Every NBA Most Improved Player winner

Right out of the gate, we get a guy who won Most Improved Player in his second season, although Robertson did take a big step forward for the Spurs. Sure, his minutes went up for 14 per game, but he also set an NBA record by averaging 3.7 steals per game. Robertson actually won Defensive Player of the Year along with Most Improved Player, which makes it a bit easier to accept a second-year guy winning.

Ellis won Most Improved when he finally got a chance to play, but he was also in his fourth season in the NBA. He went from playing sparingly off the bench for the Mavericks to starting for the Supersonics. Ellis’ minutes went up by over 20 per game, which obviously helped him improve his numbers. That being said, Ellis averaged 24.9 points per game. A couple of years later, Ellis would make his one All-Star Game and also win the three-point contest, as he was an early NBA sharpshooter, which kept him in the NBA until the 1999-2000 season.

Traded during his rookie season, Duckworth mostly rode the pine for the Trail Blazers. Then, injuries opened the door for him in his sophomore campaign. He averaged 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds at the center position and won Most Improved. Duckworth built upon that and made two All-Star Games, but his career fell off pretty quickly. Sadly, the seven-footer died of heart failure in 2008. He was 44.

We have yet another player who won in his second season. There’s a reason some basketball fans are exhausted with that. Like Duckworth, Johnson was dealt during his rookie campaign, and the Suns made him a starter. His second year he became a 20-and-10 guy, which he kept up for three seasons. Johnson was All-NBA second team four times in his career (and third team once), and ended up with his number retired by the Suns. After his NBA career he would become mayor of Sacramento, but he also has, um, an extensive “controversies” section on his Wikipedia page.

Probably the tallest DJ of all time, Seikaly was a successful NBA center before his music career took off. Playing for the Heat (the perfect spot for a fan of DJing and club music), in 1989-90 Seikaly had his first of four seasons in a row where he averaged over 16 points and over 10 rebounds per game. And yes, since we’ve been noting it, DJ Rony won Most Improved in his second season.

Hey, when you set an NBA record with 30 assists in a game, winning Most Improved Player is quite fair. Skiles had not made a dent in the NBA when an opportunity of sorts arose. The point guard was taken by the Orlando Magic in the Expansion Draft. Even still, it would not be until his second season with the Magic that Skiles grabbed a significant role. He averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 assists per game with, you know, that 30-assist outing. After retiring, Skiles embarked on a career as a head coach that was the definition of mediocrity. When he stepped down as the coach of the Magic after the 2015-16 season, he had a career 478-480 record.

When a player is the first-overall pick, winning Most Improved being the biggest accomplishment of your career is not ideal, but then again there have been bigger busts than “Never Nervous” Pervis Ellison. Apparently, his teammate Danny Ainge once quipped a better nickname would be “Out of Service” Pervis, given the rarity in which the injury-plagued big man would make it to the court. In his third season, and on his second team (the Washington Bullets), Ellison stayed healthy for 66 games and averaged a whopping 38.0 minutes per contest. That helped him average over 20 points, 11 boards, and two blocks per game, which gave him his one piece of NBA hardware.

Winning Most Improved Player was one of the last notable moments for “Chris Jackson,” as in 1993 he changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, having converted to Islam in 1991. Abdul-Rauf was an elite free-throw shooter, which is admittedly not the most exciting thing, but it was a notable skill of his. In his third season, the 1992-93 campaign, Abdul-Rauf née Jackson averaged 19.2 points per game for the Nuggets. Of course, Abdul-Rauf is best known for when he refused to stand for the "Star-Spangled Banner” before NBA games.

We have our first team with two Most Improved Player winners! MacLean won it for the Bullets as Ellison did. This was one of the many instances of a player winning in his second season with a larger role. The Bullets moved him into the starting lineup and he averaged 18.2 points per game. However, that was his only year with a significant role for an NBA team, and he would end up playing for six more squads after leaving the Bullets, never for more than one season. If anything, MacLean’s claim to fame is being the first NBA player suspended for testing positive for steroid use.

An undersized combo guard, after four seasons coming off the bench and playing sparingly for the Sonics, Barros moved to the 76ers. In his first season in Philly he showed promise, but in his second season there he was a workhorse. Barros started all 82 games and averaged 40.5 minutes a night. Unsurprisingly, he averaged career highs across the board and turned that career year into a free-agent contract with his hometown Celtics. Way to get that money, Dana!

