Bucks Zone

"It's the LeBron James effect!" - Jrue Holiday explains why people don't view Giannis Antetokounmpo as the MVP favorite

Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing it all for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Matthew Dugandzic|
©Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the hands-down MVP. That's according to the Milwaukee Bucks head coach and some of Giannis' teammates.

Giannis drew praise from his team again after turning in another dominant performance that led the Bucks to a 117-104 win over the Philadelphia Sixers on Sunday night.

The Greek Freak helped the Bucks stretch their NBA-best record to 56-22 by piling up 33 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists.

Vote of confidence

In the game's closing minutes and with the win in the bag for the Bucks, the sold-out crowd at the Fiserv Forum showered Antetokounmpo with an "MVP! MVP!" chant.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer agreed with the Milwaukee crowd.

"We certainly feel like Giannis is the MVP," Budenholzer said.

Doing it all for the Bucks

For this season, Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, is averaging a career-best 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.

Budenholzer said Giannis is practically doing everything for the Bucks.

"Best player, best record, what he does on both ends of the court, the rebounding, the blocked shots, the defense, guarding on the perimeter. He does everything: play-makes, attacks, gets to the free throw line. We feel like he's in the conversation and he should be the guy," Budenholzer emphasized.

In ESPN's latest MVP straw poll, Antetokounmpo ranked third in the race, behind Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Denver's Nikola Jokic.

The "LeBron James" effect

Antetokounmpo's teammate Jrue Holiday had a very sensible explanation for why the bull-strong forward is trailing in the MVP race.

"[Antetokounmpo] has been MVP too much. He's been doing this too much, I feel like people get bored of it. It's kind of like the [LeBron James] effect. LeBron has done it so many times that people think that it's normal now. And it's not," said Holiday.

"But [Antetokounmpo] makes it look so easy. The first couple years that he got it, it's like, wow, nobody can do [that], and it's still, to this day, nobody can do what he does. He's [on] the No. 1 team, not just in the East, but in the league," added Holiday.

In Sunday's duel, Antetokounmpo outdueled Embiid, who finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

Brook Lopez also believed that Giannis should be on top in the conversation for MVP.

"It's honestly like he makes being elite, elite, an all-time great player look routine," said Lopez. "Which in itself is impressive. I think people maybe don't hold it against him, but it's voter fatigue. Jokic is a great player, all deserved, Embiid is a great player, all deserved. But it's just kind of the way it is with Giannis. He's so great that that's the reality that comes with it."

Antetokounmpo may be trailing in the MVP rankings for now, but with the immense things that he's done that allowed the Bucks to stay on top for the majority of the season, it wouldn't be a surprise if he ends up raising a third MVP trophy this season.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.