The NBA announced yesterday that the voting for the 2019-20 season’s awards will be based from a player’s performance up to March 11, 2020 (March 12th in Manila time), which was when the season was indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

It’s a good decision on the NBA’s part as it was the key time frame of the current roller coaster regular season. Also, as you know, the upcoming restart will only include 22 teams, most of which are altered due to injuries and opt outs.

Nevertheless, when asked about his thoughts on the breaking news, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said that the MVP trophy should once again be hoisted by his superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo – the same guy who won last year.

Here’s what coach Bud had to say according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN:

“I had no idea that that was the case, but it makes sense. I think it was 64, 65, 66 games for different teams, so that’s certainly a significant body of work, and more importantly, certainly, Giannis, in our minds, has done more than enough to deserve a back-to-back MVP.”

“What he does for us on both ends of the court, what he does every night, the way he sets the bar for us, culture-wise, work ethic-wise, just as a teammate. He’s an incredible teammate, plays unselfishly, does everything. And I think that’s kind of what the MVP is, so we certainly feel like he’s very deserving, and we’ll be excited to support him.”

While there’s at least a hint of bias in there, there’s also no denying that Giannis deserves to bag yet another MVP. After all, he is the best player on the best team in the league, and quite possibly the most imposing figure as well.

Sure, there are candidates who can make a case, like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and maybe even Luka Doncic. However, as good as they have been this season, they all look like distant runner-ups more than anything. The only one with a realistic shot at ousting the reigning MVP is probably James.

Giannis leaves little doubt as to who the top dog in the race really is. ‘The Greek Freak’ is simply bulldozing his way through the opposition with impressive efficiency and productivity – 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 54.7% shooting, all in just 30.9 minutes of action.

Through that, the Bucks have had the best record in the NBA (53-12) for pretty much the whole season. They also rank first in points per game (118.6 PPG) and defensive rating. Budenholzer is right on the money – it’s more than enough.

Everything is lined up on Giannis’s side, and it should be a pretty quick and easy debate.