Heading into the home stretch of the 2021-2022 season the race for the KIA NBA MVP is still a barnburner, to say the least. Between the incredible seasons of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and more, the NBA fans have been gifted with witnessing some phenomenal individual performances all season long. At this point, the three frontrunners for the award are Jokic, Embiid, and Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks’ forward faces stiff competition.
Embiid averages 29.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game this year. In the last two seasons, Embiid has made the jump to superstar, thus putting himself in the MVP conversation for two consecutive years. The reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is averaging 26 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. Jokic has been on fire down the stretch as he tries to claim his second MVP.
Antetokounmpo puts up 29.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while he is also the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year for most, which adds to his MVP case. Receiving this year’s MVP would make Giannis Antetokounmpo the ninth player in history to rack up three MVP awards. The way he plays night in and night out on both ends of the ball should certainly give him the top spot for the award. With that said, there are three main reasons Antetokounmpo should be the 2021-22 MVP, and let’s get into it!
No. 1 – Giannis Antetokounmpo is consistent on both ends of the floor
Out of the three top candidates for MVP, Giannis blows away the competition when it comes to defense. The way Giannis affects the game as a help defender becomes a nightmare for opposing teams.
With Brook Lopez being out for the majority of this season, Giannis has had to adapt and play a lot more minutes at the center for Milwaukee, which takes him out of his natural position defensively. No one player has had to adapt like Giannis has and still be able to maintain the same success on the defensive end. That alone makes him the frontrunner for defensive player of the year.
Now we take a deep dive into some offensive numbers for Antetokounmpo that solidifies his run for MVP even more. If you look at Giannis’ per 36 numbers, you will realize Giannis does not play as many minutes as most superstars in the league. He plays 32.8 minutes per game and still is able to put up the stats he does night in and night out. Antetokounmpo’s per 36 stats are 32.6 points, 6.5 assists, and 12.6 rebounds per game. That goes to show the average NBA fan what Antetokounmpo’s numbers would be like if he played just a few minutes more a game.
No matter the minutes Giannis gets he will definitely give you efficiency and a formula for winning basketball. Putting up 29.7 points per game in 32 minutes is absurd, not to mention he shoots just a tick under 55 percent from the field. All of this success and Antetokounmpo is only 61st in the league in minutes per game! The story tells itself here.
No. 2 – Voter fatigued has clouded Giannis Antetokounmpo’s fantastic season
It is crazy this subject has to be brought up for a player as good as Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo is 27 years old and already receives the most voter fatigue for the MVP award in the entire league.
As we all know, Giannis won back-to-back MVP awards in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. He then followed up those MVP seasons averaging 28.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 11 rebounds per game. Antetokounmpo performed better in every stat besides rebounding last season than he did in his first MVP season.
Now, Giannis is averaging the most points per game of his career and his team is now 2.5 games back for the top seed, even after players coming in and out of the lineup all season. Now that we have a sense of the numbers Giannis puts up and how good his team is performing, let’s compare Giannis Antetokounmpo to the other two frontrunners.
Joel Embiid has led his team to third in the Eastern Conference this season, just two games behind Milwaukee. He is averaging 29.9 points on 48.5 percent shooting from the field while grabbing 11.3 rebounds and offering 4.3 assists per game. Embiid is just barely beating Antetokounmpo for the scoring champion title, but he plays more minutes, attempts more free throws, and attempts more shots per game. The stats are not extremely far off between Embiid and Antetokounmpo, but voter fatigue comes into play here.
From looking at these stats, you learn that Antetokounmpo is doing everything Embiid has done offensively, and he also is the frontrunner for DPOY. Not much else to say here. The other leading candidate is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Again, Jokic averages 26 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. He is putting up magnificent stats for a center, especially the assists. Jokic has led the Nuggets to sixth in the West without two very important starters. This makes the race between Antetokounmpo and Jokic in my opinion. Like the Embiid situation, you have to remember here that the Greek Freak is also putting up mind-boggling numbers on offense, while also being the front runner for DPOY on one of the best teams in the league.
No. 3 – Giannis Antetokounmpo has been outright dominant this season
On top of all the numbers we have seen from Antetokounmpo, there is still more to see.
For instance, Antetokounmpo is second in the league in fourth-quarter points with 8.6 per game, according to NBA.com/stats. Also, if Antetokounmpo can bring home the scoring title this year, he will join Michael Jordan as the only players ever to win an MVP, a DPOY, a scoring title, and Finals MVP. That is some great company right there. Giannis is also 171 points away from becoming the Bucks’ all-time leading scorers. The accolades continue to stack up during the season for him. Milwaukee is 5-6 without Giannis Antetokounmpo this season and 38-20 with him. The Bucks are also 31-9 when their Big 3 plays.
All of these stats attest to how dominant Giannis is. Stats like this stem around the fact that he is the most dominant player in the league. If you compare Antetokounmpo’s stats to stats of other all-time greats based on how far his career has gone you would be amazed. Not to mention that he was also included on the NBA’s 75th anniversary all-time player list.
All this at age 27, it’s difficult to even wrap your mind around. Antetokounmpo is on pace to become the best power forward of all time based on the things he’s done over his career, he just needs some more playoff success, which will obviously come with time. With all these stats in mind, Antetokounmpo is arguably having the best year of his career. That is why he should win this year’s KIA NBA MVP award. He has done everything for his team on offense that other candidates have done as well, and he ranks as the leader for Defensive Player of the Year.
To have a guy dominate on both ends like that is absolutely the definition of Most Valuable Player.