Milwaukee Bucks: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a legitimate MVP candidate

Last season Giannis Antetokounmpo was an incredible two-way player for the Milwaukee Bucks, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Selected to the All-NBA Second Team, he was a legitimate choice for the fifth spot on the MVP ballot.

This season, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks project to be even better. No player in the league boasts his combination of highlight plays, marketable personality, on-court impact and 5×5 accumulation. His statistics will continue to be off-the-charts in a way that will blow away many voters.

The problem is that he has plenty of combination for the top spot. LeBron James continues to turn in transcendent seasons, and could be motivated to destroy the league after he was rejected by Kyrie Irving. Kawhi Leonard is aging right into his prime as the only two-way player in the league ahead of Giannis. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Chris Paul — there will be plenty of candidates for the top spot.

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Unless the Bucks leap to the top record in the Eastern Conference, it’s unlikely that Antetokounmpo can actually win. But his play will force voters to both serious consider him, and make intelligent cases on why not to pick him as the league’s Most Valuable Player. The world is in for a treat as the league’s best international star grows into his mantle of superstardom in 2017-18.