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Leader Giannis Antetokounmpo this Year's NBA MVP?
Is
Bucks' Leader Giannis Antetokounmpo this Year's NBA MVP?
November 6, 2017
It was just in 2013 that Giannis Antetokounmpo
joined the Milwaukee Bucks, signing his rookie scale contract with them
– that year, he led all NBA rookies with 61 blocks, which has sort of
become his thing. Within five years, he made it to the NBA All-Rookie
Second Team (2014, he leads his team as a captain and he was picked for
the NBA All-Star Team last year). Could the prestigious MVP title be in
the cards for Giannis this year?
The Greek Freak
Breaks Kareem’s Record
If you have been paying close attention to what the Greek player is
doing on the field, the answer is a resounding yes. In the first four
games of the 2017-2018 season, Giannis
scored a franchise record 147 points, surpassing the legendary
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 1969 record by one point. The Greek Freak’s
average in these first four games is an astounding 36.8 points, 10.8
rebounds, and 5.3 assists, a feat that only Russell Westbrook has
managed to accomplish during four games – and Giannis’ has managed to
score 30 points or higher for six games, if you count the playoff
season.
Giannis has been dubbed the Greek Freak due to his
amazing physical abilities: his is one of the rare occasions where his
outstretched arms measure
more than his height by 4 inches – he is 6 ft 11in tall and his
arms measure at 7 ft 3. But beyond that, he has the stamina and the
determination of a great player that will write NBA history – for
anyone who has seen an NBA match, it is clear that the Bucks build
their roster and their gameplan around their superstar. In other words,
when he is not in play but temporarily resting on the bench, you can
certainly feel it.
Giannis Leads the
Bucks to Victory
But what has really struck everybody is his ability to do consistently
well in almost every position: Giannis effectively sets up the game for
his teammates, is great at defense (his blocking abilities are already
necessary) and nonchalantly scores way more points than anyone else on
his team – or in the opposing team, for that matter. In the Bucks’
season opener against the Boston Celtics, who according to
the latest NBA odds as off 11/3/2017 stand at +450 to win the
Eastern Conference, Giannis led the game on all accounts.
Brad Stevens: "When you watched
Giannis tonight, you thought, that's an MVP candidate right there."
He captained his team to a 108-100 victory, with help from Middleton,
Brogdon, and Dellavedova. He finished the
game with 37 points, leaving Brogdon second at 19 points, and a
further 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. After his first game,
Celtics coach Brad Stevens called
the 22-year-old “an MVP candidate” – and it seems that the
suggestion grows stronger every day.
At the start of the year’s season, people were talking about Giannis as
a potential MVP – but most were just driven from a place of awe at his
rapid improvement and a wish that his abilities and gameplay be
recognized. Now, after the season is well into its start, the MVP title
does not seem a farfetched honor, but a very appropriate recognition of
his exceptional results so far.
