Giannis Antetokounmpo: Most Improved Player?

Has Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s recent surge given him a realistic chance at being the NBA’s Most Improved Player?

Giannis Antetokounmpo is making more noise than any other Milwaukee Bucks player has in a long, long time.

The experiment of the freakishly long Antetokounmpo playing like a point guard was always one that got people excited, but I’m not sure if there was anyone who believed it could have paid dividends in such incredible fashion.

Having never previously recorded a triple-double in his career, The Greek Freak has now recorded four in the space of three weeks. To say that that’s creating a stir in terms of franchise and league history would be something of an understatement.

With every passing game it has started to feel like we move a step closer to another slice of Giannis history.

That last one is particularly important, as considering his recent form and the 15 games remaining on the schedule, there’s a strong chance that Antetokounmpo could equal or surpass that mark of Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s before the season’s end.

More from Bucks News

• Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
• Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
• Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
• Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
• New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited

There has been a loyal base of Bucks fans who have consistently believed that the Greek’s name would ultimately figure in discussions in franchise history alongside those two, but for it to happen so soon is another matter.

What this brings to a head is the question of how much longer we’re going to be talking about Giannis in terms of potential? Of course, one of the most exciting aspects about the Greek Freak’s progression is that with his tender years there’s still scope for further dramatic improvements down the road, but it’s starting to become clear that what Giannis is doing is special in its own right, and deserving of recognition now.

Considering the timing of his exceptional run of play, there’s a growing possibility that Antetokounmpo could have all the right momentum to set himself up for a place in the end of season awards picture.

The Milwaukee Bucks have not had a player win an individual playing award since Ricky Pierce was named as Sixth Man in 1990.

With solid improvements across the board from the start of the season, Antetokounmpo has consistently been a dark horse positioned towards the back of the pack in the race for this year’s Most Improved Player award.

Now boosted by post All-Star numbers which are currently tracking at 20.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game, Giannis’ overall improvements are starting to track at a level that might just be enough to push him to the front of that conversation.

The analytics are trending in the right direction in terms of a big third year leap that many had hoped for, and the key per game measures are now following suit.

Jacob Rosen took a look at the Most Improved Player picture for Hardwood Paroxysm back at the end of December, and a couple of the important observations he picked up on are worth measuring Antetokounmpo against.

First off, the last 10 winners of the award have all made improvements in scoring. To be specific they’ve increased their output by at least five extra points a contest. Giannis isn’t quite at that mark yet, but he’s closing on it quickly, as his 16.7 points per game is now a full four points better than his mark from last year.

If Antetokounmpo was to simply maintain his post All-Star break scoring pace of 20.1 points per game for Milwaukee’s remaining 15 games that would see him finish out the season with an average of 17.3, and a year on year increase of 4.6.

Another factor noted by Rosen is that winners are generally playing within the window of their third to fifth years in the league. Obviously, Antetokounmpo is just entering that three year segment in his own career.

If the Greek Freak is in with a legitimate chance, his two biggest rivals for the award will likely be Portland’s C.J. McCollum and Denver’s Will Barton.

Both McCollum and Barton are very different players to Antetokounmpo in that their instincts lend more towards true scoring rather than contributions across the floor. Also, and perhaps most importantly, they’re working off much lower bases than the Buck.

McCollum has improved from 6.8 points to 20.7 this season, but that is offset to a degree by a near 20 minute increase in nightly playing time.

Barton also averaged 6.8 points per game last season and has seen that number rise to 15.1 this season, in line with a minutes increase of 11.8.

When all three have their points improvements adjusted per 36 minutes, we see a 5.8 increase for McCollum, 4.3 for Barton and 2.4 for Giannis.

If the award is all about scoring, the likelihood is that Giannis will get edged out. The truth is that when compared to that pair, Giannis does so much more than just score that it feels necessary for that to be weighted into the conversation.

Arguably the best way to do that is with triple-doubles. Is there really a more effective way of glamorizing your rebounding and passing abilities in today’s NBA? There isn’t a whole host of achievements that can regularly achieve quite as much hype as the triple-double.

Next: Khris Middleton Has Been A Consistent Contributor For The Milwaukee Bucks

If Giannis wants a trophy for his significant strides (pun intended) this season, he might have to just keep giving us triple-doubles. The best part of all of this is that it now feels like there’s a genuine chance of that happening.