Don’t get it twisted LeBron: Giannis Antetokounmpo is still the MVP

LeBron James is performing at an unseen level for a 35-year-old, but Giannis Antetokounmpo has sat above the pack for a majority of this season.

This piece is not meant to denigrate the season of LeBron James, because nothing he’s done suggests he shouldn’t be a viable MVP candidate in a ferocious race with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

He’s averaging 25.5 points, a league-leading 10.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game while tied for the most triple-doubles in the NBA with 13.

The criticisms that followed him amid a tumultuous first season in Southern California last year are no longer applicable. James has missed only three games on the year — already surpassing last season’s total — and his defensive win shares rank among the 10-best in the league.

At 46-13, his Los Angeles Lakers have vastly exceeded preseason expectations with the top seed in the Western Conference by a comfortable 5.5 games.

The integration of Anthony Davis has gone off without a hitch thanks largely to the man who’s finally embraced his inner Magic Johnson by running point full-time.

He’s been even better in five games after the All-Star break, posting 30.8 points, 9.0 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game on a shooting line of .569/.395/.742. The Lakers are 4-1 during that stretch and 5-1 overall.

Despite incredible age and attrition as well as the fewest minutes per game of his career, James has maintained his spot atop the league’s superstar hierarchy.

But if you’re the type who’s grown infatuated with LeBron’s defying of physical limitations for one of the league’s best teams, enough for him to claim his fifth MVP trophy, you’re simply ignoring what Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing on the opposite coast for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Greek Freak posted career-highs across the board en route to his first MVP last season as Milwaukee claimed a league-best 60 wins.

Both he and the Bucks have been even better this year.

Giannis is averaging 29.6 points while shooting 62.4 percent on 2-pointers, 13.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, numbers never before amassed in league history. He ranks No. 1 in defensive win shares and his 31.8 PER is on pace to rank No. 1 all-time for a single season.

Mind you, that thanks to the highest average margin of victory in league history, Antetokounmpo ranks only 75th in minutes per game at just 30.9 and 112th in fourth quarters at 7.5.

The Bucks aren’t just pacing the entirety of the NBA in wins with 52. They’re on track to become just the third-ever team with at least 70 wins with an offense that ranks third and the top-ranked defense.

Basketball-Reference has what they call a simple rating system, which is “a team rating that takes into account average point differential and strength of schedule. The rating is denominated in points above/below average, where zero is average.”

Milwaukee’s SRS of 11.12 is bested all-time by only the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and 2016-17 Golden State Warriors. Among the years available from NBA.com — which only goes back to the 1996-97 season — only the 1996-97 Bulls have a higher net rating than the current Bucks’ 11.7.

(Side note: Both those numbers actually ranked higher before Milwaukee’s stinker against the Miami Heat)

The Lakers have admittedly faced a tougher schedule due to the superiority of their conference, but while they are 14-6 against the Eastern Conference, the Bucks are 19-4 versus the west. They’re also 14-8 against teams .500 or better. LA is 14-10.

LeBron’s hype train has picked up massive amounts of steam following his 34-point, 13-assist and 12-rebound performance on Sunday to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans without Anthony Davis.

Earlier that day, Antetokounmpo compiled the fastest 40-point, 20-rebound and six-assists game in NBA history in 35 minutes in a win over the Charlotte Hornets.

And for what its worth, when the two teams faced off in December, Giannis had 34 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and a career-high five 3-pointers in a seven-point win — the rematch is Friday at Staples.

Narratives are a powerful force in sports. It’s why LeBron’s sustained greatness continues to garner more attention — as it should — but there are levels to the heights both players and teams are reaching.

James is having the greatest age-35 and year-17 season the NBA has ever seen. Giannis is putting forth perhaps the most impressive display of single-season dominance in league history, period.

The Lakers have the league’s second-best record and rank inside the top five in both offense and defense. Milwaukee is in the midst of chasing historic levels of greatness on several different fronts.

This isn’t even a recency bias, because Giannis has also been incredible following the All-Star break, leading the Bucks to a 6-1 record with 27.3 points on a shooting line of .561/.292/.735, 16.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in just 31.0 minutes per game.

Whatever candidacy LeBron has for the MVP has been manufactured by those with selective eyesight. With eyes wide open, everything leads back to the Greek Freak claiming back-to-back trophies.

It’s just that simple.