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The Most Improved Player is one of the most prestigious individual accolades of the regular season. Held in high regard with other awards such as the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards, it's given to the player who improved drastically over that NBA season.
The player worked on various aspects of their game, emerging as someone with a bright future - while giving fans something to look forward to, as a stepping stone for bigger and better things.
Previously, players such as Kevin Love, Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been awarded the accolade. Giannis won the award back in 2017 and is now frontrunner for this season's MVP award - his accomplishment proving just what is possible if you continue improving your game.
Last year's recipient was Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, who beat Rockets center Clint Capela and Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie in the process. A skilled player during his first four seasons in the league, he improved significantly after being traded to the Pacers - showing he was an emerging star and one that could lead them to success, with this year's candidates no exception either.
This year's race features three deserving players, who all made great strides and have proven their capability to lead a team. Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell, Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam and Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox are this year's nominees.
In a tight, competitive race which could go either way, one of the trio is ultimately being overlooked and in this article, I explore three reasons why Fox deserves to win MIP in the awards ceremony on June 24:
#3 His stats improved from his rookie season
Fox has just completed the second year of his young NBA career. This past season, the speedy point-guard averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 81 games - while averaging 1.6 steals too.
To contrast during his rookie year, he averaged 11.6 pts, 4.4 ast and 2.8 rebs per game: which just goes to show the significant levels of improvement in almost every category since then.
His field goal percentage and consistency from three-point range has also improved too. This year, he shot 45.8% from the field (4.6% increase) and 37.1% (6.4%) from deep. The improvement in the 21-year-old's game was noticeable as he worked on his game over the summer months, growing into an even better and more efficient player while doing so - precisely what the MIP award is all about.
#2 Fox led as the Kings improved significantly this year
The Kings finished with a 39-43 record and were almost a .500 team, ultimately finishing ninth in the Western Conference. Their record was a significant improvement from the 17/18 season, where they only recorded 27 wins and finished 12th. Here, they reached the 30-win mark for the first time in 14 years - despite narrowly missing out on a playoff berth for the 13th successive season.
The Los Angeles Clippers were the eighth seed with a 48-34 record, going on to face the Golden State Warriors in the first-round, where they lost in a 4-2 series. Sacramento nearly earned that spot themselves but successive defeats towards the latter stages of the season ultimately cost them an opportunity at the post-season.
In their last ten games, the Kings went 3-7 - but there's no doubt with continued improvement, they'll be there in no time. A big part of that success was down to De'Aaron Fox, though they have a core group of players who flourished alongside him: shooting guard Buddy Hield and forward Marvin Bagley III, who they drafted second in last year's draft.
They also have veterans including Harrison Barnes and Alec Burks on the roster to help their young core grow, while a new coach in the form of Luke Walton adds to their bright future. If Fox and co continue to improve, the Kings will be a special team in the next few years.
#1 Fox is playing better than most of his peers
De'Aaron Fox was the fifth pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, being drafted from the University of Kentucky a year after the Kings drafted power forward Marquese Chriss. However, they traded Chriss to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Georgios Papagiannis.
Fox is part of a stacked draft class which features players such as Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Lonzo Ball. The first pick was Markelle Fultz, a combo guard from the University of Washington.
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted him as part of their famed "process", though he has battled a variety of troublesome injuries and only played 33 games in his career to date. The Sixers traded him to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Jonathon Simmons, while Fultz is yet to feature for the Magic and hopes to be healthy after lengthy talks about his future.
Lonzo was the second pick, with the Lakers drafting him in hopes that they'd finally unearthed their future point-guard. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds - though his stats suffered slightly in his second year as he too battled injuries. He has an opportunity to blossom next season, after recently being traded (along with others) to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis - giving him a chance to develop and grow further as a player with less pressure.
Fox has also outplayed some of the other 2017 draft members, including Suns forward Josh Jackson (fourth pick) and Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina (ninth pick). The only players who have shone above him to date are Tatum (third pick) and Mitchell (13th pick), otherwise he has surpassed his peers. For a player who missed both All-Rookie teams, this is a significant accomplishment and one that he'll use as extra motivation to continue progressing further.
De'Aaron Fox is a talented player, who impressed this season and helped his team nearly make the playoffs. While you could put forward cases for both Russell and Siakam to win the accolade, Fox does too and should prevail above the duo to assert himself alongside the great winners of the past. The MIP award would be the start of many great things for him.
