Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the closest thing to a “Monstar” that we have ever seen ever since he made his NBA debut back in 2012. With story of humble beginnings paired with his innocent personality, Antetokounmpo has been easy to adore off the court. As for his game on the court, Antetokounmpo has earned the nickname “The Greek Freak” and continues to live up to it. In an era of NBA basketball which relies on the three ball, Antetokounmpo has found a way to dominate from within the paint area. His early success has prompted fans to start getting excited over his chances to win the MVP. As much as I’d love for “The Greek Freak” to win the MVP, he does have a pretty massive obstacle which may prevent him from achieving this feat this season:
LeBron James:
If bias, familiarity, and popularity never played a role in the award, LeBron James would probably win the award ever year. However, his greatness hasn’t hindered Steph Curry, Durant, Westbrook or Harden from being considered top candidates over James in the last few seasons; So why would it affect Antetokounmpo any differently?
The narrative:
Think about it. Why would LeBron James’ dominance hurt Antetokounmpo’s chances of winning the MVP in ways it wouldn’t hurt Curry, Westbrook, Durant, or potentially Harden? The obvious reason is that Antetokounmpo plays in the Eastern Conference. However, it goes deeper than that. Ever since “The Chosen One” made it onto the NBA scene, we had never seen anything anything relatively close to LeBron’s physical gifts which also came with guard like talent. King James had a Karl Malone body with a Magic like game. James, standing at about 6’10, was the only player in the NBA who could truly play all 5 positions. He was strong enough to guard most of the NBA’s modern bigs, and quick enough to shut down MVP Rose in the playoffs. We had never seen anything like it until… Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo appears to stand close to 7’0 tall with an even longer wing span. It can be argued that with just a few steps, Antetokounmpo travels the distance of an NBA court faster than anyone in the entire league. While he may not possess LeBron’s strength, his length more than makes up for it on the defensive end. As if being a freak of nature wasn’t enough, he also brings guard skills to the table. Although he is listed as a forward, Antetokounmpo predominately plays the guard position for the Bucks.
While Antetokounmpo is no where close to being a threat to James’ legacy, he is the closest thing to LeBron from a physical attribute we’ve seen in the Eastern Conference. He’s also the new shiny thing, which NBA fans and the media tend to gravitate towards. Without a doubt, his physical attributes and 2017-2018 statistics may be comparable to the King. However, there is one more obstacle which may prevent Antetokounmpo from winning the NBA MVP this season.
Going head to head with “The King”:
In 2011, when Derrick Rose robbed LeBron of the MVP award, he had three factors working in his favor. He had the statistics, the “new shiny thing effect”, and the regular season dominance advantage. D-Rose lead the Bulls to a 62 win season, the Bulls defeated Miami 99-96, 93-89 at home, and stole a game from them on the road (87-86) to complete the season sweep. Think about that. DRose and the first place Bulls swept the Miami Heat during the regular season.
The 2011 Bulls were much better than the Bucks are today. When the Bucks hosted James and the Cavaliers early this season, they were blown out. Regardless of whether Milwaukee finishes with a top 4 seed or not, Antetokounmpo is going to need a couple of head to head matchup wins versus King James to solidify his case.
Don’t give up Antetokounmpo fans:
Understanding the narrative and situation Antetokounmpo is in is no need to be discouraged. In the off season, I wrote a piece on why Antetokounmpo’s MVP campaign was a serious one. I still believe that to be true. Five games in, Antetokounmpo’s start from a statistical stand point cannot be ignored. The Bucks are also 4-1. It’s a long NBA season and Antetokounmpo will have the opportunity to prove himself. In the words of Derrick Rose, “Why not? Why can’t I be the MVP?” That being said, I think it’s important for Antetokounmpo fans to be conscious the tough road ahead of their rising super star.