Anthony Davis, LeBron James named finalists for NBA Awards
Anthony Davis is looking to secure his first Defensive Player of the Year, while James is chasing his fifth MVP award.
The NBA announced the finalists for the NBA Awards and, as expected, the Los Angeles Lakers are well-represented.
For the 11th time in his career, LeBron James finished among the top-three vote-getters for the MVP Award. James last finished in the top-three at the end of the 2017-18 season. He has won the award four times.
If James is going to take home his fifth MVP Award this season, he’s going to have to beat out a field that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden, both of whom are previous MVP winners and the latter of whom is the reigning league MVP. Antetokounmpo is currently the betting favorite at -3500, followed by James at +650, according to Bovada.
The three finalists for #KiaMVP... @Giannis_An34, @JHarden13 and @KingJames! pic.twitter.com/ORuBapQO9n
— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2020
Anthony Davis could also take home some hardware this season, as he’s among the finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Davis finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2018, which is the highest he’s finished in his career.
Rounding out the Defensive Player of the Year field are Rudy Gobert and Antetokounmpo. Despite the fact that Gobert is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year award-winner, it’s actually Antetokounmpo who’s the betting favorite at -290, followed by Gobert at +420 and Davis at +500.
The three finalists for #KiaDPOY... @Giannis_An34, @AntDavis23 and @rudygobert27! pic.twitter.com/ygSrzjyi9Z
— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2020
Unfortunately, Frank Vogel was snubbed from the Coach of the Year ballot, as Mike Budenholzer, Billy Donovan and Nick Nurse finished ahead of him. Vogel, in his first year as head coach of the Lakers, helped his team clinch the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time since the 2009-10 season and led them to their first playoff berth in seven years. Vogel received votes for the NBCA Coach of the Year last week.
The NBA Award-winners will be announced during the playoffs.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.