Of course, Muresan is not best known for his basketball career. If anything, it’s for costarring with Billy Crystal in the movie “My Giant.” Muresan is 7’7’’. He’s one of the tallest people ever to live. In his third season he won Most Improved Player with, hey, the Washington Bullets. Muresan averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Unfortunately, being 7’7’’ is not easy on the human body, and Muresan’s injury-racked career only lasted six seasons, and honestly he only really played notable minutes in three of those.

Austin is simultaneously one of the least remarkable Most Improved winners but also one of the best stories. He did nothing in his first three NBA seasons; Austin barely played at all. In fact, he ended up heading to Europe, spending one season in France and then another in Turkey. After excelling in Turkey, he took a shot at returning to the NBA, and the Miami Heat signed him. Now, Austin only averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the 1996-97 season, but voters apparently appreciated all he went through and gave him Most Improved Player.

If you are willing to work within a role in the NBA, you can have a lengthy, if unglamorous, career. Take Henderson, for example. He played 652 career games and lasted for a decade in the NBA even though he averaged 7.8 points per contest in his career, and he probably made some solid money in the process. In his third season with the Hawks, Henderson improved his points-per-game average from 6.6 to 14.3, the latter a career-high, and won this award.

Armstrong’s road to Most Improved Player is a story of real determination. He was undrafted out of college and started his pro career in leagues like the USBL, CBA, and GBA. Briefly, he went back to his hometown and worked in a yarn factory while coaching high school hoops before heading over to Europe. Finally, the Magic signed him, but even then it took time. Armstrong won Most Improved in his fifth season with the Magic, but that wasn’t all. He was also named Sixth Man of the Year. Armstrong, having earned a spot in the NBA, wouldn’t let it go. He played nine more seasons and has been an assistant coach with the Mavericks since 2009.

Rose is famous for being the third-best member of the Fab Five, and for his long, successful career as a TV pundit. He made an All-Rookie second team with the Nuggets in 1995, but sometimes those All-Rookie second teams are just looking to list five viable names. It took time, and a change of teams, for Rose to break through. In the 1999-2000 season for the Pacers, Rose got a chance to be a full-time starter in the NBA for the first time, and he responded with 18.2 points per game. After winning Most Improved Player, Rose had a couple of seasons where he averaged over 20 points per game, showing it wasn’t a fluke, and turned in a solid career.

Here’s a significant name. To date, McGrady is the only winner of Most Improved Player to make the Basketball Hall of Fame. Drafted out of high school by the Raptors, McGrady struggled to adapt to the NBA for a few years. In his third season with Toronto, he finally showed some real promise. Then, he moved to the Magic and things clicked. In Orlando, McGrady averaged a whopping 26.8 points per game. From there, he would go on to make seven all-star games and lead the NBA in scoring twice. His lack of playoff success is sometimes held against him, but he’s in the Hall for a reason.

Hmm…another guy drafted right out of high school who took some time to find his footing in the NBA. It’s almost as if players like LeBron and Kobe are outliers, and drafting guys out of high school was a bad idea. O’Neal spent four seasons with the Trail Blazers doing, honestly, absolutely nothing. He was traded to the Pacers, who were coming off making the NBA Finals, which was curious to many Pacers fans. Things worked out for Indiana. His first season there, in which he was immediately the starting center, O’Neal averaged 12.9 points, 9.8 boards, and 2.8 blocks per game. However, it’s the next season when he won Most Improved, putting up 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. While he was more of an All-NBA third team kind of player, few people even get to say that when all is said and done.

In his career, “Agent Zero” toed the line between “fun eccentric” and “problematic personality,” occasionally tipping over decidedly into the latter when, say, guns were brought into locker rooms. The dude knew how to get a bucket, though. Arenas returns us to the days of guys winning in their second season. Starting all 82 games for the Golden State Warriors, Arenas averaged 18.3 points per contest. He then moved to the Washington Wizards where he found his peak fame and once averaged 29.3 points per game. Honestly, you could have made a case in that particular season for Arenas to become the first guy to ever win Most Improved Player twice.

