Most Improved Player Award
Over the years, there hasn’t been a perfect definition of this award. I like to think the NBA does that to create discussion on the subject. It’s working. As ESPN.com’s Marc Stein points out, there’s so many ways you could define this award. Is it those young guys who drastically exceeded expectations? Is it the journeymen who have made a big impact this year? Is it the young guys who are starting to really earn their money after big things were expected? Is it those guys who are starting to turn into All-Star caliber players? These are the things we had to look over, and in the end, decided to put a combination of all those categories together and go from there.
Here are our top five candidates:
#5) Kevin Martin, G, Sacramento Kings
Last seasons key stats: 10.8ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.3apg, 0.8spg, .369 3-point %, 26.5mpg
This seasons key stats: 20.5ppg, 4.3rpg, 2.2apg, 1.3spg, .386 3-point %, 35.5mpg
It was hard for me to toss a one-dimensional type of player in this category because his overall game didn’t improve as much as some players that could’ve been on this list, but anytime you improve your scoring average by 10 points per game, it’s tough to ignore. It’s not easy to average over 20 points per game, but Martin has become a serious scoring threat and proved that even when being covered by some of the leagues top defenders, he’ll still get his points.
#4) Tyson Chandler, C, New Orleans Hornets
Last seasons key stats: 5.3ppg, 9.1rpg, 1.3bpg, .565 FG%, .503 FT%, 26.8mpg
This seasons key stats: 9.5ppg, 12.4rpg, 1.8pg, .624FG%, .527FT%, 34.5mpg
For Chandler, some believe that the change of scenery was the biggest reason for such an improvement on his game. Whatever the case may be, Chandler has become a serious inside force for the Hornets this year. I read an article at the beginning of the season that talked about how motivated he was to prove his doubters wrong, and I think it’s safe to say that he did that this year, while manning the middle on a full-time basis for the first time in his career.
#3) Jason Kapono, G/F, Miami Heat
Last seasons key stats: 4.1ppg, 1.4rpg, 0.7apg, .396 3-point %, .446 FG%, 13.1mpg
This seasons key stats: 11.1ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.2apg, .520 3-point%, .497 FG%, 26.3mpg
During Miami’s Championship run last spring, Kapono was much like Jack Haley of the 1990’s Chicago Bulls, the token white guy who was among the best towel waivers in the league. He knew how to work that towel better than just about anybody. This year, Kapono decided to get on the court and start playing some ball, and has become a lethal weapon from beyond the arc, leading the league in 3-point percentage this year, while making 107 of his 207 attempts in only 64 games. The only thing working against him is the fact that he missed the majority of the month of February with an injury. He’s also improved in nearly every other statistical category, and earned serious minutes on one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
#2) Monta Ellis, G, Golden State Warriors
Last seasons key stats: 6.8ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.6apg, 0.7spg, .415 FG%, 18.1mpg
This seasons key stats: 16.8ppg, 3.1rpg, 4.2apg, 1.6spg, .476 FG%, 34.4mpg
Ellis perhaps improved his game more than anybody in the entire league this year, improving his scoring average by 10 points per game. The second rounder from 2005 only started 3 of 49 games as a rookie, but became a fixture in Don Nelsons “small ball”, high-octane offense, nearly doubling his minutes and improving on nearly every other major statistical category. The fact that his shooting percentage has dramatically increased along with his shot attempts is a real indicator of how much he’s improved.
#1) Al Jefferson, F, Boston Celtics
Last seasons key stats: 7.9ppg, 5rpg, 0.5apg, 0.8bpg, .499FG%, .642 FT%, 18mpg
This seasons key stats: 15.8ppg, 11rpg, 1.2apg, 1.5bpg, .508FG%, .690 FT%, 33.4mpg
Jefferson was only 19 when he came into the league, and for the first two years, he slowly picked up different parts of his game. The verdict was still out whether he was going to a legitimate player in this league until this season, when his numbers across the board increased dramatically and he earned himself some serious minutes. His play this year was the one bright spot for the Celtics, and because of the health of Paul Pierce, he was arguably the Celtics best player this year. Since the All-Star break, his numbers are comparable to some of the top tier forwards in the league.
