© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
"All of his teammates are out!" - Richard Jefferson makes an argument for why Giannis Antetokounmpo is the MVP over Nikola Jokic
Debates about who the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) are always fun and tend to heat up as the regular season marches toward its conclusion. This season is no different, as contenders for the 2022-23 MVP award have started to make their case. Veteran broadcaster and former NBA star Richard Jefferson makes a strong argument for why Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo should take home the award over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
Milwaukee's skeleton crew
The Milwaukee Bucks have been relying on an undermanned crew this season due to injuries and illnesses, leaving Antetokounmpo with fewer options in the lineup. All-Star swingman Khris Middleton has played in just seven games this season as he recovers from numerous injuries, while Jrue Holiday has also missed his fair share of games due to an illness. This has forced Giannis to take on an even larger role for the Bucks, and he's responded in remarkable fashion.
He is currently averaging a career-high 31.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game—both stats are third-best in the league—along with 5.3 assists to lead Milwaukee to the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 27-15. Although the Greek Freak is going through a rough stretch of games right now, it wasn't too long ago when he had a magnificent three-game run that saw him tally 45 points and 22 rebounds against Chicago, 43 points and 20 boards versus Minnesota, and a career-high 55 points and 10 rebounds against Washington.
Having to do a lot on his own
Jefferson's case for Antetokounmpo rests on the fact that he has had to do much more this season than Jokic. Jokic—the back-to-back NBA MVP—has been incredible as well, averaging a near-triple-double of 24.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.7 assists. However, the Nuggets have had the luxury of depth this season with a rejuvenated Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who's now playing like a fringe All-Star.
"I have him (Jokic) and Giannis neck and neck. That means Giannis is gonna have a week which we know he can. He can do that, and all of a sudden, he jumps a little bit. Jokic can have two okay games. It's not like Denver's undefeated. So my point is I'm not trying to devalue anything that Jokic is doing by saying we need to take a harder look at what Giannis is doing with all of his teammates are injured and all of his teammates out," said Jefferson.
