Giannis Antetokounmpo: Ranking the FMVP among NBA’s best players

Ranking Giannis Antetokounmpo among NBA’s best players: No. 1 – The FMVP

Of course, the reigning Finals MVP will have to claim the top spot on this list. Antetokounmpo has always been regarded as one of the top players, but despite collecting an abundance of awards in recent years, he would never be called the best until he added a title to his ever-growing list of achievements. After years of being criticized for Milwaukee’s playoff failures, Antetokounmpo finally led the Bucks to a championship, snapping their 50-year drought in the process.

Across 21 playoff games, Antetokounmpo dominated the competition by averaging 30.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, one steal, and 1.2 blocks per game. As fans remember, he missed two games during the Eastern Conference Finals after gruesomely hyperextending his knee. It looked brutal when it first happened, and many believed that there was a slim chance Antetokounmpo would return at all in the postseason, but not only did he return to the lineup for the NBA Finals, but he was a force of nature. After all, he had consecutive 40 points games and closed out the series with a 50-point masterclass in Game 6 just weeks after his knee bent backward.

There is not a better two-way player in the NBA right now than Antetokounmpo. While the lack of a jump shot is still something that fans take issue with offensively, Antetokounmpo did not need a jumper to average 30 points for the postseason, which speaks volumes to what he is capable of on that side of things. Defensively, Antetokounmpo is just one year removed from his illustrious Defensive Player of the Year campaign, and after seeing his efforts in the title run, it is clear that he is one of a kind. How many players are making that block on Deandre Ayton in Game 4 of the Finals? Not too many.

Antetokounmpo enters the 2021-22 season as the best player in the game, and time will tell if Giannis Antetokounmpo can hold onto that title as the year progresses.