Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be in the conversation for the NBA MVP Award this season. However, there is something else that Antetokounmpo should be considered for during the 2023-2024 NBA season. He should be considered for defensive player of the year through a month and a half of this year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo won the award once already in his NBA career in 2020. This season, he is one of four players to have at least 25 or more blocks and 25 or more steals. The only other three players this season to be on that list are Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors, and Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 1.3 BPG and 1.5 SPG so far this season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Robinson is averaging 1.4 BPG and 1.6 SPG so far this season for the New York Knicks. Herb Jones is averaging 1.3 BPG and 1.8 SPG so far this season for the New Orleans Pelicans. Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors is averaging 1.3 BPG and 1.7 SPG so far this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Everyone Else Who Will Be Considered For Defensive Player of the Year Have Similar Stats
It will be interesting to see what happens between now and the end of the NBA regular season in terms of best defensive player. Antetokounmpo has nearly identical defensive stats as the other three players on the list. It will be hard to determine who will be the three finalists for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
There is no doubt that Antetokounmpo should be a finalist because he defends well and is by far the Milwaukee Bucks’s best defensive player. He is also an MVP candidate for a reason and can always impact a game offensively. To go along with Antetokounmpo, the other two candidates for this award this season if this keeps up should be Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks and Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.
The slight edge in this race would go to Robinson over Antetokounmpo because he is a center and a rim protector. It will be interesting to see how this race unfolds.
