Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons Giannis Antetokounmpo is the forgotten man
By Duncan Smith
Reason No. 3 Giannis is the forgotten man for the Milwaukee Bucks: Nikola Jokic
We can’t talk about the greatest players this season without mentioning Nikola Jokic. Usually, by the late-season point, we have a runaway favorite for the MVP award, and this year that’s Jokic.
He’s put up video game numbers since the beginning of the season, and while his Denver Nuggets struggled early, he was the main reason they were able to stay afloat. Jokic has had a spectacular season, averaging 26.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.5 steals and shooting splits of .567/.422/.855.
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Nikola Jokic has been nothing short of incredible and will eventually most likely be a worthy MVP of the NBA. Still, his season doesn’t warrant total Giannis erasure. Statistically, their impacts are similar. From a wins and losses standpoint, the Bucks are just a game behind the Nuggets in the standings. They may be in different conferences, but even playing in an easier conference only works out to an extra win or two over a standard season, and this has been anything but a standard season.
With other feasible MVP candidates dropping like flies, such as LeBron James, Joel Embiid (although he is back and playing now) and James Harden, it’s hard to justify not keeping some of the spotlight on Giannis Antetokounmpo as his team may be poised to put on its best playoff run yet.