Vogel: LeBron is MVP, Davis should be Defensive Player of the Year

A head coach endorsing his players for awards is nothing new, but Frank Vogel detailed Saturday why his two Los Angeles Lakers superstars should be picking up hardware this season.

"Nobody impacts winning more than LeBron James," Vogel told reporters, including ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I do believe that he should be the MVP this year. I believe he should be the MVP and I believe Anthony Davis should be the Defensive Player of the Year."

Vogel cited James' play in back-to-back Lakers wins in early March over the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, in which he scored 37 and 28 points, respectively.

"In that weekend, LeBron took the toughest assignment in both games," he said. "He guarded Kawhi (Leonard) in the Clippers game and did a great job with him there. And then he guarded Giannis (Antetokounmpo) in the Bucks game when AD was in foul trouble and did a great job in those two situations. I think that weekend was probably a great indicator or a great measuring stick."

The coach credited James and Davis for anchoring the Lakers' third-ranked defense this season. The latter ranks second in the league in defensive win shares and fourth in defensive box plus-minus.

Vogel voiced his opinion after it was reported Friday that the NBA's seeding games in the Orlando bubble won't count toward award voting.