The Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night in a game that has ramifications for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In starting for the Bucks, Giannis appeared in his 65th game of the season, which makes him officially eligible for NBA MVP, per Bobby Marks of ESPN:
“Giannis Antetokounmpo has now reached the 65-game criteria. The 2x MVP, 7x All-NBA, DPOY and 5x All-Defense recipient is now eligible for postseason honors. Antetokounmpo played 63 games last year and received the most All-NBA votes. He would not have been eligible under the current rules.”
The Bucks superstar has won two MVPs already, and a third would put him in rare company. The only three-time MVPs in NBA history are Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James.
The case for Giannis
Giannis is arguably the most dominant player in the league right now in terms of his complete game. The Bucks currently occupy the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference and will be looking to make another deep postseason run with The Greek Freak leading the charge.
Much like Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, many voters tend to look away from Giannis Antetokounmpo now that he is a two-time MVP and a Finals MVP with the Bucks. As crazy as it may sound, this may just be the best season of Giannis' career.
Even though the Bucks have had their fair share of struggles all season, Antetokounmpo is about to make NBA history. No player in the league has ever averaged at least 30 points per game while shooting 60 percent from the floor. This past week, Giannis increased his shooting percentage by 0.1 percent, and his scoring average has not changed due to his back-to-back 30-point performances against the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings.
Giannis is now averaging 30.8 points per game for the Bucks to go along with 11.2 rebounds. He also is playing his typical brand of aggressive and smothering defense.
While there is case to be made for Jokic, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, or Shai Gilgeous Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the award, Giannis has had another stellar season for the Bucks. And beyond the individual numbers, he has Milwaukee playing solid basketball. While the Boston Celtics are running away with the NBA Eastern Conference, the Bucks are currently 45-25, good for second place in the standings.
It's wild to imagine that NBA fans are at a point where they may take Giannis for granted, but it seems to be that way in the 2024 season. He'll certainly pull in significant MVP votes when the balloting is due, but The Greek Freak deserves to be in the top contention for what would be his third MVP award in 2024.
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