As the 2017-18 NBA season draws closer, it’s time to take a look at the top 10 candidates for the league’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
The NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award is kind of like that old saying about pornography: It can be hard to clearly define, but you know it when you see it.
This individual award can be hard to reach a consensus on because there are so many acceptable interpretations of what it means to be “most improved.”
Does it refer to a player who put up crappy numbers the year before and therefore made the biggest leap? Is it reserved for players who progressed from “pretty good” to “undeniable star”? How much does team success factor in? Is it about who made the biggest jump, or who rose to a higher level of prominence after barely being on the radar?
Luckily, the last few seasons have been easier to peg, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, C.J. McCollum, Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Paul George making the voters’ jobs pretty simple. At this point, the award seems to go to good players on the rise who make the leap with breakout years and establish themselves as current stars.
Heading into the 2017-18 season, there are plenty of young players on the cusp of their coming out parties, which means this could be a loaded race for MIP. To sort it all out, here’s a look at the top 10 candidates for the 2017-18 Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
Honorable Mentions: Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Clint Capela, Julius Randle, Nerlens Noel, Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart, Norman Powell, Willie Cauley-Stein, Cody Zeller, T.J. Warren, Kris Dunn, Stanley Johnson, Patrick McCaw, Otto Porter Jr.
10. Dennis Schroder
Technically speaking, Dennis Schroder already had something of a breakout year, putting up 17.9 points, 6.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in his first season at the helm of the Atlanta Hawks. Given the lack of talent around him for the 2017-18 campaign, however, he could very easily make another huge leap in the stats column.
For one thing, Schroder could try to improve on his 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent shooting from 3-point range. For another, he’ll most definitely be taking more shots than the 15.4 per game he averaged last year, given that his best teammates are now Kent Bazemore and a rookie.
The only problem is, the Hawks might be so terrible that Schroder’s career-best numbers fly under the radar. With the next nine guys likely heading for breakout seasons as well, any one of them would get the edge simply because they’ll be playing for more competitive teams.
9. Brandon Ingram
After an underwhelming rookie season in which he averaged 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on .402/.294/.612 shooting splits, Brandon Ingram really has nowhere to go but up. Still, it’d take a pretty massive jump — i.e., to stardom — for this sophomore to jump past the next eight players on our list.
To be fair, it’s not impossible either. Still seen as a centerpiece of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ young core by many, Ingram looked like a completely different player in NBA Summer League, putting up 26 points, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Unfortunately, his time in Las Vegas was limited to that one game.
In any case, Ingram seems poised to drastically improve on his rookie numbers, especially with rookie Lonzo Ball set to feed him at a more up-tempo pace. Asking for this kind immediate maturation out of a 20-year-old is a stretch, but there’s still a slight chance Ingram is ready to explode in year two.
8. Karl-Anthony Towns
This might seem low for a player of Karl-Anthony Towns‘ stature who is a sure bet to explode onto the scene in 2017-18. However, Towns falls to No. 9 on this list for two main reasons: 1) He was already pretty damn good in 2016-17 and 2) With Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Andrew Wiggins surrounding him, his numbers might not make a large enough leap to put his name at the top of the MIP leaderboard.
Still, it’s impossible to leave KAT off this list, especially with zero All-Star appearances or All-NBA selections to his name yet. Towns has never made the playoffs and hasn’t accomplished anything in his career yet, but all of that seems likely to change in 2017-18. If he can put up MVP numbers on a Minnesota Timberwolves team that has all this playoff buzz surrounding it, he could very well dominate the voting for this award.
To that end, we can’t overlook the possibility of an MVP-caliber jump in year three, but we should point out again that it’ll be hard for him to drastically improve from the 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game on .542/.367/.832 shooting splits he posted last year, especially with Butler, Teague and Wiggins all needing touches.
7. Devin Booker
A fellow 2015 first round draft pick out of Kentucky, Devin Booker seems poised for a breakout season in year three, even for someone who won’t turn 21 until a few games into the new campaign. The reason? Slightly improved talent around him, coupled with a focus on feeding him the ball.
Booker has already joined Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal — all current or future Hall-of-Famers — as the only players in NBA history to average at least 22 points per game for a full season before reaching the age of 21, showcasing his immense scoring potential and how the offense revolves around him. Even with Eric Bledsoe back and Josh Jackson entering the fold, Booker is still the focal point of the youth movement.
Last year, Booker averaged 22.1 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game on mundane .423/.363/.832 shooting splits. If he can be a little more efficient, the scoring numbers will go up, and if those come with improved playmaking, rebounding and defensive effort, the only thing that could hold him out of the MIP conversation will be the Phoenix Suns‘ lack of team success.
6. Rodney Hood
The 2016-17 season did not go as planned for Rodney Hood, who watched his numbers and role deteriorate from 14.5 points in 32.2 minutes per game on 42 percent shooting the year before to 12.7 points in 27 minutes per game on 40.8 percent shooting. With Gordon Hayward gone, Hood is due for a resurgence.
