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Giannis Antetokounmpo in line to win NBA MVP, DPOY based on early ballot returns

NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP, DPOY

Many consider Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is the favorite to bag his second consecutive NBA MVP this season. Based on initial ballot returns, it appears that the 25-year-old is also in line to win Defensive Player of the Year.

A recent article from Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype detailed how the news outlet was able to collect 18 total ballots from anonymous NBA media members who took part in the voting. Based on the returns, Giannis is a landslide winner in both the MVP and DPOY categories.

Antetokounmpo got 100% of the maximum possible points, with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James a distant second with 70% and Houston Rockets star James Harden in third at 42.2%. This does not come as a surprise considering how outstanding Giannis’ season has been — even better than his MVP campaign last year.

There has been talk about Antetokounmpo also winning DPOY, and according to this poll, Giannis is also a runaway winner. He received 88.9% of the points for this award, as opposed to reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, who had to settle for second with just 47.8%.

LeBron’s Lakers teammate, Anthony Davis, came in third with 23.3%.

Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) are the only two other NBA players who have won both awards in a single season, and by the looks of it, this extremely short list is going to be a threesome by the end of this season.

Note that this is not a complete tally of the votes and nothing is certain at this point. However, it would not be surprising if Giannis actually achieves this tremendous feat as he continues to dominate the NBA. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are 54-14 on the season and are primed to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The post Giannis Antetokounmpo in line to win NBA MVP, DPOY based on early ballot returns appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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