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Now that fans have witnessed a month of action, there is plenty reason for excitement at the performances of those players who have emerged as favorites for the NBA Most Improved Player award. The trophy recognizes the efforts by those that have improved their overall game in an array of ways while simultaneously becoming one of their team's leaders on both ends of the floor.
Brandon Ingram was the worthy winner of last season's NBA Most Improved Player award. After making the step away from the LA Lakers, Ingram was able to express himself and recorded 23.8 points and 6 rebounds per game. In our current January power rankings for the award, another player who has taken a step away from one of the Western Conference's top sides to improve his overall game tops the list.
Let's take a look at who the current frontrunners for the coveted trophy are.
NBA Most Improved Player 2021: 5 emerging stars to look out for after the first month of action
#1 Jerami Grant
Jerami Grant is playing with all the freedom and importance that he expected from a move to Detroit. Having left the Denver Nuggets this offseason to advance his game as an assured starter, the small forward hasn't looked back and leads the way in our NBA Most Improved Player Power Rankings. Having been shifted to the position to accommodate Pistons star Blake Griffin, Jerami Grant has quickly taken the reins as the team's standout talent.
Grant has doubled his averages in points (25.9) and assists (2.6), while grabbing 6.1 rebounds so far this season and is taking 18.9 shots per game. Having been given the faith by the Pistons front office, Grant has more than repaid the favor and is showing why he bet on himself to move to a franchise where he would have more responsibility.
With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Grant has the ability to blow past defenders and get to the rim. Although his talent is drawing the eyes of teams around the league, it is unlikely the forward moves having been given the freedom to express his play in a struggling Pistons side that is short of consistency on offense.
#2 Christian Wood
One player the Detroit Pistons let go of this offseason was center Christian Wood. Taking up the backup role to Griffin in Detroit, Wood has since switched to being Houston's big man and is thriving. The 25-year-old, though still advancing his craft, specifically against the more traditional bigs in the league, has emerged from obscurity to rise into second place in our power rankings for NBA Most Improved Player.
Wood is averaging 23.5 points and 10.8 rebounds along with 1.8 blocks per game. In the absence of James Harden, Wood has emerged as one of the Rockets standout talents and will be one of the franchise's building blocks in the years ahead. In a roster that includes injury-prone stars such as John Wall and Victor Oladipo, the young center is expected to be the Rockets standout star even if they miss out on the playoffs.
#3 Jaylen Brown
In the absence of Kemba Walker, it was worried that the Celtics offense would struggle to overcome early season opposition such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers. However, the Celtics rushed out to an 8-3 record thanks in no small part to Jaylen Brown's continued improvement on and off the ball.
Brown, who averaged 23 points and 7 rebounds in last season's Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat has picked up where he left off, so far averaging 26.9 points and 6 rebounds. Brown has not only improved his scoring, but is taking more shots, finding more success with those shots and is making a career-high 41.6% of attempts from beyond the 3-point line.
#4 Julius Randle
For the first season in a long time, the New York Knicks' fanbase has a team to be excited about. At power forward, Julius Randle has become the side's standout star and has improved across each aspect of his game, scoring 22.6 points, grabbing 11.6 rebounds and dishing out 6.2 assists. The 26-year-old has emerged as one of the most versatile players in the league, also developing his 3-point percentage and free-throw shooting.
Coach Thibodeau has developed the Knicks into playoff contenders and they currently have the 6th meanest defense in the league. If Randle can stay fit, the Knicks will continue to upset teams along the way, including their comfortable wins over the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors, in which the forward averaged 18 points and 14.5 rebounds.
#5 Chris Boucher
Although playing in a currently struggling Toronto Raptors, Chris Boucher has emerged as one of the franchise's standout talents and is already in NBA Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year conversations. With Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol out of the way, Boucher has flourished as one of Toronto's saviours after the opening 15 games of the season.
In only his 4th season in the league, Boucher has exponentially improved his performances and is now averaging 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks having been given consistent minutes. Toronto have been screaming out for production from the center position this season and Boucher has been able to provide that. The 28-year-old tied a franchise record earlier in the season when he scored 15 points or more off the bench in 6 consecutive games.
