Who was the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season?

5. Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors

The Raptors took something of a gamble on the relatively unproven Powell in 2017 with a four-year, $42 million extension, but nearly three years later, the 26-year-old justified that price with his best season to date. When Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green departed for Los Angeles last summer, Powell was a logical candidate to step into Toronto’s starting five and help replace what had been lost. Instead, the vacancies went to OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet, and after the Raptors’ hot start to the season, Powell once again became a fixture on one of the best bench units in the league.

Credit the fifth-year wing for making the most of — in his view — a less-than-ideal situation. He responded to coming off the bench not by agitating or slumping, but with the best basketball of his career for a team that needed it. Despite mostly coming off the bench, Powell was integral to Toronto’s success this season, playing 29 minutes a night and occasionally filling in for whatever starter happened to be injured on a given night. He nearly doubled his scoring average while moving his efficiency into the upper layer of the league, and had arguably the best defensive season of his career. This was Powell’s first season taking more than three 3-pointers per game, yet he shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc.

He owes some of his improved numbers to increased opportunity, but more credit goes to Powell for making the necessary improvements to help pick up the slack after Toronto lost two starters from a championship team. It’s hard to make a leap like that, even for lower-usage role players with other creators around them. With Powell under contract for at least another year, the Raptors are now better suited to proceed than even they could have anticipated.