The Most Improved Player of the Year is given to the player who registered the most progress compared to his previous seasons. Throughout the years, we’ve seen different NBA players improve by leaps and bounds. While these have been welcomed by fans and teams, it’s worth looking into the best players who won the award. For this piece, let’s rank the 10 best Most Improved Player of the Year winners.
10. Ja Morant
Ever since his rookie season, Ja Morant has emerged as the face of the Memphis Grizzlies. However, what makes him among the best MIP winners is his scoring. Morant averaged 27.4 points per outing to win the award which is the most among players who won it. Moreover, he got his first All-Star nod in the process. As a result, Morant sits at the 10th spot of this list.
9. Jermaine O’Neal
When he entered the league, Jermaine O’Neal was hardly utilized by the Portland Trail Blazers. In a Blazers uniform, O’Neal only played 11.5 minutes per game and scored under four points per game. However, after getting traded to the Pacers for Dale Davis, O’Neal started to prove himself in the NBA. After the trade received much criticism, O’Neal registered solid numbers of 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per outing en route to his first of six straight All-Star Game appearances.
8. Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady mostly came off the bench during his days with the Toronto Raptors. While he had his moments there, T-Mac only started to thrive in scoring when he moved to Orlando. Playing for the Magic, T-Mac immediately made his presence felt, logging in 26.8 points per game to also tally his first All-Star Game appearance. Years later, T-Mac would become the league’s leading scorer for two consecutive seasons.
7. Dale Ellis
Playing for the Mavericks, Dale Ellis never really got the opportunity to showcase his wares as a reserve forward. However, that all changed when Ellis was traded to the Seattle Supersonics. In his first year with the Supersonics, Ellis averaged 24.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per outing to award him the Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Two years later, Ellis would go on to make his first All-Star Game appearance.
6. Kevin Love
Since entering the NBA, Kevin Love established himself as a double-double machine. But in the 2010-2011 season, Love stepped it up further by averaging 20.2 points while leading the league in rebounding with 15.2 per game. In a 112-103 victory against the Nuggets, he tallied 31 points and 31 rebounds, becoming the first player since Moses Malone in 1972 to tally a 30-30 game. Love would go on to become a five-time All-Star and helped the Cavaliers historically climb out of a 1-3 NBA Finals series deficit to win an NBA championship.
5. Paul George
Paul George wasn’t always the eight-time All-Star he is now. In fact, the Pacers waited two seasons for PG to become one of the best wings in the league. In the 2012-2013 season, he averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game which were major improvements compared to his rookie seasons. PG would become a fixture in the postseason in whichever teams he played for.
4. Hedo Turkoglu
After playing as a backup for the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs, Hedo Turkoglu found a home with the Orlando Magic. In the 2007-2008 season, Turkoglu tallied career-highs of 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game to take Most Improved Player of the Year honors. During the following season, Turkoglu would become a vital piece to the Magic’s NBA Finals run in 2009.
3. Jimmy Butler
Making the leap from bench warmer to superstar is nearly impossible in the NBA. However, Jimmy Butler defied the odds to make the vast improvement. After averaging only 2.6 points per game in his rookie year, Butler increased those numbers during the 2014-2015 season. In that year, he averaged 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game to earn the Most Improved Player of the Year and an All-Star Game appearance. Fast forward to today, Butler is the face of the Miami Heat franchise that went to the NBA Finals in 2020.
2. Pascal Siakam
Getting sent to the G-League is often a bad sign for NBA players starting out. However, Pascal Siakam used the developmental league as the foundation for his solid NBA career. After winning the D-League championship and D-League Finals MVP, Siakam returned to the Raptors lineup as a solid starter. He averaged 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 dimes per game to win the Most Improved Player of the Year honors. During that same year, Siakam played an instrumental role in helping the Raptors end the Warriors dynasty by winning the NBA championship in 2019.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
It was a long and arduous wait for the Milwaukee Bucks. However, it all paid off when they successfully molded Giannis Antetokounmpo into a bonafide star. After steadily improving in his third season, Giannis finally broke out in the 2016-2017 season. He averaged 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game to take home the Most Improved Player of the Year award. But more importantly, Giannis didn’t stop there as he became the Bucks’ franchise cornerstone. The Bucks star would collect two consecutive MVPs and helped the franchise win its first NBA championship in 50 years. In the championship-clinching game, Giannis registered 50 points, 14 rebounds, and five rejections at the expense of the Phoenix Suns.
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