The Playmaker newsletter: Herring_NBA on why LeBron and the Lakers are better off not reaching the play-in round, what to make of Devin Booker’s MVP case and more ⬇️
And while Booker has undoubtedly been a lifesaver for the best team in basketball as of late—he won this latest Western Conference Player of the Week while dominating to lift the shorthanded Suns—there’s a debate to be had about whether he’s ultimately the most valuable guy on his team. While he’s close to the 25-5-5 distinction, his counting numbers are ultimately in line with what he’s done in recent years, as are his efficiency ones.
The truth is, it’s a difficult award for someone like Booker to win. He has a great ballhandler and rock-solid roster around him. But in sharing the ball with one of the greatest point guards ever, it arguably caps how much playmaking he can do at times. That isn’t the case with someone like Nikola Jokić, who’s down Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. this season. Joel Embiid was essentially forced into scoring more than he ever has with Philadelphia before James Harden came on board.
The voting stuff is always strange. But given how closely we can parse certain cases now, it’s a safe bet to expect that the sorts of narratives and numbers that helped lift players to win the award previously won’t always be enough to claim it going forward. Thanks for reading The Playmaker. Feel free to forward this email to a friend or tell them to sign up atand I may answer it in a future edition.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
YouTuber exposes LeBron James, Lakers Twitter conspiracy theoryA social media conspiracy about LeBron James and the Lakers has fans mesmerized. Basketball YouTuber Kenny Beecham has gone viral for noting that the 31-43 Lakers have not once used James’ ph…
Read more »
Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis readies for return as LeBron James deals with ankle sprainAnthony Davis is readying for a return, going through a full live practice Monday for the first time since suffering a mid-foot sprain last month, while LeBron James is dealing with an ankle sprain.
Read more »
Razzies 2022: LeBron James 'wins' worst of the year for 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'The 42nd annual Golden Raspberry Awards -- the Razzies, to its fans and many detractors -- are here to remind us how offensively bad cinema can be.
Read more »
Lakers drop critical game to Pelicans, putting play-in hopes in jeopardyFrom up 23 points, LeBron James and the Lakers frittered away a lead against the Pelicans, who started the night a half-game below them in the standings.
Read more »
Razzies 2022: LeBron James 'wins' worst of the year for 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'The 42nd annual Golden Raspberry Awards -- the Razzies, to its fans and many detractors -- are here to remind us how offensively bad cinema can be.
Read more »
Ingram scores 26 in return, Pelicans top Lakers 116-108LeBron James hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 39 points, but hit just two of eight shots in the fourth quarter for four points, missing three times from deep after hitting seven of his first 10 from 3-point distance.
Read more »