The NBA awards show is just a few weeks away and this gives us an opportunity to implement some NBA awards of our own that don’t exist (yet) for the official NBA. Today we’ll be looking at the 5 players who have improved the most this season and adjusting it to fit to the All-NBA criteria.
Guard: De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
I struggled with this one, because it’s only Fox’ second year in the league, and he got a starting role to begin the season as opposed to last year. However, Fox showed improvement in his play and leadership while leading the Kings to a way better record than last year.
Fox’ struggles last year were due not having enough confidence in his game. The Kings signed point guard George Hill after drafting Fox and giving him the impression that he would start. But Fox wasn’t a starter to begin the season and afterwards had to share the backcourt with Hill, both being point guards.
When Hill got traded to the Cavs Fox’ numbers saw a slight improvement and he gave us glimpses of what he could become.
This year he was the undisputed starter and leader for the team and showed out from the beginning of the season until the end. His scoring averages jumped from 11.6 points on 41% shooting and 31% from deep to 17.3 points on 46% shooting and 37% from deep. His assists went up from 4.4 a game to 7.3 and he also improved in rebounds, steals, blocks and FT%.
Fox is one of the finalists for the MIP award and he hasn’t reached his maximum potential by any means. He’s still just 21 years old and is already knocking on the door of becoming one of the top point guards in the league.
Guard: D’Angelo Russell (Brooklyn Nets)
His 4th year in the NBA marked a breakout season for D’Angelo Russell. DLo was the embodiment of this fun and underrated Brooklyn Nets team, that finally got into the playoffs after years of misery since the infamous Garnett/Pierce trade.
Russell went from averaging 15.2 points and 5.2 assists to giving the Nets 21.1 points and 7 assists a night. His shooting numbers increased from both the floor and from 3-point range while also making the All-Star game for the first time in his career.
Russell now enter free agency for the first time in his career, and it isn’t so certain he will be with the Nets next season. He is a restricted free agent, which means the Nets can match any offer that Russell agrees upon, but Brooklyn may be reluctant to match the offer if Russell gets presented a max deal by anyone, since they might want to keep those 2 max spots open for more high-profile free agents. However, letting Russell go would be a mistake for the franchise. Russell is also a finalist for the MIP award.
Forward: Kelly Oubre Jr. (Phoenix Suns)
Oubre’s season has been a good one all around, but he definitely broke out once he got traded to the Phoenix Suns. His 4th season in the league saw career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and field goal %. Those were even better if you only look at his numbers with the Suns.
Last year he posted averages of 11.8/4.5/1.2/1/0.4 on 40% shooting. This year those rose to 15.2/4.7/1.2/1.2/0.9 on 45% shooting and if you only look at the numbers since his trade, he had averages of 16.9/4.9/1.6/1.4/1 on over 45%.
Oubre got the opportunity to play more liberated and with the ball in his hands on the Suns and he had great performances to show for it. T.J. Warren’s injury allowed Oubre to have a bigger role than expected with the team and the Suns are very high on him and want to bring him back this summer as he enters restricted free agency, just like Russell.
Forward: Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
The 3rd and last finalist for the Most Improved Player award is Pascal Siakam, and he is probably going to be the winner. Siakam’s stats saw the biggest leap out of all the players, as he saw a huge increase in playing time as well. He became a regular starter for the team, starting every game but one early on in the season.
Every one of his stats was a career high, except blocks. He went from scoring 7.3 points per game on 51% shooting and 22% from deep to averaging 16.9 points on 55% shooting and 37% from 3-point territory. His free throw shooting also saw an uptick of 17%.
Just 2 years ago Siakam was getting assigned and called up from the G-league on day-to-day basis. In a span of just over 2 months, Siakam got sent down and called back up from the G-league 13 times (a back-and-forth counts as one time). Now, he’s perhaps the second best player on a team with 2 All-Stars and one of the frontrunners for the MIP title. What a turnaround it has been.
Center: Montrezl Harrell (Los Angeles Clippers)
Another player that has done the most with their significant jump in playing time. Montrezl Harrell became one of the most important players for the Clippers this season. He mastered his bench role to perfection and was one of the main reasons the Clippers got to the playoffs.
He posted career highs in every major statistical category, while not seeing a huge drop off in shooting %, even while taking a lot more shots. He played all 82 games for the first time in his career and went from averaging 11/4/1/0.5/0.7 to averaging 16.6/6.5/2/0.9/1.3.
His numbers were even bigger in the playoffs as the Warriors had no answer for his physical presence inside. Harrell is one of the 3 finalists for the 6th man of the year award, alongside his teammate Lou Williams. The Clippers will be happy to have Harrell signed throughout next season, as he’s a bargain for the quality of player he is.
Courtside 