The 2021 NBA Season has been filled with some great storylines but few better than the select group of players making the case for most improved. The most improved player award in the NBA has generally been an award given to young players who show a tremendous jump in their play from one season to the next. Whether it’s just players getting more comfortable in a system or just finally getting a feel for the league most improved is usually an award given when a player starts to fulfill their potential. The most improved player award is pretty unforgiving, the prime candidates are usually players on their rookie contracts, and any player that doesn’t show an improvement within those first 3-4 years is looked at as an afterthought for this award. That’s what makes this year’s list so intriguing.
The top 2 candidates for this year’s most improved award (according to vegas odds) are both players on their second NBA contract and both have played for a minimum of 3 NBA teams. To find the last player in the NBA to win the Most improved player award that was not on their first NBA contract you have to go all the way back to Goran Dragic in 2014 with The Phoenix Suns in the 7th year of his career. To further emphasize, there have only been 3 players in the past 20 years of this award to win it after their 4th year in the NBA and that speaks volumes to the work ethic of the guys atop the 2021 MIP list.
Last year’s winner, Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans showed why he was the #2 overall pick in 2016. He won the award after improving his stats dramatically from the year before and it earned him his first NBA All-star appearance. Ingram was the beneficiary of the trade that got Anthony Davis to the Lakers, and usually, there is nothing beneficial about moving from LA to NO other than the cost of the property but, Ingram earned his first all-star appearance and had the Pelicans in contention for the 8th seed before the shut down of last years season.
This year’s list of M.I.P candidates is one of the best in recent years to me because it actually shows more of how insane the talent level currently is in the NBA and why so many of these players have to work so hard just to fill their NBA Star Potential.
1. Julius Randle – New York Knicks
| Year | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | FG% | 3PT% | Team Record |
| ‘19-’20 | 32.5 | 19.5 | 3.1 | 9.7 | 46% | 27% | 21-45 |
| ‘20-’21 | 37.5 | 23.9 | 6.0 | 10.4 | 46% | 42% | 34-28 |
In his 7th season, the former 7th overall pick has found his way this season. With multiple 40 point performances, some game-winners, and most importantly leading the Knicks back into the playoff picture for the first time since 2013. The Knicks are currently sitting at the 4th seed in a top-heavy eastern conference. Although in the past team records have had very little to do with the result of this award this might be Randle’s most compelling case. Randle has never been a player that anyone particularly highlighted as a leader until this season. On his 3rd team and in his 7th season (I highlight again) Randle has found new life. He’s averaging career highs in all the major statistical categories and has the New York Knicks actually looking like a tough first-round matchup in the playoffs.
2. Jerami Grant – Detriot Pistons
| Year | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | FG% | 3PT% | Team Record |
| ‘19-’20 | 26.6 | 12 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 47.8 | 38.9 | 46-27 (DEN) |
| ‘20-’21 | 34.1 | 22.5 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 42.8 | 35.4 | 19-43 |
In his 8th season in the league, Jerami Grant much like Randle is also averaging career highs in most of the major statistical categories. Grant hasn’t found new life this year as much as he’s just embraced a new role. Much of last year with the Denver Nuggets, we saw Grant’s ability to knock down shots from the perimeter while also displaying his ridiculous athletic ability, finishing in the lane. This year after getting a bag from Detroit, Grant has had to step into a new role where instead of being one of many, he is THE guy for Detroit. Although his team has not complimented his play very well this season, it can be argued that Grant has been the best player that was given more playing time in the whole League.
3. Michael Porter Jr. – Denver Nuggets
| Year | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | FG% | 3PT% | Team Record |
| ‘19-’20 | 16.4 | 9.3 | 0.8 | 4.7 | 50 | 42.2 | 46-27 |
| ‘20-’21 | 31.2 | 18.5 | 1 | 7.6 | 54 | 44.4 | 40-21 |
The departure of Jerami Grant from Denver left room for the opportunity that Miachel Porter Jr. has had this season and man has he taken advantage of it. Porter Jr. didn’t come on last season until late, he actually had his best performances last year in the NBA bubble for the Nuggets. It wasn’t until this year however that the young athletic forward really started to showcase his game. He’s had strings of double-doubles, as well as posting a career-high in points with 39 just this past month.
4. Zion Williamson – New Orleans Pelicans
| Year | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | FG% | 3PT% | Team Record |
| ‘19-’20 | 27.8 | 22.5 | 2.1 | 6.3 | 68.3 | 42.9 | 30-42 |
| ‘20-’21 | 32.9 | 26.9 | 3.6 | 7.2 | 61.8 | 32.3 | 27-34 |
Williamson’s improvements this year earned him his first all-star appearance. He is leading his team in scoring and usage rate and has been fairly efficient in doing so. He has tremendous touch and explosion which has lead to so many highlight plays from him this year. He has established himself as one of the most fun players to watch in the league this year and should be one of the primer players in the league for years to come.
5. Christian Wood – Houston Rockets
| Year | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | FG% | 3PT% | Team Record |
| ‘19-’20 | 21.4 | 13.1 | 1 | 6.3 | 56.7 | 38.6 | 20-46 (DET) |
| ‘20-’21 | 32.2 | 21.1 | 1.6 | 9.8 | 52.4 | 37.7 | 15-47 |
Although he only has only played a grand total of 38 games this year Christina Wood was on pace to make one of the more impressive 1-year come-ups that we have ever seen. Wood went down in early February with a gruesome ankle injury and hasn’t been back since, largely in part because the Rockets are one of the worst teams in the league, and bringing him back this season wouldn’t be worth it. In his 38 games however wood was putting up monster numbers. He was averaging a double-double and even was averaging close to 2 black a game.
| ODDS TO WIN 2021 NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER (6/1/21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Odds Provided by PointsBet – Subject to Change
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