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The 2021-22 NBA season is in fully swing and we're already in December as the action gets more entertaining night in and night out. Stephen Curry is closing in on becoming the NBA's all-time three-point king, while LeBron James and the LA Lakers finally had a statement win.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets now have a seven-game winning streak after snapping their 15-game losing skid. The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz are still underrated, while the Memphis Grizzlies are 5-1 since Ja Morant went down with an injury.
Speaking of Morant, he was still number one in last week's NBA Most Improved Player of the Year power rankings. Let's take a look at this week's list to see if Morant keeps his spot at the top.
#5 Jordan Poole
Previous week's NBA MIP Power Ranking - #4
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 3; Games lost - 1
Overall: Games played - 25; Games won - 21; Games lost - 4
Last Week: PPG - 15.3, APG - 4.3, RPG - 3.5
Overall: PPG - 18.0, APG - 3.5, RPG - 3.2
Last Week: FG% - 40.0%, 3P% - 33.3%, SPG - 1.3
Overall: FG% - 44.8%, 3P% - 34.5%, SPG - 1.1
Jordan Poole continued his breakout season with another strong week last week. He helped the Golden State Warriors to a 3-1 record in last week's sleight of games, while averaging 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. However, it did not help him maintain his position in this week's NBA Most Improved Player of the Year power rankings.
Poole has been really good this season as the third guard option on offense behind Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. With the imminent return of Klay Thompson, it will be interesting to see how Poole adapts to a new role.
#4 Tyler Herro
Previous week's NBA MIP Power Ranking - #3
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 23; Games won - 13; Games lost - 10
Last Week: PPG - 16.5, APG - 3.5, RPG - 4.8
Overall: PPG - 20.8, APG - 3.8, RPG - 5.3
Last Week: FG% - 41.0%, 3P% - 38.9%, FT% - 81.8%
Overall: FG% - 44.4%, 3P% - 39.2%, FT% - 86.4%
Like Jordan Poole, Tyler Herro continued his breakout season for the Miami Heat last week. He started two games in the absence of Jimmy Butler and came off the bench in the Heat's final two matchups of the week.
Herro averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last week as he helped Miami to a 2-2 record. He moved down one spot in this week's NBA Most Improved Player of the Year power rankings because someone had a much better week than him.
#3 Dejounte Murray
Previous week's NBA MIP Power Ranking - #5
Last Week: Games played - 4; Games won - 2; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 24; Games won - 8; Games lost - 15
Last Week: PPG - 17.5, APG - 10.3, RPG - 8.0
Overall: PPG - 18.8, APG - 8.4, RPG - 8.4
Last Week: FG% - 45.3%, 3P% - 47.6%, SPG - 1.8
Overall: FG% - 44.7%, 3P% - 34.4%, SPG - 2.0
Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs moves up two spots in this week's NBA Most Improved Player of the Year power rankings. Murray averaged a near triple-double last week: 17.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game.
Murray led the Spurs to two huge wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors. He also consistently defended the opposing team's best perimeter player, while also producing at the other end. If Murray continues or even improves his play, he could even move up next week.
#2 Ja Morant
Previous week's NBA MIP Power Ranking - #1
Last Week: Games played - 0; Games won - 0; Games lost - 0
Overall: Games played - 19; Games won - 9; Games lost - 10
Last Week: PPG - 0.0, APG - 0.0, RPG - 0.0
Overall: PPG - 24.1, APG - 6.8, RPG - 5.6
Last Week: FG% - 0.0%, 3P% - 0.0, FT% - 0.0%
Overall: FG% - 47.6%, 3P% - 35.6%, FT% - 77.7%
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies slides into second place in this week's NBA Most Improved Player power rankings. Morant is still out with a sprained left knee suffered in a game against the Atlanta Hawks almost two weeks ago. He's expected to miss quite a handful of games due to the injury.
As if his sprained left knee was not enough, Morant entered the NBA's health and safety protocols on Wednesday. He will have to isolate for 10 days and has to test negative twice in a span of 24 hours before getting cleared. Morant is reportedly vaccinated and has received a booster shot.
#1 Miles Bridges
Previous week's NBA MIP Power Ranking - #2
Last Week: Games played - 3; Games won - 1; Games lost - 2
Overall: Games played - 27; Games won - 14; Games lost - 13
Last Week: PPG - 22.7, APG - 5.0, RPG - 5.0
Overall: PPG - 20.2, APG - 3.3, RPG - 7.2
Last Week: FG% - 56.8%, 3P% - 42.9%, FT% - 92.3%
Overall: FG% - 46.8%, 3P% - 33.1%, FT% - 77.6%
Miles Bridges is number one in this week's NBA Most Improved Player of the Year power rankings. Bridges became the team's focal point last week with LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier out due to entering the league's health and safety protocols.
Bridges responded by averaging 22.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists last week. He's still a consistent threat on offense and appears to be having a real breakout season. Bridges needs to maintain his consistency in order to prevent Ja Morant or any other player from displacing him as the NBA's most improved player this season.
Guess the Lakers players!
