NBA Awards Watch: Gauging The Races Through December

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Dec 31, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

Most Improved Player

Almost from its inception in the 1985-86 season, the Most Improved Player award has been surrounded by confusion about what it really represents.

As often as not, the award is given to a player who didn’t as much improve as he did get more opportunities to play, producing at roughly the same rate as he did before, but with a sharp increase in per-game numbers because he went from averaging 10 to 35 minutes a night.

Some folks want to lump Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard C.J. McCollum into that category, because his MIP honor in 2015-16 coincided with an increase in playing time from 15.7 to 34.8 minutes per game.

But per-36 minutes, McCollum also improved from 15.7 points and 2.4 assists to 21.6 and 4.4, respectively, while his shooting line went from .436/.396/.699 to .448/.417/.827.

Those shooting numbers increased despite going from 13.5 shot attempts per 36 minutes to 18.5, from 5.1 three-point attempts to 6.1 and from 2.7 free-throw attempts to 2.9. For good measure, his Player Efficiency Rating (not the be all and end all, but still an effective tool) jumped from 13.1 to 17.7.

The per-36 minutes and efficiency are key factors in measuring year-over-year improvement and played big roles, along with–of-course–what we see on the court. And to be on the list, a player can’t be returning to past form or near past form.

Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, for instance, is having a huge spike in his numbers over 2015-16, but he’s not at the same per-36 levels he was at while with the Minnesota Timberwolves, so it’s hard to call him “most improved.”

Here are the Most Improved Player leaders through December.

In the conversation: Serge Ibaka, Orlando Magic; Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks; Otto Porter, Washington Wizards.

3. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz

Now in his fourth season, Rudy Gobert continues to make strides for the Utah Jazz. In 34 games so far this season, Gobert is averaging a double-double–12.5 points and 11.9 rebounds–in 33.0 minutes per game on ridiculous (and league-leading) 70.1 percent shooting from the floor.

Per-36, those numbers expand to 13.6 points and 13.0 rebounds, with 2.8 blocks thrown in for good measure. That’s up from his per-36 figures in 2015-16 of 10.4 points and 12.4 rebounds and a field goal percentage of 55.9 percent.

Gobert has learned what he does well and does that, taking a whopping 98.9 percent of his shots from inside of 10 feet and 85.4 percent from three feet and in. He’s made 77 dunks already and those account for 42.2 percent of his attempts.

Hey, when you’re 7-foot-1 and 245 pounds, play to your strengths. Gobert is doing that, serving as the anchor in the middle for the 21-13 Jazz, who appear poised to end a playoff drought that stretches back to 2012.

2. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Myles Turner looks like a bigger and bigger steal at No. 11 overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2015 NBA Draft.

After a solid, but injury-shortened, rookie season, Turner has turned it up a notch in his second campaign, averaging 15.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on .532/.365/.800 shooting in 29.5 minutes a night for the 16-18 Pacers, helping keep Indiana afloat in the playoff race in the East.

That is up from averages of 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on a .498/.214/.727 slash line as a rookie. He averaged only 22.8 minutes per game in 2015-16, so his per-36 increases aren’t quite as dramatic (16.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks to 18.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.1 blocks).

But the increased shooting efficiency is eye-opening. He came out of Texas with a reputation as a future stretch-type player, but was just 3-for-14 from long-range as a rookie. Turner is scratching the surface of that potential now, already hitting 19-of-52 from outside the arc in 2016-17.

Turner has also gotten better in the restricted area (from 69 percent last season to 70.9 percent thus far this season) and at the mid-range (hitting 50.5 percent from 16 feet out to the three-point line, up markedly from 42.5 percent last season).

His PER has increased from 15.4 to 20.1, as well, and his block percentage of 7.2 is the best in the NBA.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

What Giannis Antetokounmpo did after the All-Star break last season set the table. Even so, the explosion that has ensued this season was more than anyone dared to expect.

In 28 games after the break last season, the Greek Freak averaged 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals in 36.5 minutes per game on .502/.247/.746 shooting.

While he still doesn’t have much of a consistent jumper, certainly not from three-point range, Antetokounmpo is doing just fine, thanks.

Continuing to man the point guard spot on offense for the 16-16 Milwaukee Bucks, the 6-foot-11 athletic marvel is putting up 23.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in 35.0 minutes per game while shooting .536/.293/.788.

The last two averages are significant. Only three players–Hakeem Olajuwon (four straight times from 1987-88 through 1990-91), David Robinson in 1991-92 and Gerald Wallace in 2005-06–have ever averaged two steals and two blocks per game in a season.