Why Giannis Antetokounmpo Deserved MVP

On Friday, the NBA announced that Bucks' superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had received his second consecutive MVP award.

After the Lakers defeated the Nuggets 126-114 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, fellow NBA superstar LeBron James was approached for comment. 

He didn't hold back.

"It pissed me off. That's my true answer," James said. “It pissed me off because out of 101 votes, I got 16 first-place votes. That’s what pissed me off more than anything. Not saying the winner wasn’t deserving of the MVP, but that pissed me off.”

If I had to guess, I'd say he's pissed off.

However, James wasn't alone in his criticism of the announcement.

USA Today's Mark Medina wrote an opinion article illustrating some reasons he believes James deserved the award over Antetokounmpo.

Medina argues that James 1) led the league in assists, 2) performed better than Antetokounmpo in head-to-head matchups, and 3) navigated a young Lakers team through the devastating loss of Kobe Bryant.

Nonetheless, these arguments feel insufficient and deserve to be refuted.

First, I'll display the 2019-2020 regular season statistics tallied by Antetokounmpo and James.

While James did post a more impressive assist total than Antetokounmpo (with 10.2 assists per game as opposed to 5.6), he failed to capitalize in almost every other notable category.

Before the shutdown, Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game while shooting 55.3% from the field.

Meanwhile, James averaged 25.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 49.3% from the field.

Antetokounmpo also turned the ball over less frequently and doubled the output of James in the shot-blocking department.

Furthermore, Antetokounmpo did his regular season damage without an established NBA superstar at his disposal. (Say what you want about Khris Middleton, but he isn't 7-time All-Star Anthony Davis.)

I will refute Medina's second argument after referring to the following direct quote: "Though Antetokounmpo won the first head-to-head matchup over James in points (34-21), James edged Antetokounmpo in rebounds (12-11) and assists (11-7) before surpassing him in the second matchup in points (37-32), assists (8-6) and holding him to a combined 2-of-10 clip in the second half."

Truthfully, you can pull statistics from anywhere to support your claims, but the fact remains that deciding a season-long award based on a pair of head-to-head matchups is completely unfair.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a league-leading record of 56-17 before the shutdown.

Meanwhile, James' Lakers held the third best record in the NBA, and were largely carried by the efforts of Anthony Davis (who finished the regular season ahead of James in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals).

In assessing the numbers, one might even argue that James isn't the most valuable player on his team.

Finally, Medina argues that James' ability to lead his team through the devastating loss of Kobe Bryant makes him deserving of NBA MVP.

While January's tragic helicopter accident undoubtedly impacted the entire NBA, it's easy to assume that the Lakers felt its effects more deeply than the other 29 NBA franchises.

However, this MVP argument from Medina is perplexing to say the least.

How can someone, in good conscience, use the death of a legend to sway the voting?

Should we punish Antetokounmpo for not having to push his team through the death of a Milwaukee legend?

In my estimation, Medina and like-minded thinkers are simply grasping at straws to further the legacy of an NBA superstar whose best years are now behind him.

With Antetokounmpo now eliminated from postseason play, I will admit that his MVP award comes at a bit of an awkward time. (I'll never understand why North American sports leagues wait as long as they do to make these announcements.)

All the same: congratulations, Giannis. 

Based upon nearly all legitimate criteria, you deserved it.


What are your thoughts on the MVP debate?

Feel free to let me know in the comments below and don't forget to "Subscribe" for future post notifications :)

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