Ricky Rubio was brought aboard to make everyone’s lives easier on offense, while Rudy Gobert becomes the star and anchor of a highly vaunted Utah Jazz defense. But this team desperately needs scoring, 3-point shooting and secondary playmaking, all of which Hood will be expected to provide.
Heading into his fourth season, it’s time for this future two-way stud to make the leap. He shot a respectable 37.1 percent from downtown last season, and if he can noticeably build on that number along with his scoring average, he’ll be in the MIP conversation — especially if Utah pushes for a return to the playoffs in its first year without Hayward.
5. D’Angelo Russell
Like Devin Booker and Dennis Schroder, the career numbers D’Angelo Russell is about to put up in 2017-18 may be discredited as another guy putting up good stats on a terrible team. Unlike those two, however, Russell has a lower starting point thanks to his 2016-17 numbers, which could make his upcoming leap look comparatively more impressive in the MIP debate.
The Brooklyn Nets will probably wind up with a bottom-five record again, but Russell is almost certain to build upon the 15.6 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game he averaged last year, especially as he plays with a gigantic chip on his shoulder.
Joining Jeremy Lin in the backcourt, Russell might not get the undisputed starting point guard role he wanted. But Lin was pretty injury-prone last year, and even if he stays healthy, Russell is about to show there’s still plenty of ice in his veins.
4. Myles Turner
As yet another unicorn from the 2015 NBA Draft to grace this list, Myles Turner is as poised for a breakout season as anyone. Paul George is gone, Turner is the center of the Indiana Pacers‘ rebuild and with his best teammates being Victor Oladipo, Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanovic, the time is now for this 21-year-old to seize the reins.
It’s a lot of pressure to put on a guy that was usually the team’s second or even third option on offense, but Turner has plenty of room to build upon last year’s good-but-not-great averages of 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game on .511/.348/.809 shooting splits.
It won’t be long before this kid is a go-to option on offense, a stretch-5 and an anchor on the defensive end. If he can take a huge first step toward that destiny in 2017-18, he’ll definitely stand out as the leader of a Pacers team expected to be slightly more competitive than some of the league’s bottom-feeders.
3. Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis may have loved having Carmelo Anthony around, but now that the New York Knicks have finally traded him, the age of the unicorn has officially begun. The team may not be very good in 2017-18, but you can be guaranteed the Zinger’s numbers will be.
After averaging 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game last year, it’ll take a sizable leap in multiple categories for Porzingis to compete with these other Most Improved Player candidates. But as he enters a potential breakout year in his third NBA season with Melo no longer dominating the rock, he’s as likely to make that jump to NBA stardom as anyone.
The problem is there are a lot of players on the roster (Tim Hardaway Jr., Michael Beasley, etc.) who will be launching a ton of shots. The Knicks have no excuse for not making him the focal point of the offense, but at this point, we can’t really trust the Knicks with anything. Between that and New York’s likely lack of team success, KP only comes in at No. 3.
2. Jusuf Nurkic
Despite Jusuf Nurkic‘s eye-popping numbers and the drastic turnaround he engineered with the Portland Trail Blazers last year, that was only a 20-game sample size. On the season, Nurkic only put up 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game — leaving plenty of room for MIP-level improvement in 2017-18.
The good news is the Bosnian Beast immediately showed how well he fits in with Rip City, putting up an eye-popping 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He also shot 50.8 percent from the floor and made a huge impact on the team’s offensive and defensive ratings on the way to a 14-6 record.
To expect that kind of team success again in 2017-18 is unfair, but he fit in pretty seamlessly as the third member of a Big Three with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. If he can post similar numbers and help Portland surprise some people in the Western Conference playoff standings, Nurk could wind up being a shoo-in for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
1. Nikola Jokic
The 2017-18 Most Improved Player of the Year race could come down to two former Denver Nuggets centers and whichever one of their teams finishes higher in the Western Conference playoff picture. But since Nikola Jokic is going to be an undisputed star and we only have a 20-game sample size to go off of with Nurk, we’re giving the edge to the Joker at No. 1.
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Last year, the Nurkic trade wound up pushing the Blazers right past Denver for the final playoff spot out West. But after signing Paul Millsap and with another year under Jokic’s belt, anything less than a playoff appearance would be a disappointment for these young Nuggets.
Jokic was an undeniable superstar once he was reinserted into the starting lineup, with the Nuggets leading the league in offensive rating from that point onward. But even after finishing second in Most Improved Player voting last year, his final numbers on the season — 16.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game on .578/.324/.825 shooting — leave room for growth.
That growth will undoubtedly come in 2017-18 as the Joker enters his third NBA season, and as the leader of this team, Denver’s success will be pinned to his accomplishments if they make a strong playoff push.
Next: Top 10 candidates for the 2017-18 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
Jokic has already established himself as a current star, but if he increases his scoring average, 3-point percentage and his team’s win total, 2017-18 could be the breakthrough that earns him his first NBA award and the league-wide recognition he already deserves.