NBA Awards 2023 : MIP (Most Improved Player) announcement timing, finalists, and more

The NBA's Most Improved Player of the Year will be revealed on Monday night. This prestigious award is generally given to players who've had the biggest leap in comparison to the previous season.

For the first time, an NBA player will receive the George Mikan trophy. The trophy was made earlier in the season and will be given to one of the MIP finalists.

Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC Thunder) and Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz) are the three finalists for the Most Improved Player of the Year award.

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The NBA's Most Improved Player in 2023 will be announced shortly before playoff games

Two exciting NBA playoff games are scheduled for Monday night. The Miami Heat will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first game, while the second game will feature an amazing matchup between the LA Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

The NBA will likely announce the Most Improved Player of the Year shortly before the Heat-Bucks matchup. The award winner will be revealed by TNT, although the trophy won't be given to the winner immediately.

Markkanen is another finalist for the prestigious award (Image via Getty Images)

Here are all the finalists for the award and their stats which show how much they've improved in comparison to last year:

Jalen Brunson:

• 2021-22: 16.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.0 BPG
• 2022-23: 24.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 6.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

• 2021-22: 24.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG
• 2022-23: 31.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Lauri Markkanen

• 2021-22: 14.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG
• 2022-23: 25.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG

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Statistically, Markkanen had the biggest leap as he improved his scoring average by more than 10 points per game. However, it's important that these are just basic stats as there are many other factors that will determine the 2023 Most Improved Player of the Year.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the fourth-best scorer in the league (Image via Getty Images)

Jalen Brunson is the only Most Improved Player finalist who led his team to the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was eliminated in the play-in tournament, while Markkanen's Jazz finished 12th in the Western Conference.

All three players have played incredible basketball, and there is no doubt that each of them deserves the reward. Due to this, the winner should not be controversial.

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The award was given to Ja Morant last season. A few more superstars have won the award in the past, including Giannis Antetokounmpo (2017), Jimmy Butler (2015) and Paul George (2013).