My Vote: Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors
Prediction: Al Jefferson, Boston Celtics
April 12, 2007 at 6:22 PM
Andrew,
For me the numbers are in Jeffersons favor. Why then do you pick Ellis?
April 12, 2007 at 6:53 PM
I like Ellis because I think his overall play has improved a bit more than Jefferson’s. Al Jefferson was a rotational player last year, and Ellis went from sitting on the bench to being a fixture in that starting lineup for a playoff caliber team, where Jefferson’s team was a joke this year.
April 12, 2007 at 10:22 PM
I don’t have a strong opinion about how to define the most improved player, but it can’t be someone who wasn’t really playing last year. If you were sitting on the bench, how do we know you’re improved? The only guy that really disquaifies in Kapono in my book. Also, 52% from behind the three point line is impressive, but averaging 11-3-1 is still pretty mediocre.
April 12, 2007 at 10:28 PM
What about Deron Williams? The guy went from, in some people’s opinion, a draft bust or an ill-advised pick to one of the top point guards in the NBA. Nash is better. Who else is *definitely* better than Deron Williams? Maybe Tony Parker and Jason Kidd. Chris Paul is about even. The guy’s top five PG.
Man, Al Jefferson only averaged 8 ppg last year? Wow, that’s weak. He was worse than I thought.
April 13, 2007 at 12:20 AM
It is interesting that D WIll didn’t even make the top 5. I guess ANdrew has been making a case for him all season that it seemed too obvious. Also, Colatina you forgot about CBillups.
April 13, 2007 at 2:14 AM
Oh yeah, I did forget about Billups. I’m a big Chauncey fan.
April 13, 2007 at 4:27 AM
I don’t define “Most Improved Player” as a guy who has halfway decent last year, and a borderline All-Star now. I know D-Will has improved dramatically, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as some people were saying. He was at least starting as a rookie, which isn’t bad at all. I guess I always knew Williams was going to be a good player, it’s not a total shock, and thus doesn’t really qualify in my mind. Maybe it’s a flawed system that way.
I think you CAN qualify guys who were on the bench last year because of the fact that they were on the bench last year, and a starter this year is usually because they are now worthy of being on the floor BECAUSE they have improved their game.
April 13, 2007 at 5:15 AM
“I think you CAN qualify guys who were on the bench last year because of the fact that they were on the bench last year, and a starter this year is usually because they are now worthy of being on the floor BECAUSE they have improved their game.”
hear hear. The coach benches you because of your play in practice and in games. Its almost like bench time on a scale from one to ten is -5. Its worse than suck, its negative suck.
April 13, 2007 at 9:42 AM
That’s a pretty good point. Then bench is the middle ground between “starter” and “D-League”. In case I wasn’t clear before, I believe this award is more for guys who have risen from obscurity or non-existance to being more than halfway decent. D-Will and guys like him were already halfway decent or better last season, so in my mind aren’t as “improved”.
April 13, 2007 at 11:06 AM
“I believe this award is more for guys who have risen from obscurity or non-existance to being more than halfway decent. D-Will and guys like him were already halfway decent or better last season, so in my mind aren’t as “improved”.”
I guess that’s true, but you can take that argument to extremes. Some guys (rookies) were not even in the NBA last year, in a lot of cases, because they weren’t good enough to be drafted, etc. That’s “super negative suck”! In other cases, you have a guy who goes from not being on an NBA team to being a decent rotation player. Mikki Moore, anyone? We’re going to give awards for that? It seems harder, or at least more rare, in the NBA, that a guy goes from rotation to all star than going from bench to rotation. The latter happens all the time, whereas there are only a few new all stars each year. So I perfer giving awards to Deron Williams, Kevin Martin type improvement rather than Jason Kapono type improvement.
Of course I admit all the guys you are mentioning are basically in the middle–none of them completely sucked before, and none is a sure-fire all star now.
April 26, 2007 at 3:56 PM
[...] by ajohn135 on April 26th, 2007 It’s official, Golden State guard Monta Ellis, who got my vote, was selected the NBA’s Most Improved Player, edging out Sacramento’s Kevin Martin in [...]