New idea would expand NBA Most Improved Player Award

In the last few years, some big names have taken home the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award. Barring Dyson Daniels, who won the award deservingly due to an incredible leap in production from 2023 to 2024, the likes of Ja Morant, Lauri Markkanen and Tyrese Maxey all won the award after landing the first All-Star callups of their respective careers.

In that sense, players who were logically taking the next step in their development won the award, rather than those who may have improved tremendously, almost surprisingly, compared to the season before. That is exactly what ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel recently pointed out during a recent segment with Tomer Azarly.

“It’s really hard for me to look at this award and look at it with a straight face because I think it’s laughable. I think this award is just a joke and I think we need to split it up into the Most Improved First Team and the Most Improved Second Team. And have some kind of incentive whether it results in their contract, maybe there’s some type of stipulation where maybe they can sign for more then the mid-level exception to qualify for that,” he said, per a post on X by ClutchPoints.

The argument is simple. Rather than the MIP award being handed out almost every year to a first-time All-Star, a First Team and Second Team would at least ensure other stars who have also improved to a huge degree get recognized for the award.

Seigel noted stars such as Ryan Rollins, Collin Gillespie and Anthony Black, who all deserve recognition due to the degree to which they have improved. Rollins, for example, is averaging 16.8 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Milwaukee Bucks, taking his numbers up from 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds and assists apiece per appearance.

Gillespie averaged 5.9 points and 2.4 assists and rebounds apiece per game last season, but is averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Phoenix Suns this campaign.
Finally, Black has also produced 15.7 points and 3.9 rebounds and assists apiece per game, going up from 9.4 points and 3.1 assists per game. All three of those players may have improved to a greater degree than Jalen Duren, who is the bookies’ favorite to win the award this year.

However, they are unlikely to actually win it over Duren, who effectively sealed it with the first All-Star appearance of his career.

The post New idea would expand NBA Most Improved Player Award appeared first on ClutchPoints.