The Milwaukee Bucks picked up a wildly impressive win on Friday night, storming back from a double-digit second half deficit at the Staples Center to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-120. While Eric Bledsoe did the heaviest lifting hours after coming to terms on a new deal with his team, Giannis Antetokounmpo was immense, scoring 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting with 15 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.
It wasn’t Antetokounmpo’s best performance on the year, but he still stuffed the stat sheet as Milwaukee became the first team this year to clinch a spot in the postseason. Still, it was a reminder that the Bucks are a championship contender with No. 34 at the center of things on both ends of the floor, and that Antetokoumpo has a leg up on his competition in the MVP race.
That was the subject of a question posed to Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer after the game. Budenholzer unsurprisingly thinks Antetokounmpo is the league MVP, but believes that’s not the only award for which he deserves consideration.
Bucks’ Mike Budenholzer on whether Giannis Antetokounmpo is MVP: “Yes. Yes! He’s leading us defensively. Everyone sees what he does offensively. He sets the tone for our culture, for our work ethic. I would love for him to be in the [Defensive Player of the Year] conversation.” pic.twitter.com/A6IqMbAFp9
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) March 2, 2019
“I would love for him to be in that conversation,” Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo’s Defensive Player of the Year hopes. “I’m obviously biased, but I think he should be. I think I did mention a second ago is how he rebound the ball, he blocks shots, he can guard multiple positions. The team success defensively is just … a lot of it is reflective of his efforts. The whole group fits together well, but I think to be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year and the conversation for MVP is just indicative of the impact he’s having.”
Antetokounmpo’s ability to check someone, force turnovers, protect the rim, and rebound makes him a really versatile and impactful defender, so he certainly does deserve inclusion in the race. The list players who have won the DPOY and MVP in the same year is remarkably short — some guys named Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon — although if anyone has what it takes to join them, whether it’s this year or in the future, it might be the Bucks’ 24-year-old star.
