Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo Inches Up Latest NBA MVP Rankings

Jeremy Hanna | 6 Hours Ago

Nov 22, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after dunking a basket in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Currently on a five-game winning streak, the Milwaukee Bucks are starting to look like the dominant team they once were, firmly holding onto a top-6 Eastern Conference seed with a 10-9 record.

A large part of this success is because of Milwaukee's star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who prior to the team's game against the Washington Wizards on Saturday night had been averaging a league-high 32.4 points per game as well as 11.9 total rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 0.6 steals.

This stellar play has once again put the Greek Freak back in the conversation for NBA MVP.

A little over two weeks ago, Antetokounmpo was sitting at seventh place in the power rankings of Shaun Powell of NBA.com. He has risen to fourth in Powell's latest list, right on the heels of Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis.

"Antetokounmpo exits Thanksgiving as the league's leading scorer, making 60% of his shots on high volume, which is incredibly impressive," Powell saud. "In the two games since the last Ladder, he scored 69 points combined with 21 rebounds to lead the Bucks’ seasonable comeback from a 2-8 start."

"The schedule gets easier; between now and Jan. 10, Milwaukee only has two games against teams (Boston and Cleveland) currently with a winning record. If the Bucks keep surging, their win-loss record won’t be held against Giannis anymore."

Given that the Bucks have remained close in their encounters with the Celtics and the Cavaliers, it's more than possible that Milwaukee could beat these teams in a rematch.

The players ahead of Antetokounmpo include the aforementioned Davis, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, the current frontrunner.

If Antetokounmpo were to pull this off, it would be the third time he took home the NBA's top individual honor.

Antetokounmpo was first named MVP for the 2018-19 NBA season, averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 total rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.

The next season, Antetokounmpo was named MVP again, this time averaging 29.5 points, 13.6 total rebounds, 5.6 assists, one block, and one steal per game. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year.

While he didn't earn MVP honors for the 2020-21 season, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks did win the NBA championship. And Giannis was named Finals MVP.

Needless to say, Antetokounmpo still has a great chance to once again be named MVP. He just has to beat out some of the best players to ever play the game to do it.

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