LeBron James and the Lakers were shown no love by NBA GMs.
There’s a lot to think about heading into the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season. Who will make it to the Finals? Who will be crowned as Champions? Who will be the best player at each position? All 30 NBA GMs were asked to answer a 48 question survey about the most sought out questions for the new year.
In a not so surprising decision, the Lakers received 80% of the vote when it came to winning the Western Conference. However, the Brooklyn Nets are heavily favored to win the NBA Finals with 72% of the vote compared to the Lakers’ 17%.
1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn – 37%
2. Luka Doncic, Dallas – 33%
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee – 13%
4. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia – 7%
James Harden, Brooklyn – 7%
6. Stephen Curry, Golden State – 3%
Furthermore, the GMs also took a vote for who they believed would be the MVP at the end of the upcoming season. Kevin Durant (37%), Luka Doncic (33%), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (13%) made up the top 3. What is surprising and a little disrespectful was that LeBron James did not receive a single vote. Yes, LeBron is 36 years old now, but to not receive a single vote is a little puzzling. He was playing like an MVP early on last season before suffering his ankle injury which allowed him to only appear in 45 games.
While he may not be in his prime anymore, he can still get the job done on the court, especially when he’s healthy. The GMs know that and made up for the absence of votes in that category with some praise in others. James was voted the player with the best basketball IQ, the most versatile player, the best passer, and the second best leader.
This may have just been a survey of opinions amongst the GMs, so its nothing too serious. Yet, it just gives LeBron and the Lakers even more motivation to prove the basketball world wrong.
