Zion Williamson Not in NBA Most Improved Player Conversation

Zion Williamson has been one of the most hyped-up players in the NBA since before he even made his debut. And he has not only lived up to the hype, but he's exceeded it.

He's managed to make a big leap in the 2020-21 season after already looking great as a rookie. That should have him in the NBA Most Improved Player conversation. He's not.

Odds from WynnBET have Williamson ranked seventh in the NBA to win the award at +1000 odds. That means a $100 bet would return $1,000 if he won, but it doesn't seem he will.

Williamson is way behind favorite Julius Randle (-130), and each of the six players ranked between Randle and Williamson have odds lower than +500. That means a bet on Zion has a potential payout over twice as high as any of those players ranked ahead of him. It also means seven players are favored above him to win the award.

Williamson has improved his per-game numbers across the board, putting up 26.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

That increase conicides with an increase in playing time, from 27.8 to 32.8 minutes per game between his rookie and sophmore seasons. But it's not just the playing time helping him out — his efficiency is way up as well.

As a rookie, Zion shot an already-strong 58.3% from the field. That's up to 62.4% in this year — ranking No. 6 in the NBA. He's also grabbed 12.0% of the possible rebounds and assisted 18.6% of his teammates baskets when he's been on the floor. Those marks are up from 11.9% and 13.3%, respectively, versus his rookie season.

He may not be getting the media love that Randle receives as a member of the New York Knicks, but Zion has shown improvements in just about every measurable category. It's hard to imagine he's not at least in the conversation as a possible Most Improved Player contender. The odds suggest he isn't.