Every year around this time the awards debates begin in earnest around the NBA, as fans, media, and even the players themselves get involved in stumping for who they believe should be under consideration for the various season-end awards. It is an annual tradition that also creates an issue for me, as it seems to be the belief of many, including many of us media types, that the only way we can appreciate or highlight someone’s greatness is to wedge them into the awards conversation.
Sometimes there are genuinely interesting arguments to be made regarding an awards race and the debate is warranted, but often we reach a point in March where we force a debate where there probably shouldn’t be one. The last few years, that’s been in the Rookie of the Year races, where Ben Simmons and Luka Doncic have ultimately won the award handily, but despite lopsided voting totals, furious debates have raged over whether Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young, respectively, deserved those awards.
This year in the ROY discussion, the question is whether Zion Williamson having a spectacular half-season performance is enough to push past the tremendous season-long display put forth by Ja Morant in Memphis. It will likely result in a similar lopsided win for Morant, particularly if the Grizzlies hold on to the 8-seed over Zion’s Pelicans, but expect this debate to pick up in the coming weeks if Zion continues his 20+ point streak.
The big point of contention currently lies with the MVP race in the NBA, however, as a recent push from LeBron James has vaulted him into the discussion with the season-long frontrunner (and reigning, defending MVP) Giannis Antetokounmpo. There is little statistical argument for James, who has been fantastic this season, but simply doesn’t quite match up to the productivity and efficiency of Antetokounmpo over a season-long sample. However, the story of a 35-year-old LeBron, seven years removed from his last MVP award win and leading the league’s marquee team to a top seed in the West — with some going so far as to bring up him “navigating” the China situation at the start of the year and more recently the death of Kobe Bryant — is too good for some to pass up.
It is one of the things that frustrates me the most about the basketball discourse, that we can only appreciate great seasons provided they end in championships or awards, rather than embracing and understanding that there are great player and team performances at various levels that deserve praise and attention without the need to shoehorn them into an awards race. With regards to the rookie race, for a season-long award, Ja Morant should be a near unanimous choice with what he’s done. At the same time, we can marvel at what Zion is doing, call it preposterous, and be thrilled that he, along with Morant, Doncic, Young, Simmons, Jayson Tatum, and others are ushering in the next generation of NBA superstars and that the game appears to be in great hands.
On the MVP side, you’d be hard-pressed to make much of a basketball argument against Giannis, whether you prefer raw production, advanced metrics, efficiency, contributions to winning, or literally anything else. He’s been, truly, unreal and is putting forth an historic season. LeBron is also worthy of heaps of praise, too. What he’s doing in his 17th season is unfathomable, and we should appreciate every chance we get to watch him on a basketball court because he is, truly, a one of a kind athlete we will never see again.
The nature of sports is for there to be competition in all aspects, and I understand that. The allure of sports is that there is a winner and loser, creating the necessary stakes to get the athletes to put forth the effort and intensity they do. However, while championships are always the end goal and awards are the most official recognition of one’s individual greatness, there has to be a way for us to acknowledge and appreciate greatness beyond the one player and team that can earn those titles of MVP, Rookie of the Year, and NBA champions.
The Grizzlies, as a whole, should be celebrated for what they’ve done this season, even if the most likely outcome is a first round defeat in a rather short series. The same can be said about what LeBron is doing in L.A. or Anthony Davis is doing on the same team or Doncic is doing in Dallas or James Harden is doing in Houston or any number of players that are having spectacular seasons, all while noting it’s alright and likely deserved if Giannis wins MVP handily. We should celebrate LeBron’s season, but there has to be a way for it to be done without trying to poke holes in what Antetokounmpo has done in Milwaukee. There’s room for more praise and discussion of success in the middle in sports, rather than insisting on pitting everyone against each other at all times.
