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

2. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

Ingram improved across the board in his fourth season, in part because of increased opportunity and in part because of a smarter, more refined game. No longer an unproven young prospect or uncertain second banana, Ingram paired a massive shooting uptick with the highest usage and assist rates of his career, which yielded his first All-Star appearance. He made an unprecedented leap as a shooter this season, climbing from a below-average marksman to one of the most accurate high-volume 3-point shooters in the NBA.

In his first year in New Orleans, Ingram attempted almost as many 3-pointers as he did in three years as a Laker, and made nearly 39 percent of those looks. He cut out the worst of his long mid-range attempts, and while his free-throw rate dipped marginally, Ingram boosted his free-throw percentage by nearly 20 points from the 2019 season. He turned into a savvy cutter and more patient ball-handler, reading defenses and feeling the game on a level he hadn’t in L.A.

Questions remain about the sustainability of Ingram’s shooting. A regression to even league-average accuracy would cast into doubt his role as a long-term linchpin for the Pelicans, and while he improved his shot selection, he still takes relatively few 3s and seldom gets to the rim. Ingram’s defense slipped under a heavier offensive workload, and he may not be a viable defensive option at either forward position moving forward. But he proved enough for the Pelicans to feel comfortable about paying him this summer, which puts both parties in a far more palatable situation than when Ingram first arrived in New Orleans.