NBA Awards Watch: Here Comes Kawhi Leonard

Most Improved Player

1. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls – Earlier in the year, this looked to be a slam dunk for Butler, and it still should be. Momentum is a funny thing with awards in that some people seem to have forgotten how much of a leap Butler has taken from year to year, but Butler has improved by approximately 7 (!) percentage points in both field goal and three-point shooting while making a leap to 20.2 points per game on the season. Usually, an uptick in usage to this degree results in a downturn in efficiency, but Butler has done the opposite, and to be frank, this race isn’t that close right now.
2. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors – Green may be the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Years (ed note: keep scrolling to find out), but that doesn’t keep him from eligibility here. The third-year forward has improved across the board on a per-minute basis, shooting 34% from three while averaging 13.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per 36 minutes. Beyond that, defense still matters, and Green has gone from a solid role player to a borderline star this season thanks to his development on both ends. I highly doubt that the former Spartan will earn consideration in the “real” ballot, but he deserves it.
3. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz – No one saw this coming. Gobert went from a fringe NBA player to an above-average starter in the blink of an eye, and that is his claim to fame for this category. The 7-footer is blocking 2.3 shots per game on the season (in only 25.4 minutes) and there is no one in the NBA more terrifying to the opposition around the rim. Gobert’s offense has vastly matured as well, and he is shooting 60.7% from the floor after a sub-50% debut as a rookie. Most players make a large leap between their first two seasons, but Gobert’s jump has been noteworthy.

Next: 6th Man of the Year