LeBron James doesn’t have a star-studded roster surrounding him in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s precisely why he will receive all of the praise should the Lakers somehow earn a playoff spot and contend for a conference title.
In what has been an annual tradition, NBA general managers took part in a survey ahead of the regular season. In it, 30 percent of said GMs picked James to come away with the MVP. He was followed in line by Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant at 27 percent and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans at 17 percent.
A total of 97 percent of those surveyed also believe James was the most impactful offseason move. For some reason, Kawhi Leonard received three percent of the vote.
It’s no real surprise. James’ decision to move to the Pacific Division will pit him against the Warriors a whole lot. He’s also now playing in a much more difficult conference. If the Lakers were to win 50-plus games, it would be hard to deny James his fifth MVP award.
This doesn’t change the fact that Golden State is overwhelming favorites to win a third consecutive NBA title. A total of 87 percent of those surveyed have the Warriors winning the title. Boston and Houston each come in at around seven percent in rounding out the top three.