The debate over who will be named NBA regular season MVP revolves around James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who are both enjoying a spectacular season. It looks to be a straight fight between this pair, with Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James tipped as having a slim outside chance. While the debate rages on, one name that has barely been mentioned is that of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it really should.
Harden has the edge over Westbrook right now and is the 4/5 favourite to win the award after breaking several records earlier this season with a string of fantastic individual performances. He and Westbrook (11/8 second favourite for the MVP prize with Sun Bets) have been the league’s two most effective offensive players this season: Westbrook leads slightly on points per game, while Harden is second in the league on points but comfortably ahead on assists. But when it comes to all-round play, it is hard to better the achievements of Antetokounmpo. He has not grabbed as many headlines as Harden, Wesbrook, James or Leonard, but he is currently sitting in the top 20 in the NBA for total points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks. If he stays there, he will be the first player in NBA history ever to do so.
He is a supreme defensive force, sixth in the league for blocks per game, 10th for steals and 17th for rebounds. His awareness and reading of the game are excellent and he is the beating heart of the Milwaukee Bucks. But for such a great defensive player, his offensive stats are incredible: he is 18th in the league for points and 20th for assists. That makes him arguably the best all-rounder in the league. With 22.9 points per game, he is a fair way behind Westbrook on 31.7 and Harden on 29.2, but their overall stats for blocks, rebounds and steals are not on a par with Antetokounmpo’s.
He has done all this despite playing for a struggling team: the Bucks are eighth in the Eastern Conference on 34-35, well behind leaders the Cavs, where James’ team are 45-23. Over in the Western Conference, Harden’s Rockets are third with a record of 48-22, while Oklahoma City Thunder, Wesbrook’s team, is sixth on 40-29. Leonard is at the San Antonio Spurs, who have the second best overall record in the entire league. Antetokounmpo is playing for a team that has lost more than it has won, and he is posting these impressive stats despite not being surrounded by the same calibre of players. There is every reason to suggest he will remain in the top 20 in each of these categories come the end of the regular season, as Milwaukee is currently on a roll. With a record of 8-2 in its last 10 games, the franchise has the best recent form of anyone, and Antetokounmpo is the driving force behind that. You can get 175/1 on him being named MVP, and while it is highly unlikely, it may tempt some speculative bets.
Author Bio:
Martin Green is an experienced sports writer with a particular focus on sports betting. He has been covering the NBA for several years.