Who is gonna win Finals MVP: LeBron James or Anthony Davis?
By IC San Pedro
Who will win the NBA Finals MVP for the Los Angeles Lakers?
Up 3-1, the Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from another championship. The only two Finals MVP candidates are LeBron James and Anthony Davis. So who’s gonna win? Here are their stats through four games in the NBA Finals so far:
- LeBron James: 27.75 PPG | 54.05 FG% | 71.88 FT% | 11.0 RPG | 8.5 APG | 0.75 SPG | 0.75 BPG
- Anthony Davis: 25.75 PPG | 60.60 FG% | 100.0 FT% | 9.25 RPG | 5.8 APG | 1.0 SPG | 1.75 BPG
On the one hand, Davis is more efficient both on the field and the line, while also doing better in the defensive stats. On the other hand, LeBron is ahead in the other counting stats: points, rebounds, and assists per game.
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I would say LeBron is slightly ahead with respect to basic stats.
What about advanced stats?
With respect to offensive win shares, which is how much credit a player deserves due to his offensive contributions, LeBron and AD are tied at 0.6. With respect to defensive win shares, LeBron and AD are tied as well, both at 0.2.
How productive are LeBron James and Anthony Davis overall? As to game score, which measures a player’s productivity per game, LeBron tallied 24.1, higher than AD’s 22.9. But as to PER, a metric that measures a player’s productivity per minute, AD’s 29.6 eclipses LeBron’s 28.8.
As to efficiency differential (eDiff), which is the difference between a player’s offensive and defensive ratings, Anthony Davis scored 20.7, which is almost twice as much as LeBron’s 10.4
Taking both traditional stats and some of these advanced stats into consideration, I think the Finals MVP race is even now.
Narrative
Surely, Finals MVP is more than just the stats. After all, it’s a panel of media members who will decide who wins the Bill Russell award. It takes into account leadership, intangibles, and most importantly (whether you like it or not), storyline.
Anthony Davis is the defensive anchor of the Lakers. He was the runner-up Defensive Player of the Year this regular season, and definitely the best defensive player of the NBA Finals. He can play both power forward or center, depending on the matchup requires of him. Either way, he’s heavily relied upon in protecting the rim and cleaning up the glass. He has no problem switching to perimeter players as well.
LeBron James is the floor general of the team. Whether he’s listed as point guard, small forward, or power forward, he dictates the flow of the game for the Lakers. Most importantly, this floor general has fought numerous battles in this stage and knows what it takes to win the war. He leads the team both by words and by example; having won the chip thrice before, he is showing his teammates how to get it done.
All that being said, the Finals MVP will be LeBron James. Barring another meltdown, or a historic game from Anthony Davis, LeBron should be bringing home his fourth Bill Russell Finals MVP award after the Lakers eventually gain another win.
Next. Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James casts shade after Game 4 victory. dark
It goes without saying that Anthony Davis is indispensable to a Laker championship. But to win a chip this year, Anthony Davis needs LeBron James more than LeBron needs him.