Galin Dragiev's take:
One person often left out of this years’ MVP discussion has been LeBron James. The main reason for that could be that people are just used to seeing this from him year in and year out, and the fact that a few of his stats are slightly lower than his other MVP seasons probably has something to do with the doubts.
But look past his averages and you’ll see he’s been extremely clinical in the Cavaliers’ success this season. The Cavs are 2-9 this season without LeBron and a solid 39–16 with him. If he played the whole season up to this point and they won at the same rate, they would have 47 wins, only four behind league leaders Golden State and three behind Atlanta. The Cavs have also been fantastic with LeBron on the court and horrific without him. Check out the overall On/Off Ratings for the teams of all the MVP candidates:
| Player | On/Off Rating |
|---|---|
| Stephen Curry | 17.9 |
| LeBron James | 17.5 |
| Chris Paul | 15.4 |
| James Harden | 13.0 |
| Anthony Davis | 11.0 |
| Russell Westbrook | 6.0 |
Outside of Stephen Curry, LeBron has been one of the most important players to his team. His stats might not be career highs, but they’re still amongst the most impressive in the game. I think his composure and influence during Cleveland’s rough stretch should also be considered here, as his leadership is amongst the best in the game.
Simply put, Cleveland would battling for eighth without him, and are clearly a championship contender with him. Combine that with his On/Off splits and his overall statistical dominance, and you’ve got an MVP.