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The Most Improved Player award might not be the most sought-after accolade that is given come the end of the NBA season, but it is one that has the highest number of possible winners.
Awards such as the coveted MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Sixth Man all come with some sort of additional criteria that not everyone can meet, but the Most Improved Player prize can be selected from a much wider pool of players.
Also Read: NBA Power Rankings: Top 5 teams in the Western Conference ahead of the season restart
NBA Power Rankings: The MIP Award
Quantifying an NBA player’s improvement is a subjective exercise, as there are so many diverse ways in which a player can grow. This improvement could be a rookie coming into his own in his sophomore year, a bench player stepping into the role of a starter, or even a regular starter making the leap to true stardom and carrying his team to new heights.
As such, there are a number of candidates in the NBA Power Rankings who have a legitimate claim to the title of Most Improved Player this season, and these are five NBA players who stood out from the pack.
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The widely-held assumption about a team that has just traded away its best player is that it will take a step back and restructure in order to deal with the loss of their star man. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder have proved this season that that is not always the case.
Despite trading away not one, but two top players, they occupied the comfortable fifth spot in the Western Conference prior to the lockdown. And they weren’t just any two players - in Russell Westbrook and Paul George, the Thunder lost two regular All-Stars but have dealt with their absence exceptionally well, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being one of the main reasons for their seemingly seamless transition to life after Brodie and PG13.
Newly arrived from the Clippers, Gilgeous-Alexander was coming off an average 2018-19 NBA season where he averaged just over 10 points a game, backing that up with just under 3 rebounds and just over 3 assists. However, being able to play alongside one of the game’s modern greats in Chris Paul has elevated his game tremendously and the transformation has been startling.
While the athleticism has always been there, a stronger physique has allowed him to run faster and compete for more loose balls, which has seen him double both his points and rebounds output this season. With his overall game progressing simultaneously with the improvement of the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander has the potential to be a 20+ point guard for the rest of his career and is in with a shout for clinching the MIP title this season.
4. Devonte’ Graham
Although the Hornets failed to make the cut for the bubble, bringing their season to a disappointing premature end, they can take heart from the encouraging performances of young stars like Devonte’ Graham.
A second-round pick in 2018, Graham has made the leap from averaging just 4.7 PPG in his rookie season to 18.2 this season, a quite remarkable rise up the NBA Power Rankings. Not many could have predicted that the 34th pick could transform into a future All Star player after his rookie campaign, but being thrust into playing 30+ minutes a season for a team lacking a big-name star is clearly paying off.
While he is still some way off hitting the heights that fellow members of the 2018 NBA draft class Luka Doncic and Trae Young have already hit, nearly quadrupling his points return while also significantly upping his assists is definitely worth making a note of.
3. Bam Adebayo
It’s hard to significantly improve almost every facet of your game simultaneously, let alone in only your third season in the NBA, but Bam Adebayo has managed to do just that with the easy confidence of a seasoned veteran. Already an elite rebounder, his emergence as one of the league’s best passing big men this season has caught everyone by surprise.
Having started just 28 games last year, Adebayo became a full-time starter, first-time All-Star, and indispensable player on a bonafide playoff team all in one season. Amazingly, he has managed to double his points return from 8 to 16 points a game and carry a heavier offensive load, all while maintaining top-tier efficiency numbers and a central defensive role. In fact, the Heat have actually been running plays through him, such is the improvement in his handling and passing.
However, what really sets him apart from other ball-playing bigs like Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis is his ability to fit into all sorts of configurations with some ease. A coach’s dream, Adebayo is a passer, screener, and roll man all in one, giving his side a number of options. This is why the Heat sit pretty at number four in the Eastern Conference this season.
The leap from just an effective rim protector to one of the league’s most dangerous and versatile interior players (in such a short while) surely makes him one of the front-runners for the Most Improved Player award this NBA season.
2. Brandon Ingram
While the LA Lakers have no doubt been boosted by the arrival of Anthony Davis, there were some questions over whether Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart would have a similar effect on the Pelicans. It’s not always that both teams in a high-profile deal end up in better positions after the fact, but Ingram’s performances on the court this season have won over many skeptical Pelicans fans.
Being able to play more minutes has enabled him to refine his game as Ingram has combined a massive shooting uptick with the highest assist rates of his career, jumping from 18.3 points and 3 assists a game to 24.3 and 4.3 respectively this season. It’s no coincidence that this has coincided with the first All-Star appearance of his career either.
Not having to play under LeBron James’ shadow seems to have done wonders for Ingram’s confidence as he has shot up the NBA Power Rankings, from a below-average marksman to one of the most accurate high-volume 3-point shooters in the league. In fact, Ingram attempted nearly as many 3-pointers in his first season as a Pelican than he did in three years as a Laker, and improved upon his career 3-point percentage by nearly six points.
While the defensive side of his game could use some polishing, the improvement in his offense can only mean good things for the Pelicans going forward.
1. Luka Doncic
The rise to superstardom is perhaps the most difficult step for an NBA player to navigate, but Luka Doncic seems to have made the transition so naturally that it is impossible to exclude him from the conversation of Most Improved Player.
Last season’s Rookie of the Year has gone from promising young star and fringe All-Star to potential MVP in his sophomore year. Even though second and third-year players are often left out of consideration for this award, Luka’s rise has been so meteoric that he seems primed to take home the MIP trophy this NBA season.
In just his second NBA season, Luka Doncic has ranked in the 100th percentile in both usage and assist rates while also lowering his turnover rate. He has gone from a 21.2 points-7.8 rebounds-6 assists stat line last season to 28.7 points-9.3 rebounds-8.7 assists with ease, an improvement that has seen the Mavs become one of the NBA's most potent offensive threats.
However, while Doncic's playmaking ability is quite masterful already, his shooting could use a little more work still. And, with the way his NBA career is progressing, don’t be surprised to see him with a more efficient jumper and even better numbers in the games to come.
