LeBron James keeps winning awards. After taking home his second SI Sportsperson of the year earlier today, it was announced the LeBron James is the KIA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in October and November. This award goes to the best all-around player from each conference over the course of a given month, with the winner coming from the group of individuals who had won conference player of the week awards. Russell Westbrook won the Western Conference equivalent. This award is often indicative of MVP candidacy. As of now, Vegas has LeBron James sitting at third most likely to win the award, behind Westbrook and James Harden of the Houston Rockets, though this Conference Player of the Month award should propel him into second in those odds.
LeBron James, in the month of November, has lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the first seed in the Eastern Conference, and sits a game behind Golden State for the best record in the NBA. During November, he averaged 23.5 points, 9.3 assists and 8.1 rebounds a game. That assist number is the highest average in James’ career, easily surpassing his career average of 6.9 per game. During this month, James shot the lights out, going for 36.2% three point, while converting almost 50% of his total shots (49.8% field goal percentage). James in one month of play put up three triple doubles, with four other opportunities in which he was within two assists or rebounds from a triple double. This is James’ 33rd Eastern Conference Player of the Month Award. James also holds 55 Eastern Conference Player of the Week Awards.
Several of James’ highlight stat lines from this first month of basketball include:
Oct. 25 vs. New York: During the first game of the season, James notched a triple double, filling the box score with 19 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds in a 117-88 win over the Knicks.
Nov. 15 vs. Toronto: Besting his Eastern Conference Rivals, James put up 28 points to go with 14 assists and nine rebounds in a 121-117 win over the Raptors.
Nov. 23 vs. Portland: While Kevin Love put up 34 in the first quarter, it was James who ran the show, finishing with 31 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in a 137-125 win over the Trail Blazers.
Both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were in consideration. Irving is averaging a career high 24.8 points a game, and has been a driving factor in finishing out games for Cleveland. Love won Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the last week of November, and averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds a game.