It took Hall of Famer Gary Payton just six minutes to break down the complex, six-month process of selecting a Kia MVP.

The metric for Payton is simple: Elite player + elite numbers + elite team success = legitimate finish at the end of the race.

Never shy about calling his shots, Payton has an answer to the question before it’s even asked.

“My prediction of who I think will win it this year is LeBron [James],” Payton said. “I got LeBron winning MVP and he’s showing it now. You see he’s almost averaging a triple-double now. Look at the way they are playing and what he’s doing … MVP.”

LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard waged a classic duel in the 2019-20 season opener.

When reminded that a roughly three-week sample might not be enough to make the best choice, Payton didn’t relent.

“Him and Kawhi [Leonard], when I saw them play to start the season, I think LeBron was baiting it to see what they got and he didn’t play his normal game,” Payton said. “After that, he realized what it is and this is how he had to play … now he’s picked it up.

“But for me, you’ve got to have the right player on the right team and his team has to be lifted up with him. That’s why Giannis [Antetokounmpo] still has a chance, and I agreed with him winning it last year. And I think Kawhi has a chance. That’s the three that will be there.”

Given the nature of the media beast that accompanies the MVP chase, things aren’t nearly as simple to the rest of us as they are to Payton. There’s much more nuance to the race (a 24-hour news cycle, the “load management” factor, etc.) these days.

As much as we’d like to keep the MVP formula simple, there’s a reason we wrestle with its daily ebb and flow.

As for James Harden and Joel Embiid, Payton says they need everything to go right for them to get into the mix. But his formula works for only four teams this season -- the Lakers, Clippers, Bucks and Sixers -- making it an even tougher climb for Harden.