Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2018-19 season
By Adam McGee
Rise the MVP ranks
A spectacular start to the 2017-18 season led to the first chunk of meaningful MVP buzz of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career to date.
The combination of the Bucks’ underachievement, niggling injuries and some minor drop-offs in his own play over the course of the year meant that he wasn’t a frontrunner by the time the season wrapped up, but it was still a major moment for Antetokounmpo to cross over into that kind of consideration.
The results of the MVP ballots left the Bucks superstar in sixth place just a single point behind Russell Westbrook for a spot in the top-5, and suggest that there were plenty of voters who still saw the 23-year-old as a credible candidate in those discussions.
To build on that performance and become even more of a constant in this year’s MVP race, Antetokounmpo essentially needs to make progress on the four goals I’ve already discussed.
If the Bucks win 50 games, Antetokounmpo’s defensive exploits get wider recognition, he improves as a scorer, and continues to post dominant numbers with a unique mix for his position, not only will the Greek be a leading contender, but he’ll likely become an MVP frontrunner.
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That’s certainly a tall order for Antetokounmpo, but at this point in his career you’d have to be brave to bet against him achieving it.