Randolph would become the embodiment of the “Grit ‘n Grind” Grizzlies, but it was a circuitous path that took him to Memphis. First, came Portland, where he emerged as a 20-and-10 guy. The first time he did that was in his third season, when he also won Most Improved Player. He more than doubled the 8.4 points per game he averaged in his sophomore campaign, so that was fair. After stops with the Knicks and Clippers, he ended up with the Grizzlies, and the rest is history.

There is the idea in sports of the “contract year.” The theory goes that a player who is approaching free agency will be more motivated, more locked in, and have a big season. Then, they get that contract they wanted and they regress. Those looking for evidence of such a phenomenon would surely point to Simmons. He barely did anything for two seasons with the Wizards, and even his first season with the Clippers was not impressive. Then, in his fourth year in the league, Simmons suddenly averaged 16.4 points per game and won Most Improved Player. He signed a deal with the Bucks and put up 13.4 points per contest in his first year there, but his second season saw his scoring drop to 7.6 points per game. Milwaukee dealt him to New Jersey, and Simmons barely made a blip from then on.

It took the Mike D’Antoni-era Phoenix Suns to unlock Diaw as a player. There, his skills as a “point forward” were put to good use. In his first season with the Suns, his third season overall, he averaged 13.3 points, but also over six rebounds and six assists per game. Diaw was arguably never quite that good again, and his apathetic play in Charlotte got him waived, but he then signed with the Spurs, served as a perfect complementary piece, and won a title.

Drafted out of high school by the Warriors, Ellis was not involved much as a rookie. Then, in his second season, he averaged 16.5 points per game. He then became a 20-points-a-night guy for Golden State, but was traded to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut, a move that helped the Warriors win a title. Ellis remains a viable, if inefficient, scorer for a couple more seasons. He was kind of a “sheer tonnage” scorer and a bad three-point shooter, which became more of an issue as the NBA evolved around him.

Turkoglu is notable in that he won Most Improved when he was in the middle of his lengthy career. While a lot of second-season guys win this award, Hedo was in his eighth season, and on his third team, when he won. Playing for the Magic, Turkoglu averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists with his most efficient scoring. Infamously, he was once benched by the Raptors for missing a game with a “stomach virus” after being spotted out late at a nightclub. That may give you the impression he didn’t care much about basketball, but he played 997 career games and was in the NBA for over a decade.

Granger arguably could have won this award in his third season, when he went from averaging 13.9 points per game to 19.6. Fortunately, he didn’t miss out on the chance to win Most Improved, because the next year he averaged 25.8 points per contest. It was his only All-Star Game appearance, but he did average over 20 points per game in each of the next two seasons.

Brooks barely played as a rookie, had a role off the bench in his second year, but started all 82 games in his third season with the Rockets. His 19.6 points and 5.3 assists per game were both career highs. By the very next season, though, he became a prodigious journeyman, consistently traded to teams looking for some depth at guard off the bench.

Love is the first guy on this list still active as of this writing, perhaps pushing to try and get into the Hall of Fame (he’s a borderline candidate at the moment). Known for his rebounding skills and facility with long passes, Love started his career in Minnesota quite well. However, in his third season he not only averaged 20.2 points per game, but led the NBA with 15.2 boards per contest. With the Wolves, he was a box-score-stuffing machine, and then he joined the LeBron-led Cavaliers and took a complementary role in the quest to win a title. He made it to four NBA finals and did get that ring, which will help with some Hall voters we’re sure.

There’s something in Orlando that is, well, magical. Anderson is the fifth Magic player to win Most Improved, which was the record at the time and has since been tied. Like other Orlando winners, Anderson started his career elsewhere before making the move down to the Sunshine State. In his fourth season in the NBA, Anderson put up 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. He had a few good years with New Orleans after that. Anderson came into the league at a good time, as he was a power forward who could stretch the court with his shooting acumen.

T-Mac is in the Hall of Fame. Love might make it. While George has his detractors, he’s well on his way to making the Hall himself. He’s racked up All-Star Game selections, made first-team All-Defense multiple times, and was even first-team All-NBA once. Oh, and he won Most Improved Player, of course. PG-13 won in the 2012-13 season, his third in the league. Playing for the Pacers, George contributed in several ways, and made second-team All-Defense and third-team All-NBA.

