(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ahead of Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico, which won’t really matter for Team USA because they’ve already advanced to the next round after wins over Serbia and South Sudan, the Americans have put on a show and seem to clearly be the best team as they inch closer to a gold medal.
Although it has only been two games, there’s been a debate brewing about which player in this basketball tournament during the Olympics in Paris, France, has been the best performer or MVP thus far.
Even though there have been some strong performances from some NBA stars with their respective countries like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Dennis Schroder, there’s been two players in particular on Team USA that have elevated their game during this international competition.
Despite dealing with a calf strain during the exhibition games, which resulted in the Phoenix Suns superstar playing his first game against Jokic’s Serbian squad, Kevin Durant has been playing at an extremely high level. He torched Serbia for 23 points with only one missed shot.
Durant may be showing signs of his top form when healthy, but LeBron James has been leading the way for the Americans and earned the nickname Captain America, putting him on top of the MVP ladder, according to ClutchPoints.
UPDATED 2024 Paris Olympic MVP Ladder:
1. LeBron James
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
3. Nikola Jokic
4. Dennis Schröder
5. Kevin Durant
Who will win Olympics MVP? pic.twitter.com/RAFQYkErA1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 2, 2024
In December, James will turn 40 while playing in his 22nd season in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers, but for some reason, Father Time hasn’t crept up on him enough to drastically decline his skills as it does for most players in their late 30s.
With head coach Steve Kerr seemingly mixing things up from one game to another, it remains to be seen if James will continue to have a significant workload moving forward, especially if the team continues to dominate the competition.
The post Latest Odds Show Favorite To Win Olympic MVP appeared first on The Cold Wire.