Former NBA star Baron Davis made his stance clear on how the criteria for the NBA's Most Improved Player Award should be.

Davis collaborated with Draymond Green on an episode of the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis podcast on Saturday. The duo reacted to comments Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick made about the award, saying he doesn't like it due to what it currently represents. In recent years, the award has gone to players who were high picks in their year's NBA Draft.

To Davis and Green, they believe it should go to players who were not high picks or those who did not play much at first before having a breakout season.

“I don't think you should be a lottery pick and be able to get Most Improved Player when you're a high draft pick. That's what's expected. It's deserving for someone who made a big leap that didn't even get the chance, or somebody who, like, was a second-round pick or a late first round pick, that all of a sudden, like got an opportunity to play and made something out of that situation. JJ was on point with that one,” Davis said.

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Who's on pace to win Most Improved Player this season?

Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) shoots the ball over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second quarter at Kia Center.
Mike Watters-Imagn Images

According to the logic of Draymond Green and Baron Davis, there is one player in the running for Most Improved Player this year that nearly meets the criteria: Dyson Daniels.

Daniels is having a breakout season for the Atlanta Hawks. He is averaging 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and three steals per game after 76 appearances. He is shooting 49.3% from the field, including 34% from beyond the arc.

What makes this significant is what he was doing in past years. The first two seasons of his NBA career were with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he regularly came off the bench with occasional starts. He averaged 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals after 120 contests.

Even though he was the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Daniels did not get the chance to showcase what he can fully provide on both sides of the ball during his time at New Orleans. But with the Hawks, he has embraced the opportunity, which would make him a viable candidate for Most Improved Player.