for the Lakers’ Wednesday night game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Then there’s the fact that the Lakers aren’t currently a top-seeded team. Currently, Los Angeles has a 4-3 record, putting them at sixth place in the Western Conference. This puts him well-behind players like Tatum on the Boston Celtics (7-1) and Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder (7-0).
That being said, this is only the very beginning of the 2024 NBA season, and there are plenty of games for the Lakers to improve and for Davis to show what he’s got.