Analyzing Giannis Antetokounmpo's 2023-24 MVP case against other candidates

The NBA regular season is heading into the final stretch, and the race for season awards and honors is still up in the air. Players are not only making their final pushes for seedings but also convincing voters why their name should be alongside an accolade. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of those and is targeting his third MVP as the Milwaukee Bucks sit second in the East with a 42-23 record following Sunday's win over the LA Clippers.

He is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists, along with a steal and a block per game, as NBA.com currently has Giannis third in its latest MVP rankings. Giannis has consistently been in third or fourth place for most of the year.

Since the All-Star break, Giannis is averaging 31 points on 61.3 percent shooting and hitting a staggering 52.9 percent of his shots from three. This upturn in his ability to hit from beyond the arc has certainly helped with the Bucks' performances since Doc Rivers took over and put together a convincing win streak to cement themselves in the top three in the Eastern Conference.

Many players were in the running for MVP early on in the season, but four superstars have separated themselves from the rest of the league in the battle for the award. There's still plenty of basketball left to play before the regular season comes to a close, so these players have time to build their cases. Let's analyze Giannis Antetokounmpo's MVP case against those other candidates at this time.

1. Giannis vs. Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic is another player chasing the third MVP award of his career, and he is coming off the back of a brilliant title-winning season and is yet to slow down. The Serbian center is averaging 26.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9.2 assists this season as the Denver Nuggets have the third-best record in the league at 45-20.

Statistically, both players aren't too far apart, with Giannis' scoring being better, but Jokic ranking better in the playmaking and assisting category. Giannis is having arguably the best season of his career, and that is a credit to him, considering the big roster moves in the offseason and then the mid-season additions of Patrick Beverley and Danilo Gallinari.

Add in the coaching change and all the challenges that have faced the Bucks this season, and to still be a top two team in the East and top six team in the league is a testament to Giannis' leadership.

This season, Giannis is third in total points scoring and just 50 off of the top spot, with Jokic almost 300 points behind Antetokounmpo. Jokic has played 63 games this season, while Giannis is at 62, and it could come down to the final stretch and potentially who has the best record as to who is viewed as the MVP.

Across the board, they are both very evenly matched statistically, and what may come back to bite Giannis is the turmoil of the season. It could be used as the reason for him to take the MVP, as they would be so much worse off without him. However, some voters will look at how steady the Nuggets have been this season and how Jokic has led them to one of the league's best records yet again.

The Nuggets and Bucks have faced each other twice this season, with both teams earning a win each. In late January, the Nuggets won 113-107, with Jokic putting up 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists, while Giannis scored 29 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. In February, the Bucks ran out 112-95 as winners, with Giannis scoring 36 points, 18 rebounds and five assists, Jokic put up 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

It will be close between these two players right until the end and so the final few weeks of the season and record will likely come into play as to who gets the most votes.

2. Giannis vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has thrown his hat in the mix this season as he has been exceptional for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Canadian guard has led his team to a 45-19 record and sits atop the Western Conference. He is averaging 31.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists with two steals and a block per game.

It is always difficult to compare a guard with a big man but both are putting up stellar MVP performances. SGA leads the league with 131 steals and is the total points leader with 1,960. What makes his case more compelling is that he has taken his team from the 10th seed with a 40-42 record to already having more wins. This is a Thunder team of young pieces, and at just 25, he is considered one of the veterans of the team.

Giannis' defensive attributes give him the win in that area, but SGA is no slouch on that end. Rebounds and field goal percentage go in Giannis' favor at 61.5 percent to Gilgeous-Alexander's 54.6 percent, but he does have the better percentage from deep and the free throw line.

The Thunder guard has had a 40-point game on five occasions, with 43 being his season high. Giannis has eight over 40-point games with six over 43 points and a season-high of 64 points. These two are yet to face off this season but meet on the 24 of March and 13 of April, and the performances in those games could decide which way votes swing.

There are such fine margins between these two and Jokic that it will come down to this final stretch of the season where moments and records come into play.

3. Giannis vs. Luka Doncic

The final candidate for the MVP award is Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. The Slovenian guard has once again had a great season as he is leading the Mavs to a 37-28 record but is still in and around the play-in place in the West. Doncic is averaging 34.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game with good shooting splits of .495/.380/.788.

He had one of the best moments of the season with his 73-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks, and with the way the Mavericks play, it is hard not to have him in the MVP race. Doncic leads the league in points per game, is second in total points, and is currently third in total assists. Where his game has holes is on the defensive end, and Giannis' two-way ability will earn him a sizeable amount of votes.

Team record is a big factor in Doncic's case, as being the eighth seed and in the play-in is likely to put many voters off since he is competing with the two stars that occupy the top spots out West.

Statistically, he and Giannis are similar, but with Doncic having more of the ball in his hands and also having the offense centered around him, the scoring and assist stats will, of course, be higher. The ability to win games is always the key, and despite Luka's great performances, his team being just above .500 is always going to put voters off.

These two have faced off twice this season, with Giannis and the Bucks winning both games. The first back in November saw him put up 40 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in the 132-125 win, with Doncic putting up 35, nine and nine. In February, the Bucks won 129-117, with Doncic scoring 40, registering 11 assists and nine rebounds. Giannis outscored him by putting up 48 with 10 assists and six boards.

Doncic has had a great personal season, and the 73-point game was astounding. However, unless the Mavs go on a serious run and end up in one of the higher seeds, it is hard to see him making a real push for the MVP.

It is one of the closer MVP races in years, with all players having reasons for them to take home the award. Ultimately, Giannis is dominating, and it will come down to these last few weeks with moments and seedings taking into account who will receive the most votes.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis down the stretch.