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Dunking With Wolves Staff Picks: NBA Awards Roundtable

By Dylan Jackson

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 01: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Josh Okogie #20 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during a game at Fiserv Forum on January 01, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 01: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Josh Okogie #20 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during a game at Fiserv Forum on January 01, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 06: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 06: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Most Valuable Player

DJ: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis is simply incredible. He can score against anyone and guard any position on the floor. He has improved every single year that he has been in the league, and after winning two straight MVP awards, he should be hailed as the best player in the NBA.

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis wins back-to-back MVP awards and becomes the first Bucks player to do it since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 70-71 and 71-72. The Greek Freak fends of a late surge from LeBron who could have made a real run at the award if not for the league wide shutdown. This will go down as one of the best individual seasons of all-time, especially if Giannis can lead the Bucks to a championship.

PL: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis has been one of the best scorers on one of the best teams in the NBA this season. He has been a leader on the team with the best record this season and this record was thanks to how dominant he has been all season. The Bucks don’t necessarily have one of the deepest rosters in the league which proves how valuable Giannis is to the team.

TW: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis finished atop in the league in points per 36 minutes (that’s including James Harden) at 34.5 while shooting 54.7 percent on field goals for the league’s best team. The Bucks finished sixth in offensive rating, first in defensive rating by a wide margin, and first in rebounding percentage. Three of the most widely-used impact metrics– PIPM, RPM and RAPTOR– also rated Giannis as the best, sixth-best and eight-best defender in the league, respectively.

NA: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Pretty simple argument here from me. The Bucks have the best record in the league, and Giannis is their best player. Pretty hard to argue that, right? This tends to be my argument every year, because I think digging too much into the meaning of the “most valuable” is a really boring and silly argument (for instance – in economic terms, the “most valuable” player would technically be the one that gets paid the most! ).

I also think it would be cool if the NBA were to forego the MVP award this year and replace it with a posthumous MVP award to Kobe Bryant. I think it would be appropriate given the abbreviated nature of the season, and it would be a cool way to honor one of the best players to every play. We are still seeing the impacts of Kobe’s legacy today!

ZL: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Once again, there is no other choice in my mind than the superstar in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo is the best defender in the league and he is virtually unguardable on offense. He is averaging a career-high in points with just under 30 PPG and has his eyes fixed on the Larry O’Brien trophy as the NBA restart begins.

AJ: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Add on to all of his defensive stats, this year he improved his shooting. He shot a higher percentage from 3 on more attempts, added more blocks, and the only reason why he’s steals and blocks are higher is just due to the fact that they played great team defense. But if there’s anybody in this NBA that single-handedly gets taken out of their team and the team falls apart, it’s the Bucks and the Greek freak.

Final Tally:

Giannis Antetokounmpo. (unanimous)

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