Second time’s the charm! Dragic started his NBA career with the Suns, but he played sparse minutes off the bench and was dealt to Houston (for Aaron Brooks, funnily enough). His time with the Rockets was also not remarkable, and he signed a free-agent deal with…the Suns. Dragic’s first season back, now a starter, he was good, but it was his second season in his second stint in Phoenix that won him this award. He dropped 20.3 points and 5.9 assists per game on the NBA. For years now, teams in need of a steady veteran to play backup point guard have turned to Dragic.

The assertion that Paul George is a likely Hall of Famer may surprise some, and to that end…we’re not entirely sure Butler will make it to the Hall of Fame. He was a 22-year-old rookie and didn’t make a splash until his fourth season, when he won Most Improved Player, so hitting certain thresholds may be hard for him, especially for a guy who has played over 70 games in a season only once in his career. That being said, he won Most Improved after his first season averaging 20 points a game, something he has done several times since. He’s also proven deft at stealing the ball, leading the NBA in steals per game once. Butler also leads the NBA in entertaining player profile photos.

Certainly, the most successful player to come out of Lehigh, McCollum joined another small-school star in Damian Lillard in Portland. McCollum wasn’t even second fiddle to Dame his first couple of years, but he emerged in his third season. Now, his minutes more than doubled, which means his great shooting could show itself more, but McCollum went from averaging 6.8 points per game to 20.8 points per game and won this award. Regularly a 20-points-per-game guy, it’s a little surprising the now-Pelican has yet to make an All-Star Game, but eventually that should happen.

Given Giannis’ resume — a ring, Defensive Player of the Year, two MVPs, the list goes on — you might think he won this award in his second season. It was just voters planting their flag on an obvious future star. However, it actually took Antetokounmpo a few years to really breakthrough. Let us not forget how raw he was when the Bucks drafted him. In his fourth season, Giannis made his first All-Star Game and won Most Improved. He averaged 22.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and also over one block and one steal per game. Stuffing the stat sheets!

Oladipo is the fifth winner from the Pacers, tying the franchise with the Magic for the most winners of Most Improved Player. He’s an interesting winner, because Oladipo was a second-overall pick and he was solid in Orlando, and also in his one season with Oklahoma City. However, in his first season with Indiana he took his game to a new level. Oladipo averaged 23.1 points a night and led the NBA with 2.4 steals per contest. Unfortunately, this was also his last healthy season to date.

Siakam was a regular contributor off the bench in his second season, but starting in his third season and providing the most efficient shooting of his career, Siakam won Most Improved with 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. His improvement helped the Raptors win the NBA title in 2019 (although the addition of Kawhi Leonard probably helped).

A second-overall pick, Ingram was quite good with the Lakers. Then, he was at the center of the trade that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles. With a larger role on his new team, the Pelicans, Ingram really improved his shooting. Ingram made 39.1 percent of his threes and 85.1 percent of his free throws, helping him make the All-Star Game and win Most Improved. Since then, Ingram has been a 20-points-per-game scorer, though staying on the court has been an issue.

Like Ingram, Randle started his career with the Lakers and then moved onto the Pelicans, but then Randle went one step further and joined the Knicks. His first season in New York was good, but his second saw him playing a ton of minutes, shooting efficiently, and averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. Randle made second-team All-NBA and won Most Improved. He dipped back down a bit the next year, but then picked it up with the addition of Jalen Brunson to the Knicks roster, leading Randle to make the third-team All-NBA squad.

To win Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player, you really need to make a leap. Indeed, Morant did that in his third season. In the 2021-22 season, the Grizzlies star put up a whopping 27.4 points per game with 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game as well. Of course, now off-the-court issues have gotten in the way, leaving Morant’s future up in the air after such a promising beginning.

Markkanen was good in Chicago, and even in his one season with Cleveland, but he never quite took “the leap.” Then, the Finnish forward joined the Jazz. People thought Utah would be bad in the 2022-23 season, but it turned out to be feisty-if-mediocre, and Markkanen played a big part in that. He averaged 25.6 points per game on the most efficient shooting of his career, and even brought down 8.6 boards per contest as well. Markkanen also did it in his sixth season, which will surely make the “no second-year guys” proponents happy.

With reigning MVP Joel Embiid only able to play in 39 games, fourth-year guard Maxey was thrust into a starring role and seemingly lived up to his potential. Averaging career-highs in PPG, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes, Maxey made his first All-Star Game and was named the Most Improved Player in a year when not much went right otherwise for Philly.