5 reasons why Giannis Antetokounmpo will win the 2019-20 NBA MVP
Before the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season on 12th March on account of the coronavirus pandemic, Giannis Antetokounmpo was well on course to claim back-to-back MVPs. After a barnstorming season which saw two different 10-game winning streaks from his Milwaukee Bucks, the 'Greek Freak' had been on top of the leaderboard for most people for at least 3 straight months.
Now that the NBA will be rebooting on the 30th of July with 8 games left for all teams to play, there is precious little reason for that status to change, given that 90% of the regular season has essentially already been played.
In this article, we will demonstrate through 5 thoroughly justified reasons why the Maurice Podoloff trophy will go back to the 12-inch hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo for the second season in a row.
#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo is scary on offense
The numbers don't lie - the 'Greek Freak' has been playing like a man possessed on the offensive end. While his only weak point was the lack of a range of shooting last season and is still a weakness, Giannis has worked hard to fix those issues and is now hoisting open 3-pointers.
There is no player in the NBA today who can stop Giannis from dropping a round 30 points a night on single coverage. Maybe the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George or LeBron James could slow him down for a half or so, but that would take an immense toll on their body - Giannis Antetokounmpo is almost unfairly strong and jacked these days. Moreover, he creates more open 3-pointers than basically anyone not named LeBron.
Entire defensive schemes have to be designed in order to keep his impact on the game in check, and most coaches don't have the personnel to do so. The only way the Toronto Raptors were able to slow him down last season in the playoffs was by throwing a 4 or 5-man defensive wall on his path to the hoop. Teams haven't been able to do that, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has feasted on that account to the tune of a career-best 29.6 points per game - good for 3rd in the league.
#2 Best defensive impact in the NBA
A major reason for the Milwaukee Bucks' dominance in the Eastern Conference is their suffocating defense. They rank first in the league in defensive rating at a rate of 101.5 points conceded per 100 possessions.
On top of that, the impact of a certain Giannis Antetokounmpo on this stifling pack is even more apparent from his on/off splits. The Bucks allow a paltry rate of 96.2 points per 100 possessions with him on court, in comparison to the 104.2 points per 100 possessions they concede with him on the bench.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has no apparent weakness on defense. He's an elite weakside help defender, pretty solid at guarding the post, a damn good paint protector when played as a center and one of the best big men to switch onto a guard. As a matter of fact, he is also many people's choice to be Defensive Player Of the Year.
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#3 The Bucks have the best record
Historically, the NBA's MVP trophy has gone to a player who provides the best combination of team record and individual greatness.
While many critics have bones to pick with Steve Nash's back-to-back MVP trophies won in 2004-05 and 2005-06, the fact remains that the Suns were the best team in the tougher Conference in both seasons. A similar logic applied when the award was given to Steph Curry in 2014-15 (his unanimous win in 2015-16 was largely pure individual brilliance that catalysed the Warriors' NBA record of 73 wins).
Even last season, when Giannis Antetokounmpo was awarded the MVP trophy over James Harden, the main logic behind it given by the voting panel was that the Bucks had the best record in the league in addition to Giannis Antetokounmpo's dominance. Now understandably, the 2019-20 season has been different to its predecessors in terms of the suspension, but why would it change the media members' mentality when it comes to MVP voting?
#4 Giannis is playing at his career-best level
When he was drafted in 2013 with the 13th pick of the NBA draft, Giannis Antetokounmpo was considered a project with unknown potential. The fact that he's worked so hard to get this far as an MVP award winner and contender speaks volumes about his work ethic and improvements over the years.
I am struggling to think of a player other than Giannis Antetokounmpo who improved his scoring average for 6 straight seasons since entering the league. Before this season, the 'Greek Freak' had improved his rebounding and assist numbers for 5 straight seasons as well.
When the reigning MVP has displayed a visible improvement in his game and is arguably in the prime of his career, he has to have the strongest MVP case among all candidates.
#5 He has the least help among the major MVP contenders
The other two major contenders for the 2019-20 NBA MVP trophy are, in most people's eyes, LeBron James and James Harden. LeBron James is averaging a career-high and league-leading 10.6 assists per game, in addition to scoring 25.7 points per game and snagging 7.9 rebounds per game. In any other circumstance, this would present a solid challenge to Giannis Antetokounmpo, but LeBron James is also teammates with Anthony Davis.
While most people would consider LeBron to still be the best player on the Los Angeles Lakers, there is a case to be made for Anthony Davis having that mantle on him as well. After all, his two-way impact is more than that of 'The King'.
James Harden is scoring 34.4 points per game this season, but his shooting percentages are down from last season when he averaged a millennium-high 36 PPG. Also, he is teammates with a rather dominant guard called Russell Westbrook, who is himself dishing out 7 assists a game and scoring 27.5 points every outing on a career-best 47.5% field goal percentage.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has excellent role players surrounding him. So do LeBron James and James Harden. But his second star, Khris Middleton, is not in the same league as the other two guys' supporting stars. Therefore, Giannis naturally has a bigger role in the Bucks' success.
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