Giannis Antetokounmpo is my pick to repeat as MVP in 2020. The Milwaukee Bucks are going to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this year, particularly with Kawhi Leonard no longer a part of the Toronto Raptors. Meanwhile, there has still been some debate about whether Antetokounmpo or James Harden should have taken home the Maurice Podoloff trophy last season.
To that end, Antetokounmpo knows that he has big expectations moving forward for his team in the upcoming season. Nothing short of the NBA Finals will do for Milwaukee, and Antetokounmpo knows he needs to be better. Part of that includes becoming a better 3-point shooter this year.
As for the debate about Harden? Antetokounmpo isn’t hearing any of that.
Via Yahoo Sports:Harden had a banner year, a historic year offensively and again carried the Rockets into contention.
“That’s their opinion. They’re gonna have James’ back,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m never gonna say I’m better than James.”
But it doesn’t mean he’ll relinquish the award or apologize for it. “The trophy’s in my house,” he said.
That’s the right way to go about this, and is a reasonable response. Both players provide different things on the court for their respective teams, and comparing them against each other is sort of an apples-to-oranges situation given they don’t play the same position.
Milwaukee seems to have a clear path to the NBA finals this season, and so Antetokounmpo might also have an easier time repeating as MVP. Harden will have to deal with possessions going toward newest teammate Russell Westbrook, and the Rockets aren’t exactly a lock to make it deep into the postseason at this juncture.
Antetokounmpo is the 2019 NBA MVP. It’s time to move on.
