The Bucks have the best record of the season with 58 wins and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a career-best season with 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists. The Greek is the fifth scorer and the third rebounder in the league. Such numbers make him a more than credible candidate to be the regular season MVP.
But voters will undoubtedly favor Joel Embiid or even Nikola Jokic. Perhaps because making a big season is now commonplace for the interior of Milwaukee. We are almost no longer surprised…
“I’m never going to try to make a little music about the work I do and maybe that hurts me because I think I’ve been the MVP for five years,” he explains to Bleacher Report. “Do I want a third trophy? Yes totally. I’m very competitive, I get paid for it. I do not discredit the work of others. I’m not like that. I’m not claiming an MVP trophy that I feel I deserve. I want to avoid that as much as possible, I don’t want my children to see their father whining for a trophy. I don’t want to win like this. I am proud to have played at this level, because it means that my team is doing well. It is the objective. »
But shouldn’t we remind voters that making seasons with 28-29 or 30 points and 11 rebounds on average is not trivial? The latter would eventually be tired of the extraordinary performances of the Greek as they have been with Michael Jordan, LeBron James, who have not been MVP every year.
Crowds get tired of dominating players
“Maybe people are tired of me. I am too, I’m not going to lie. Mariah Riddlesprigger (His wife) also is tired of me. But, deep down, I try to be regular. And, at the end of the day, they may say to themselves that they have to give me the MVP because I’m still here. »
Especially since the double MVP also reminds us that this excellence has a price. To support his point, he takes the example of his participation in the “bubble” in 2020, at the time of his second trophy in a row.
“I went into the bubble leaving my family, my newborn baby, but it was worth it. That’s what I notice when I see my MVP trophies: I see the difficulties. I went to an environment no one liked, injured my ankle three times in a row before signing the biggest contract in NBA history. I asked my GM, my coach to let me play. That’s what I remember. I do not give up. When I got home, I hugged my children and I was able to walk with my head held high, because those ten minutes before my injury, I had given everything. I could have chosen the easy way and left: I went into the wall. And the next season? The wall was there, I crossed it and we won the title. And today there is a wall on the question of the MVP and I will cross it too. »
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2013-14 | MIL | 77 | 25 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 68.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIL | 81 | 31 | 49.1 | 15.9 | 74.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | MIL | 80 | 35 | 50.6 | 25.7 | 72.4 | 1.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 52.1 | 27.2 | 77.0 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 22.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 75 | 37 | 52.9 | 30.7 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 ★ | MIL | 72 | 33 | 57.8 | 25.6 | 72.9 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| 2019-20 ★ | MIL | 63 | 30 | 55.3 | 30.4 | 63.3 | 2.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 29.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 61 | 33 | 56.9 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 28.2 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 55.3 | 29.3 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 29.9 |
| 2022-23 | MIL | 63 | 32 | 55.3 | 27.5 | 64.5 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 31.1 |
| Total | 719 | 33 | 53.7 | 28.7 | 70.8 | 1.8 | 7.8 | 9.6 | 4.7 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 22.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
