1. Jerami Grant, Detroit Pistons
2019-20 stats: 12.0 pts 3.5 reb 1.2 ast 0.7 stl 0.8 blk 0.9 turnovers
75 FT 59.1 TS% 55.5 efg 27 minutes
2020-21 stats: 25.1 pts 6.2 reb 1.9 ast 0.8 stl 1.2 blk 1.3 turnovers
87 FT 59 TS% 53.6 efg 37 minutes
Grant’s case is that his turnover/usage rate is one of the highest in the entire NBA. He took his expanded role in Detroit and never looked back. He broke off his rear view mirror and threw it in the garbage. 25 and 6 is all-star level stuff from a power forward turned wing who only averaged 12+ once in his career. Despite gaudier stocks numbers, Christian Wood has been a negative for his team’s defensive rating, whereas Grant has improved his team’s D. Wood’s usage has been slightly higher, but he has less points and less assists. Grant has a lower turnover ratio, meaning he turns it over less per 100 possessions.
2. Christian Wood, Houston Rockets
2019-20 stats: 13.1 pts 6.3 reb 1.0 ast 1.4 stocks
21 minutes 1.4 turnovers
2020-21 stats: 23.3 pts 9.7 reb 1.3 ast 2.8 stocks
34 minutes 1.5 turnovers 59.9 ts%, 57.4 efg%
He and Grant are in a category way ahead of anyone else. They both added 10+ points and several rebounds in much larger roles. The case for Wood over Grant is that he has lower usage, is more efficient, and isn’t benefiting from being the number one option on a bad team. Wood is playing better, more important individual defense because he's a big, and contributing to more winning basketball (albeit slightly right now). He has been James Harden’s best teammate. Additionally, his numbers are just better in a vacuum.
3. Julius Randle, New York Knicks
2019-20 stats: 19.5 pts 9.7 reb 3.1 ast
46/28/73 shooting 53.8 ts% 49.2 efg 27.1 usage
2020-21 stats: 23.2 pts 11.8 reb 7.1 ast
51/37/76 shooting 57.6 ts% 53 efg 27.4 usage
While his usage has been large, but it has barely gone up from last season. Which means Randle and his teammates have just gotten way better in new coach Tom Thibodeau's system. It’s almost inexplicable how different Randle looks from last year. Sure, the turnovers have gone up by 50%, but the assists have gone up by 135%. The shooting has gotten to legitimately awesome clips at all three levels. The rebounding has improved, and his team has improved. The Knicks defensive rating is 5th in the NBA, and Randle improves that number when he’s on the floor. Because his volume has been virtually unchanged compared to Grant, Wood, and our 4th spot, I think he has “improved” the most. The other three have seen double-digit minutes increases.
4. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
2019-20 stats: 9.3 pts 4.7 reb 0.8 ast 0.5 stl 0.5 blk
51/42/83 shooting 16 minutes 0.9 turnovers
2020-21 stats: 19.5 pts 6.8 reb 1.8 ast 1.0 stl 1.5 blk
57/42/88 shooting 29 minutes 0.5 turnovers
A la Ben Simmons, Porter missed his entire rookie campaign. So he was a bit of an advantaged rookie last season, but he was still limited because of injury. Now, he is fully healthy and a true super sophomore. Doubling points, doubling assists, doubling steals, tripling blocks, shooting better at all three levels, and halving your turnovers is some DAMN fine improvement. He showed a lot of this in the bubble playoffs, so this was far from unpredictable. He’d be a runaway in an average year. Unfortunately for him, he’s improving in a loaded year.
5. Coby White, Chicago Bulls
2019-20 stats: 13.2 pts 3.5 reb 2.7 ast
39/35/79 shooting 51 ts% 48 efg 23.5 usage
2020-21 stats: 17.3 pts 5.2 reb 6.2 ast
42/36/83 shooting 55 ts% 51 efg 22.8 usage
I don’t like second year players being considered for Most Improved Player. They’re going to improve no matter what, and year one to two is traditionally the biggest leap by a lot. Not to mention they are coming off of what is almost always the worst season of an NBA career.
Still, White has been a different player entirely, and anyone who isn’t a rookie qualifies for the award. He’s more than doubled his assists and gotten his shooting out of worst in the league territory. Usage going down from last season has proven that he really did just get better. The game has slowed down for him, he takes what’s there, and actually looks like a point guard instead of just a basketball player. He scores more without necessarily hunting shots more.
Honorable mentions:
Darius Bazley, Oklahoma City Thunder
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
Five more:
Chris Boucher, Toronto Raptors
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
Comments