Las Vegas, Nevada – The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate a hard-fought win over the Indiana Pacers in the final game of this season’s in-season tournament. The Lakers ultimately win the title after beating the Pacers, 123-109. Meanwhile, after continuous stellar performances, the 38-year-old LeBron James was crowned the first-ever in-season tournament MVP.
The King posted 24 points and 11 rebounds while Anthony Davis was unstoppable, putting up a nice 40-20 game. It was truly a beautiful and intense game to watch with $500,000 individual prize money and the bragging rights to become the first NBA In-Season tournament champions at stake.
Year 21: The inaugural In-Season Tournament MVP pic.twitter.com/870LSPzUbl
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 10, 2023
However, some think that another Laker is more deserving of the In-season tournament MVP
Some NBA fans are a bit skeptical about why LeBron James was named the In-season tournament MVP. According to them, Anthony Davis was more deserving of the award than LBJ. But, is that really the case?
AD robbed. Clearly rigged pic.twitter.com/ubUFtU8WSr
— Broad STweet 🦅🏳️🌈 (@Broad_STweet) December 10, 2023
Let’s compare how LeBron and AD performed during the tourney:
LeBron James’ stats in the 2023-2024 NBA in-season tournament
- 26.4 PPG, 8 RPG, 7.6 APG, and a +16.2 average plus/minus throughout 7 games
Anthony Davis’ stats in the 2023-2024 NBA in-season tournament
- 23.4 PPG, 14.6 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.9 BPG, and a +14.2 average plus/minus throughout 7 games
Although AD played exceptionally great in the NBA Cup championship game against the Pacers by putting up 41 points and 20 rebounds, the MVP award isn’t given to the best-performing player in the final game. In NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s own words, the trophy is awarded to the best performer throughout the tournament.
ANTHONY DAVIS TONIGHT:
41 POINTS
20 REBOUNDS
5 ASSISTS
4 BLOCKS
67% FGThe Lakers are the NBA’s Inaugural In-Season Tournament Champions 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/fyLKyrtl7d
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 10, 2023
Even as the oldest NBA player, LeBron is still the best player for the Lakers
Anthony Davis may be producing elite numbers this season and his defense is still top-tier, but it’s obvious it’s still LeBron’s team. Throughout the 2023-2024 in-season tournament campaign, it’s evident that James had the better stats and was more impactful to the team. Moreover, what the 3-time MVP brings to the table is his consistency, energy, hustle, and leadership, things that are just obviously he’s better at doing than AD or any other player in the Lakers squad. Overall, it was a well-deserved win for the purple and gold and hopefully, they bring this intensity when they hit the stage in the 2024 playoffs.
