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5 Candidates For Most Improved Player in 2016-17

By Brandon Carney

Apr 7, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) drives to the basket against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Nuggets 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) drives to the basket against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Nuggets 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Dennis Schroder, PG, Atlanta Hawks

As the player on this list with by far the biggest increase in opportunity heading into next season, Dennis Schroder has to be considered one of the favorites to be named Most Improved Player.

With Jeff Teague on his way to Indiana, Schroder is slated to take the starting point guard role and will obviously see a huge bump in minutes as a result. He’s seen his minutes climb in each of his three NBA seasons, but he still averaged just 20.3 per game last year.

We can expect that to increase to something closer to the approximately 30 minutes per game Teague avearaged during his time in Atlanta.

And those minutes for Schroder won’t be unwarranted. This isn’t the case of a starter leaving and the team thrusting his backup into a starting role he isn’t ready for.

Schroder was one of the most productive role players in the NBA in his limited minutes, evidenced by his eighth-place finish in 2016 Sixth Man of the Year voting. He put up 11 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game as the Hawks’ sixth man last season.

If you spread those numbers in 20 minutes per game across what should be about 30 minutes this upcoming season, it equates to about 16.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds.

If he had put up those numbers last season, among point guards Schroder would’ve been 11th in points and eighth in assists, exceeding Teague’s contributions in both categories.

There’s a reason the Hawks were so comfortable trading away Teague in a three-team deal that netted them the 12th overall pick in the 2016 draft.

More hoops habit: 50 Greatest NBA Players of the 1990s

Atlanta is in good hands with Schroder, and given his talent level, experience, production, and the huge increase in minutes he’ll see in 2016-17, he’s arguably the favorite to win the Most Improved Player Award next season.