Milwaukee Bucks: What Giannis Antetokounmpo must do to win MVP

Beat LeBron (and Kyrie, and Kawhi, and the Warriors)

This one coincides with the previous slide, but it still stands on its own. In one of the nationally televised games against the best teams and the best players, Giannis needs to put on a show.

Giannis needs to cement his place in the NBA hierarchy against the likes of LeBron and the Lakers, Durant and the Golden State Warriors, Kyrie Irving and the Celtics and Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.

For years, we’ve heard that Giannis is the next in line, the best young player in the league who will be the NBA’s alpha dog sooner rather than later. Now, we’re ready to see Giannis take that title by force.

MVP voters want to see Giannis play his best games against the best players in the NBA. They want to see him go head-to-head against LeBron, Durant and Kawhi and hold his own. Voters want to see Giannis go back-and-forth with Kyrie in late-game situations with playoff implications.

For the most part, Giannis has played his best against the best. But now, with the added pressure of producing like an MVP, his ability to go toe-to-toe with the top stars in the league is more important than ever.

Giannis is no longer going to get the benefit of the doubt for being a young and growing player. The time is now for him to stake his claim as one of the top players in the league. Giannis needs to deliver when the competition is at its toughest, and the lights are at their brightest.

If Antetokounmpo does that along with the other requirements mentioned, the MVP award is his to lose.