Media

Paul Pierce places LeBron James behind James Harden and Joel Embiid in MVP rankings

Published by
Ryan Ward

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is having another incredible season as the undisputed leader for the storied franchise.

He’s making a strong case to win MVP for the fifth time in his career, but the competition has gotten a little bit tougher as of late.

The Lakers have lost four of their last five games and have really struggled with Anthony Davis out of the lineup due to injury. James has tried to shoulder the load in Davis’ absence, but he hasn’t been able to do it on his own.

This has sparked conversations that James might not be the favorite for the regular-season award anymore. In fact, former star Paul Pierce ranked James as No. 3 in his personal rankings for MVP.

If the Lakers continue to struggle with James’s inability to lead the team to wins with Davis on the mend, the narrative that he’s not this season’s MVP will continue to gain steam.

James and company only have five games left before the NBA All-Star break with some tough challenges ahead. The Lakers will face the Western Conference-leading Utah Jazz on Wednesday, followed by matchups with the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.

The MVP narrative could quickly change once again if James can lead the Lakers to a few wins over some of these playoff-caliber teams before the All-Star break.

Ryan Ward

Ryan is a veteran sportswriter who has covered the NBA and NFL for nearly a decade. Along with numerous exclusive interviews with professional athletes, Ryan has been credentialed by the Los Angeles Lakers since 2011. Follow him on Twitter @RyanWardLA.

Published by
Ryan Ward

Recent Posts

Darvin Ham apparently felt like Lakers starter was ’s—ting the bed’ in 10 straight games earlier this season

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham commented on the challenge of having so many…

April 30, 2024

Nick Young says Lakers would’ve eliminated Nuggets had they picked Dennis Schroder over Gabe Vincent in offseason

Former Los Angeles Lakers player Nick Young believes that the team would have eliminated the…

April 30, 2024

Rich Paul says he’s LeBron’s biggest critic: ‘When I have an issue…I go get in front of him’

Rich Paul — a longtime agent and friend of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James…

April 29, 2024

Dwight Howard implies LeBron James is 3 wins away from becoming the G.O.A.T.

Any discussion about the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) in the NBA should involve Los…

April 28, 2024

Former Warriors coach would cancel Game 4 of Lakers-Nuggets series if he were NBA commissioner

Mark Jackson — who served as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors for…

April 27, 2024

NFL legend calls out Lakers for having more pride in winning In-Season Tournament than current series

The Los Angeles Lakers looked like dark horse contenders for the NBA championship earlier this…

April 26, 2024