Milwaukee Bucks: Voter fatigue has finally caught up to the Bucks
By Dalton Sell
Despite an initial slow start, The Milwaukee Bucks have seemingly found a rhythm lately as they sit at third place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 19-13 record.
Reigning two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has quietly been having another fantastic season for the Bucks. Throughout 31 games, Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.6 points on .557/.281/.659 shooting splits while hauling in 11.8 rebounds and dishing out a career-best six assists per game.
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The Greek Freak is also tallying better numbers than he did during his Defensive Player of the Year campaign last year, averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals each per contest.
Giannis has been putting up phenomenal numbers, certainly posing a strong case to at least be in contention to win his third straight MVP award. If he were to pull it off, Antetokounmpo would join Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird as the only players to ever win the award in three consecutive seasons.
However, despite the numbers Giannis is currently putting up on a nightly basis, his name has been almost excluded from the MVP race entirely. It certainly seems apparent that voter fatigue has set in for Giannis and the Bucks this season after the disappointing conclusions to their last two seasons.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s case for a third straight MVP award has been clouded by voter fatigue surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks.
First and foremost, several worthy candidates are making their way onto the far-too-early MVP ladders this season. Joel Embiid currently has the Philadelphia 76ers atop the Eastern Conference with a 21-11 record, while LeBron James is having yet another great season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, on NBA.com’s most recent MVP ladder released on February 19th, Antetokounmpo did not even crack the top six among candidates this season. While that is undoubtedly a testament to how many stars are playing well across the league, it seems unheard of to see the reigning back-to-back MVP so far down on the list.
After consecutive seasons where they possessed the best record in the NBA but flamed out in the postseason both trips, the Bucks are a team no longer being taken seriously among voters. The weariness surrounding Antetotokounmpo and the narrative that he cannot turn things up a notch in the playoffs will certainly hinder his chances of winning any individual awards this season.
Khris Middleton is also feeling the impact of voter fatigue involving the Milwaukee Bucks after being snubbed out of an All-Star appearance.
Khris Middleton is having arguably the best season of his career with the Bucks, averaging 20.3 points on a highly-efficient .498/.434/.895 slash line, in addition to 6.2 rebounds and a career-best 5.7 assists per game.
Still, the two-time All-Star was denied his third consecutive appearance as it was announced Tuesday night that he missed the cut among reserves. After Milwaukee’s 139-112 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night, Middleton gave his thoughts on the snub in his postgame availability, telling reporters, “I’m a little disappointed, I’m not going to lie.”
With Middleton missing out on another All-Star appearance and Antetokounmpo likely going to finish as an afterthought in the MVP race, the Milwaukee Bucks are in unfamiliar territory. However, they might not be the worst thing for them, as they should use this opportunity as fuel to motivate them moving forward this season.
Giannis, Khris, and even head coach Mike Budenholzer understand how it feels to win regular season accolades, but the postseason still remains the biggest obstacle for this team.
Next. 3 reasons why Khris Middleton misses Jrue Holiday. dark
Hopefully, as the Bucks try to rewrite the narrative surrounding their playoff troubles, these events can ignite a fire within them.