Fresh off his title-winning campaign last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been on a tear yet again with the Milwaukee Bucks. The reigning Finals MVP has played some of the best basketball of his career this year, which has inserted him firmly in the MVP conversation. The race looks tight as ever now with Antetokounmpo competing alongside Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid for the honors in a battle that could truly go down to the wire.
Recently sitting down with The Athletic’s Sam Amick (subscription required), Antetokounmpo gave a blunt answer when asked if he is focused on winning the regular season MVP award again this year. In true Giannis fashion, he replied with, “Oh, hell no.” While that three-word answer could be the perfect response, Antetokounmpo continued on by saying that he does not follow the race too closely as he stays off social media and remains focused on what he can do to help Milwaukee win another championship.
Although Antetokounmpo may not be too focused on the 2021-22 MVP award, he certainly has a strong case to take home the honors for the third time in his career.
Breaking down Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 2021-22 MVP case down the stretch
Antetokounmpo has asserted himself atop some recent MVP polls due to his outstanding play on both ends of the court. Offensively, the Greek Freak is averaging a career-high with 29.8 points per contest this season, taking his game to new heights. This prolific scoring currently has Giannis neck and neck with Joel Embiid and LeBron James for the 2021-22 scoring title, an honor that looks like it will quite literally come down to the final game of the regular season at this point. If Giannis can secure that title down the stretch, it would undoubtedly bolster his MVP case.
Another aspect of Antetokounmpo’s game that has made waves this season is his defense, as he is currently the favorite to take home the Defensive Player of the Year, per NBA.com’s last vote. It is no secret that the Greek Freak is arguably the best all-around defender in the association, and his fantastic play on that side of the basketball this season could see him secure this award for the second time in his career. This reputable brand of defense only helps increase the two-time MVP’s chances of earning not only the illustrious Defensive Player of the Year Award once again but also another NBA MVP award for his ever-growing résumé.
Ultimately, Antetokounmpo may not be too invested in either the MVP or DPOY award, but he will be mentioned in the voting at the season’s end. It will be interesting to see if voter fatigue will be a factor, particularly for the MVP vote, considering that he has won it in two of the last three years. Still, at the end of the day, the regular season awards are the last thing on Antetokounmpo’s mind, as he told Amick that he would rather relive the feeling of winning another title than an MVP.
As always, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains focused on the most significant task at hand.
Stay tuned to find out how Giannis Antetokounmpo’s MVP odds stock up throughout these final 11 games of the 2021-22 NBA regular season.