Should Giannis Antetokounmpo win the NBA MVP award?

Should Giannis Antetokunmpo win the NBA MVP award? 

There are a ton of deserving MVP candidates this season.

Nikola Jokic is single-handedly leading a depleted Denver Nuggets team to the playoffs while putting up video game numbers. Joel Embiid, having a career year, is right there behind the Joker. Ja Morant has led the Memphis Grizzlies, with jaw-dropping highlights, to the second seed in the Western Conference. Luka Doncic, top five in the league in points and assists, has turned it up a notch since the All-Star break, leading the Dallas Mavericks to the second-best record in 2022.

Even DeMar DeRozan had his moment in the sun when he became the first player ever to score 35 points or more on at least 50 percent shooting in seven straight games for the impressive Chicago Bulls.

But through all of this, one player who has been severely overlooked in the MVP conversation. That man is Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The reason Giannis has been overlooked is simple: He’s already won the award two times. Giannis won back-to-back MVPs in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

In his first MVP season, Giannis averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.8 stocks (steals plus blocks), while shooting 57 percent from the floor and 25.6 percent from three. He also shot 72.9 percent from the foul line on 9.5 free throw attempts per game.

In his second MVP season, he upped his scoring and rebounding totals to 29.7 points and 13.6 rebounds per game on 55.3 percent shooting from the field, 30.4 percent from three, and 63.3 percent from the foul line on 10 foul shot attempts per game. He also added 5.6 assists and 2.0 stocks.

This season, Giannis is putting up a career-high 29.8 points per game on 54.7 percent shooting from the field, 30 percent from three, and 72.1 percent from the free-throw line on a career-high 11.6 free throw attempts per game. He’s also grabbing 11.5 rebounds, dishing out 5.8 assists, and getting 2.5 stocks per game.

Giannis’ numbers this season are very similar to his two MVP campaigns, but what makes them stand out for a potential third MVP trophy is how his numbers stand up against his competition.

Jokic and Embiid have received most of the MVP buzz this season and deservingly so.

The Joker is having an even better season than he did last year when he won the MVP and Embiid is having the best season of his career, dominating the center position like prime Shaquille O’Neal.

But how do their numbers stack up to Giannis’?

●      Nikola Jokic: 26.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 8.1 assists per game, 57.5/34.8/80.9 shooting splits, and a PER of 32.69, per ESPN
●      Joel Embiid: 30.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists per game, 49.0/36.4/82.2 shooting splits, and a PER of 31.50, per ESPN
●      Giannis Antetokounmpo: 29.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 54.7/30.0/72.1 shooting splits, and a PER of 32.35, per ESPN

Based on traditional stats, pretty comparable numbers, right?

Now let’s look at their defensive numbers

●      Nikola Jokic: 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, 107.9 defensive rating, 0.115 defensive win shares, per NBA
●      Joel Embiid: 1.4 steals, 1.1 blocks, 107.3 defensive rating, 0.121 defensive win shares, per NBA
●      Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1.4 steals, 1.1 blocks, 107.7 defensive rating 0.118 defensive win shares, per NBA

Again, compatible stats. Having said that, the eye test on the defensive end favors Giannis. As much as Jokic has improved as a defender and as good as a rim protector as Embiid is, Giannis is one of the best defenders the NBA has ever seen. With his length, strength, and athleticism, Giannis can guard every position on the floor and do it at an elite level which can’t be said of either Jokic or Embiid.

Another thing that factors into the MVP voting is overall team success.

●      Jokic and the Nuggets are currently 42-29, sixth in the Western conference
●      Embiid and the Sixers are currently 43-26, third in the Eastern Conference
●      Giannis and the Bucks are currently 44-26, second in the Eastern Conference

Just by looking at this, the team’s success favors Giannis, but it’s undeniable that Jokic has done more with less than both Giannis and Embiid.

Jamal Murray has missed the entire season due to injury and Michael Porter Jr. has only played in seven games this season. Both the Nuggets’ second and third best players have been out for, pretty much, the entire season, and yet, it doesn’t matter. Jokic elevates the play of his teammates better than anyone in the league right now and has led Denver to a potential top-six seed in the West.

There’s no clear-cut leader in this race. Every one of these players is deserving of the MVP trophy. But just because Giannis has won the award twice already, that shouldn’t discredit his case for the most prestigious individual award in the game.