Kobe Bryant won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award last season with stats far inferior than his 2005-2006 season (where he averaged an insane 35.4 points/game) or even his 2006-2007 season (where he got a statline that would make fantasy GM’s drool: 32 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists).
This young NBA season, Kobe’s stats are as low as ever (25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists). He’s shooting an abysmal 25% from the 3-point line and getting to the line far much less than he used to. But the Los Angeles Lakers are off to one of the franchise’s best starts and Kobe is playing more efficiently– he’s shooting his best FG% in his career and his turnovers are the lowest in five years. Maybe it’s the reduced minutes, but Kobe has managed to stay in MVP discussions despite the sub par stats.
The only person I would consider as the MVP apart from Kobe would be the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James. He has better stats across the board (27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) plus the Cavs are playing great ball in the Eastern Conference.
What about Paul Pierce? Nah.
