NBA MVP power rankings: Can anyone overtake Joel Embiid?

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

It feels like I'm underestimating the "Greek Freak" here, who's having another dominant season. That just speaks to the level of play of his two peers, whom I have ranked ahead of him, which you'll see later. The Bucks' defense on the perimeter has taken an expected massive hit by trading Jrue Holiday (one of the best perimeter defenders in the league) for superstar Damian Lillard, who's a liability defensively.

Despite their defensive woes as a unit, the Bucks still sit among the best in the NBA and a top-two seed in the Eastern Conference due to the dominance of Giannis on both ends. This season, he's averaging over 30 points per game (31.6) for the second consecutive season, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. He's third in win shares (6.3), third in usage rate (33.4%), and has a Box +/- of 8.4 as I currently write this.

He's had many MVP-signature performances, from the 64-point outing against the Indiana Pacers to the classic showdown against San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama in a battle of the DemiGods that was the ultimate display of the evolution of basketball.

If he can continue to have performances such as the aforementioned and potentially help the Bucks claim the top seed in the East over the Boston Celtics, he'll have a legit chance to capture his third career MVP.