In the eyes of many, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been having his best individual season as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, which is saying something.
The Greek Freak has been flat-out marvelous, averaging 30.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and a career best 6.4 assists per game while shooting 61.6 percent from the floor. Per StatMuse, he’s the only player in NBA history to average these numbers in a season. Antetokounmpo’s play has helped hold this team together through a turbulent season full of change, still holding onto the second seed in the East.
However, despite his dominance, Antetokounmpo’s chances of winning his third MVP award have not changed much throughout the course of the regular season. Constantly, he’s landed in third place in weekly rankings. On the NBA’s latest ranking, he was tied for third place with Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and trailing Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic and OKC Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
An impressive factor in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s MVP case that needs more attention
A lot of people have taken exception to Antetokounmpo’s placement and believe he should be ahead of his competitors. It is certainly not a runaway race, but Antetokounmpo does indeed have a quality case to lead this thing. Something that should boost his case is just how impressive he has been when sharing the floor with the other prominent MVP candidates.
According to BasketNews, Giannis Antetokounmpo is now 4-1 on the season against, Doncic, Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander following Milwaukee’s dominant win over OKC on Sunday. Furthermore, he is averaging 36.6 points, 14 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.2 steals in these matchups. It’s not a huge sample size, but when the top players come to town, Giannis Antetokounmpo ups his game mightily.
Antetokounmpo will have an opportunity to bolster these numbers further when the Milwaukee Bucks take on the OKC Thunder again on April 12.
There is no set in stone criteria for MVP – in fact, it seems like it changes every single year – but this has to be a major part of Antetokounmpo’s case. In addition to that impressive 30, 10 and five while shooting 60 percent from the floor stat, he’s taken his game a step further when the best of the best are opposite him on the floor. MVP voters, take notice of this.
Ultimately, the MVP award is not top priority. More than anything, Antetokounmpo wants to lead this team to another championship, and rightfully so. Still, that’s not to say another trophy in the cabinet would hurt, especially when he’s got an excellent case. With 11 games to play, Antetokounmpo still has an opportunity to cement his case to secure a third MVP trophy with the Milwaukee Bucks.
