ESPN issued an NBA MVP poll on Tuesday, revealing where the Milwaukee Bucks’ two-time MVP ranks.
Initially, the MVP award was Joel Embiid’s to lose. Nobody was going to take that from him. However, a serious knee injury would rule Embiid out of consideration, making him the first star to be ineligible for any postseason awards because he will not play games this season. Embiid underwent knee surgery and will be reevaluated in a few weeks.
As a result of his injury, Embiid received no votes in the second round of ESPN’s MVP poll. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets ascended to the top with 100 votes, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder came in second with 99.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo garnered 87 votes, ranking third in the poll.
Antetokounmpo got two first-place votes, eleven second-place votes, 43 third-place votes, 24 fourth-place votes, and seven fifth-place votes. Giannis averages 30.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while shooting 61.1% from the field.
Despite his third-place ranking, the two-time MVP has time to climb to the top. According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Giannis’ incredible, record-breaking season has simply been eclipsed by the Bucks’ underwhelming performance.
When comparing the top three players in the MVP ballot, Giannis is likely the most productive and consistent. Jokic averages 26.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 9.0 assists, and 1.2 steals a game, while Gilgeous-Alexander averages 31.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and a league-high 2.2 steals.
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