NBA MVP race looks to be wide open in reshuffled league hierarchy

The Milwaukee Bucks are going to be very good once again. So, too, will Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As incomprehensible as this may seem, the Greek Freak is not at his ceiling yet. Just entering his age-25 season and already an MVP winner, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9, 1.5 blocks, 1.3 steals and 54.3 popcorn sales per game last season (estimated on that last one).

He also shot 57.8 percent overall.

But in a new system under coach Mike Budenholzer that emphasized the 3-pointer, Antetokounmpo shot only 25.6 percent on a career-high 2.8 attempts per game.

Alas, the old jump shot is still a bit balky.

But that’s also the most easily recognized area where Antetokounmpo can make another leap after shooting 76.9 percent in the restricted area last season with a ridiculous total of 279 dunks.

He has the ball skills to create his own looks and stayed closer to the rim last season than at any point in his career, with 57.3 percent of his shots coming from the restricted area.

Antetokounmpo impacts games all over the floor, protecting the rim with his timing and leaping ability, swallowing up passing lanes with his length and quickly turning long rebounds and steals into break chances with his long strides down the court.

If Milwaukee flirts with the 60-win mark again this season, Antetokounmpo will be a huge reason why. With improvement as a jump shooter, he would put himself in a position to join the ranks of back-to-back MVP winners.