2018-19 NBA MVP Ladder: October edition

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is actually the lowest scorer on the list at 25.0 points per game, but he’s been absolutely stellar all over the floor and is the main catalyst behind the Milwaukee Bucks‘ perfect 7-0 start.

Okay, so maybe the arrival of Mike Budenholzer deserves just as much credit, but that won’t hurt the Greek Freak’s MVP chances if the Bucks keep looking like an Eastern Conference power. Giannis certainly has the early numbers to be at the forefront of the conversation, chipping in a whopping 14.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game on 50.8 percent shooting.

The turnovers (5.0 per game) obviously need to come down, and 3-point shooting (a miserable 1-for-16 so far) remains his one glaring weakness, but Antetokounmpo is already one of the game’s elite two-way players, anchoring Milwaukee’s second-ranked defense and serving as the driving force behind its sixth-ranked offense.

Even if he’s currently not scoring as much as the other candidates, a 25-14-6-2 stat line is nothing to sniff at. With the Bucks looking like early contenders and the Greek Freak poised to explode onto the main stage, there’s no question he deserves his spot this high on the list.