Bucks News: Odds List Giannis Antetokounmpo Shockingly Low in 2025 DPOY Race

Ricardo Klein | Oct 9, 2024

Apr 2, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends against Washington Wizards guard Jared Butler (4) during the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks will enter the 2024-25 season with one of the best players on their side, superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Antetokounmpo will enter his 12th season in the NBA, all with the Bucks, and he's already planned out a Hall of Fame career.  

Antetokounmpo has accomplished everything a player can in his career, and if he were to retire tomorrow, he'd be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Still, he has plenty of juice left in the tank as he enters his age 30 season. 

The 29-year-old will look for yet another superstar type of season, one that he hopes to stay healthy from beginning to end. While a championship is on Antetokounmpo's mind, he remains in the mix for individual accolades, like the Defensive Player of The Year. 

While that is the case, his odds to win the award aren't too high this season. According to Fan Duel Sportsbook, Antetokounmpo has the eighth-best odds to win the 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. 

Antetokounmpo has +2,000 odds, tied with Grizzlies star center Jaren Jackson Jr. 

"Giannis is still a hellacious defender, and the Bucks will be better defensively with a year of Doc Rivers and its additions of Gary Trent Jr. and Delon Wright. These odds are very long for someone who made 4 straight all-defensive first teams, before playing only 63 games in 2023 and then having the coaching mess last Year. With Doc as coach, they had the 13th-best defense in the NBA, and he cleaned up a lot of basic defensive mistakes." 

The players in front of Antetokounmpo are Jackson Jr., Anthony Davis, Chet Holmgren, Evan Mobley, Bam Adebayo, Rudy Gobert, and Victor Wembanyama, who is the favorite with -170 odds. 

Antetokounmpo last won the award in the 2019-20 season, the same year he won his second NBA MVP award. 

The Bucks' defense has not been as hot as it's been in Antetokounmpo's MVP seasons. Last season, the Bucks ranked 21st in opponent points allowed, 20th in opponent points in the paint per game, 18th in total rebounds, and 29th in opponent assists/turnovers. 

The Bucks' defense has not been elite, but the hope is that with a full training camp under head coach Doc Rivers, it will return to an elite level. 

All eyes will be on Antetokounmpo to get the job done and lead the Bucks to a deep playoff run. 

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