Who Will Win MVP in the 2020 NBA Season?
The 2020 NBA season is just around the corner, and the race for MVP is already heating up. Who will take home the coveted award this year?
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the early favorite to win the 2020 NBA MVP award. After winning the 2019 MVP award, he has only gotten better and is leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA. He is averaging 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from three-point range.
The Case for Giannis
It’s hard to overstate just how good Giannis Antetokounmpo was last season. The Greek Freak made huge strides as a shooter, improved his playmaking and became an even more dominant force on the defensive end of the floor. He finished the season averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from three-point range.
The case for Giannis as MVP is simple: he was the best player on the best team in the regular season. The Milwaukee Bucks won 60 games and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference thanks in large part to Giannis’s transcendent two-way play. He was unstoppable at times, particularly in the second half of the season when he took his game to another level and carried the Bucks to a historic 32-4 record over their final 36 games.
There are plenty of other great candidates for MVP this season – James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis – but Giannis has a strong case as the favorite heading into the 2019-20 campaign. If he can lead the Bucks to another 60-win season and deep playoff run, it will be tough to deny him his second straight MVP award.
The Case Against Giannis
It is undeniable that Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the NBA. He is a physical freak of nature who can do things on the court that most players can only dream of. He is also just 24 years old and seems to be getting better every year. All of these factors make him a strong candidate for MVP.
However, there are a few reasons why he may not win MVP this season. First, his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, are not as good as they were last season. They lost some key players in the offseason and have not made any significant additions. This could mean that they will not have the same level of success and Giannis will not get as much credit.
Second, Giannis has never won MVP before. It is always difficult for players to repeat as MVP and he will likely be facing stiff competition from other players who are looking to take home the award for the first time.
Third, Giannis missed some time last season due to injury. He missed a total of 27 games, which is a significant amount. This could cause voters to be hesitant to give him the award again if he misses significant time this season.
All things considered, Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a strong candidate for MVP, but there are a few reasons why he may not win it this season.
LeBron James
The Case for LeBron
In the 2020 NBA season, LeBron James remains one of the top contenders for MVP. He’s averaging 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game while shooting 49.8% from the field and 34.9% from three-point range. The Los Angeles Lakers are also the second-best team in the Western Conference with a record of 51-19.
There are several reasons why LeBron James should win MVP in 2020. First, he is one of the best players in the league and has been for many years. He’s a versatile player who can score, rebound and pass at a high level. Second, he’s playing on a very good team that is near the top of the conference standings. Third, his numbers are very good this season, especially considering he’s 35 years old. fourth, he’s been extremely durable throughout his career, missing only 18 games in 16 seasons.
LeBron James is definitely deserving of MVP consideration in 2020 and has a strong case to win the award.
The Case Against LeBron
It’s safe to say that LeBron James has had an incredible career. He’s widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and he’s still going strong at age 34. But there are a few reasons why he might not win MVP this season.
For one, James is no longer the undisputed best player in the league. That title now belongs to Kawhi Leonard, who led the Toronto Raptors to an unlikely championship last season. Leonard is younger and fresher than James, and he’s also a better defender.
The other main reason why James might not win MVP is that his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, isn’t as good as it was in years past. The Lakers missed the playoffs last season, and they don’t look like they’ll be serious contenders this year either. That means that voters may be less likely to give James the MVP award if his team isn’t in contention for a championship.
Of course, anything can happen in the NBA season, and James is still a great player. But it’s possible that he won’t be able to win MVP for a fifth time this year.
Anthony Davis
The Case for Anthony Davis
In 2019-20, Davis was again excellent, averaging 26.1 points (on 49.3 percent shooting), 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.5 steals in 34.9 minutes per game while playing in 56 games for the Lakers. He was second in the league in defensive rating (98.6) and win shares per 48 minutes (.251), and fifth in box plus/minus (6.2). He ranked 14th in PER (23.0).
