ESPN predicts Giannis Antetokounmpo will fall short of winning third MVP trophy

Can the Greek Freak win a third MVP trophy?

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was in the thick of the race for the Most Valuable Player trophy last season alongside the Philadelphia 76ers’s Joel Embiid and the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. It was a heated race wherein any of the three could have won the newly minted Michael Jordan trophy. In the end, though, Embiid emerged victorious, winning his first MVP award.

With the new season looming on the horizon, ESPN has released its predictions for who it believes will win the MVP at the end of the 2023-2024 season. Here’s who they think the winners will be.

Jokic will win a third MVP trophy

According to ESPN, the Nuggets’ sentinel will win a third MVP award. A panel from ESPN gave the Serbian the most first-place votes (42.3%), putting him way ahead of Giannis, who received just 23.1 percent of the first-place votes.

“Both Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo won back-to-back MVPs -- and our panel believes the 2024 MVP will land back in Denver,” wrote ESPN.

Jokic could have won it all last season as he narrowly missed out on averaging a triple-double with stellar numbers of 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game. Aside from Giannis, ESPN points to new contenders for the MVP plum, such as Dallas’ star Luka Doncic and Boston’s ace Jayson Tatum. Embiid also figures to be in the mix.

“Will last year's winner, Joel Embiid, emerge from the Sixers' drama and repeat for the league's most coveted award? Our panel has him in the top five, but both Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum have pushed ahead of him as serious first-time contenders,” ESPN added.

Giannis will have a say

Giannis will no doubt have a say in the matter. Last season, the Greek Freak averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 dimes in 63 regular season games, leading the Bucks to the league’s best record. The pressure is on Giannis to replicate his level of play — and possibly elevate it further — if the Bucks will reign supreme in the East this upcoming season.