Our NBA bubble awards: Crowning the small sample size winners

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 06: Gary Trent Jr. #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates a three point basket against the Denver Nuggets with teammates Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers and Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter at Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 06, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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Most Improved Player – T.J. Warren

Honorable Mentions: Gary Trent Jr., Devin Booker, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot

Some will chalk it up to opportunity or only a small sample. But T.J. Warren has been mostly nuclear during the bubble run and changed the future of himself and the Indiana Pacers rather quickly.

Most would have written the team off after a Domantas Sabonis injury took away another All-Star from the lineup. The team was not sure where all the offense would come from. Warren quickly dropped 53 points and showed the promise that many fans (and @PistonsThoughts) already knew about in Phoenix.

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This is not just about opportunity though. Warren has grown as a long-range shooter when that was not a part of his game in recent years. He has diversified his offensive repertoire and shown Indiana that they may have a future building block to go alongside an already solid core.

Averaging 31.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in six games is enough in this small sample to win this award. But what really sewed it up was his defensive performance against the Los Angeles Lakers. Coming into this game Anthony Davis was on track for the MVP of the return. He was guarded by Warren for most of the game and shot a gross 3-14 from the floor. This combined with an offensive explosion sealed the deal.