The Lakers were a markedly better team when Davis was on the court last season; they outscored opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor, compared to just two points per 100 possessions when he was off it. His real plus-minus of +4.32 was the seventh-best mark among all NBA players last season, and his value over replacement player of 5.8 was the fifth-best mark in the league.
The Case Against Anthony Davis
In order for a player to be considered for MVP, they must first be elite at their position. Obviously, Anthony Davis is elite. He is one of the best players in the league and has been for several years now. Last season, he averaged 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. He is a top-three player in the league. However, there are a few things working against Davis in his MVP campaign.
The Case Against Anthony Davis:
1) He has only played two full seasons in his career.
2) His team is not one of the elite teams in the league.
3) He does not have the best stats in the league (although they are very good).
4) He has never been voted an All-Star starter.
5) He has never won an MVP award (or any other major individual award).
These are all valid points against Davis as an MVP candidate. It will be difficult for him to win the award if he does not have a stellar season and if his team is not one of the best teams in the NBA. Additionally, his lack of individual awards could be seen as a weakness when compared to other candidates.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard is one of the best players in the NBA and is coming off of a historic season. He led the Toronto Raptors to their first ever NBA Championship and was named Finals MVP. Leonard is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and is currently averaging 27.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. He is also shooting a career-high 48.5 percent from the field.
The Case for Kawhi Leonard
In his first season with the Los Angeles Clippers, Leonard averaged 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 37.8% from three-point range. He was named to the All-NBA First Team and finished second in MVP voting behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Leonard is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He is an excellent defender who can guard all five positions and is a disruptor on that end of the floor. He is also a very efficient scorer who doesn’t need a lot of shots to impact the game offensively.
The Clippers were one of the best teams in the NBA last season, thanks in large part to Leonard’s play. They finished with a 56-26 record and were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They eventually lost to the Denver Nuggets in seven games in the conference semifinals, but it was an impressive season for Leonard and company nonetheless.
Leonard is Now 28 years old and in his prime, and he should only be getting better as he continues to play with fellow superstar Paul George. If he can lead the Clippers to another deep playoff run this season, there’s a good chance he will be crowned MVP for 2020 NBA season
The Case Against Kawhi Leonard
There are a few key reasons why Kawhi Leonard is not the favorite to win MVP this season. First, Leonard missed 22 games last season due to injury, which may have cost him a chance at winning the award. Second, Leonard is not as flashy as some of the other candidates, and he does not have the same highlight-reel plays that other players do. Third, Leonard plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, who are not as high-profile as some of the other teams in the NBA. Finally, Leonard has won the award twice before, so he may be less motivated to win it again this year.
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted with the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the 76ers.
The Case for Joel Embiid
In just a few short years, Joel Embiid has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA. He’s a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection, and he was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. He’s also one of the league’s most popular players, with a large following on social media.
Embiid is a dominant force on both ends of the court. On offense, he averaged 27.5 points per game last season while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range. He’s also an excellent rebounder, averaging 13.6 rebounds per game. On defense, he’s a rim protector, averaging 2.0 blocks per game.
The only knock on Embiid is that he has missed significant time due to injury in each of his first three seasons in the league. However, he played in 64 games last season, which is the most he has played in a single season so far in his career. If he can stay healthy for a full season, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be one of the best players in the league again in 2020.
The Case Against Joel Embiid
There are a few key points that work against Embiid’s case for MVP. First, he has only played more than 60 games in a season once in his career (2018-19). This is a bit of a red flag, as it seems unlikely that he will be able to play at an MVP level if he can’t stay on the court.
In addition, the Sixers have a deep roster and don’t need to rely on Embiid to carry them every night. They have other stars like Ben Simmons and Al Horford who can step up when Embiid is struggling or resting. This isn’t to say that Embiid isn’t valuable to the Sixers – he clearly is – but it does make it less likely that he will win MVP.
Finally, Embiid is generally considered to be a poor defensive player. While he has made some strides on that end of the court, he is still far from being elite. This could hurt his MVP chances, as voters may feel like there are other players who are more deserving of the award.
