Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals following 2019 NBA All-Star break

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo wins MVP

Prior to the season selecting Giannis Antetokounmpo to win MVP was the trendy pick, the player one chose to avoid the obvious picks in LeBron James, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. If the Bucks could win enough games, they would say, he can win MVP.

The games will not be a problem, with the Bucks on top of the league’s standings. Neither will the statistics, as Antetokounmpo has been incredible. He is averaging 27.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, along with 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. No player has ever hit those numbers even in the first three categories, never mind adding in the defensive stats.

The Greek Freak is second only to Stephen Curry among All-Stars in true shooting percentage. He leads all non-centers in rebound rate. He ranks fifth in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, along with Paul George the only players to be top-15 in both offense and defense. He ranks first in Jacob Goldstein’s Player Impact Plus-Minus, third in PER, second in Box Plus-Minus and first in defensive rating, win shares and win shares-per-48.

In fact, the only thing that could stand in his way is narrative. One would think being the best player on the league’s best team would count for something, but Antetokounmpo has been eclipsed by James Harden and Paul George in the narrative column.

Harden’s streak of 30-point games has caught the national spotlight, and George is receiving praise not only for an excellent season but for being the player in the conversation no one expected back in October.

This award should be Antetokounmpo’s. His resume is by far the best out there. But to recapture the narrative he will need to have a dominant stretch run, capped off by a first-place standing and as many marquee performances on national television as possible. 30 points and 13 rebounds to defeat the Boston Celtics on TNT was a great way to start the final lap.