Stating the case for every Most Improved Player candidate
The Most Improved Player Award is one of those nebulous ones that can be hard to ascertain the true meaning of.
Some regard it based on how much a player has improved with the minutes he’s played while some just look at the change in overall numbers. The argument against the latter reasoning is that sometimes numbers are only up because minutes are up. The counter to that line of thinking is the minutes could be up because the player improved.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, last year’s winner, is an example of a player who won based on improved performance per minute. C.J. McCollum, who won in 2015-16, is an example of a winner who received a big bump in playing time. Both deserved it.
Here, I included both “types” of winners, without weighing in on which standard “should” win because I don’t believe there are absolutes here. Here are five players in ascending order who are worthy of the award.
To determine personal improvement on a per minute basis, I used Player Efficiency Rating since that is a catch-all, minute adjusted metric. While it’s flawed in some ways, those flaws are inherently consistent, so using it to measure a player’s improvement (especially on offense) is fine.
Spencer Dinwiddie
Anyone who loves the underdog has to like Spencer Dinwiddie, who went from being a fringe NBA player to a full-time starter for the Brooklyn Nets this year. Through his first three seasons, he played just 1,948 minutes and had 19 starts. This year, he’s logged 2,184 minutes and 57 starts.
His 12.6 points and 6.5 dimes per game are career-highs, and he’s improved on a per-minute basis as well, with his PER jumping from 12.7 to 16.1, according to Basketball-Reference.com. He was arguably the Nets’ most valuable player this season.
Julius Randle
Julius Randle, the No. 7 pick of the 2014 draft, had a tough start to his career when he went out for the season 14 minutes into his first game. In his second and third seasons, he was decent, averaging 12.2 points and 9.5 boards overall, but there wasn’t enough there to inspire the Lakers to think he was part of the future.
This season — particularly the last few months — he has them rethinking the future. Randle is averaging 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in almost two fewer minutes. His shooting is way up with a jump from 49.9 to 56.9 in effective field-goal percentage. His PER has gone from 16.3 to 20.1.
Since Jan. 7, when his Los Angeles Lakers started figuring things out, he’s been averaging 19.4 points and 9.2 boards on 56.8 percent shooting from the field. He’s also been one of the best Lakers defensively. All of that could have the Lakers rethinking if they want to let him walk in free agency this summer.
Gary Harris
While superstar and MVP candidate of the future Nikola Jokic garnered most of the attention and headlines this summer, Gary Harris has gone a little under the radar as a significant reason the Nuggets are in the playoff hunt.
He’s averaging a career-high in points with 17.7 and PER at 16.6, though the latter is only up slightly from last year’s 16.5. What’s remarkable, though less visible, with Harris is improvement on the defensive end.
Denver’s defense is 3.4 points per 100 possessions better with Harris on the court, according to NBA.com, which is all the more remarkable when you consider that his minutes and usage are also up. Typically, when you see those things go up, you see a regression on the other end because energy is finite. Harris improving both and becoming the Nuggets’ second-most important player puts him in the discussion for most improved as well.
Clint Capela
Clint Capela has been a major part of the Houston Rockets securing the best record in the NBA this season. The Rockets are 39-2 in games he, James Harden and Chris Paul have all played. Their net rating with all three on the court is plus-12.9.
Capela’s PER has jumped from 21.4 to 24.4 (13th in the NBA).
Capela leads the NBA in field-goal percentage (64.8) on a career-high 13.9 points and 10.9 boards per game. Players who have had seasons besting him on all three of those counts include Wilt Chamberlain (three times), Rudy Gobert (last season) and no one else. That’s not to say that those random numbers mean much from an overall perspective.
What they do show is that Capela is extraordinarily good at doing what Houston asks him to. He is one of the best alley-oop finishers in the league (103 finishes on 127 attempts) and one of the best dunkers (199 of 220). His 5.5 makes at the rim per game trail only LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, pretty elite company. He’s done all of that while emerging as one the Rockets’ most critical defenders, blocking 1.9 shots per game.
Next: The Encyclopedia of Modern Moves
Victor Oladipo
All growth isn’t the same. The jump from fringe player to rotation player (Dinwiddie) is easier than going from rotation player to borderline star (Harris, Randle and Capela). But the move from borderline star to franchise player is even more difficult. It’s the leap Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Greek Freak made in winning the award.
It’s also the leap that Oladipo made this season. Freed from Westbrookian shackles, Oladipo found a way for his inner star to shine and his leadership ability to come out. He’s averaging career highs in points (23.3), steals (leading the league with 2.3), assists (4.3) and rebounds (5.2).
His PER is up a colossal 9.4 points from last year. His true shooting percentage has gone from 53.4 to 57.6.
He is the primary reason the Indiana Pacers, who many predicted would be a lottery team, is contending for home court advantage instead. His leap is not only the biggest, but it’s also the hardest.