Time for the "Most Improved Player Award" post. When it comes to mainstream, you can expect this award to go to a player that's increased their points per game, likely thanks to more minutes. Around here we have a slightly different perspective, and figure the award should go to a player that's improved their performance! My criteria was as follows:
The Most Improved Player (as voted on by the Boxscore Geeks) should go to a player that has significantly raised their per-minute ceiling in performance while also playing a significant number of minutes.
Concrete enough for you to know what I mean, while vague enough to leave it open for debate! I've already buried the lead, but let's talk the two players I think deserve consideration.
Enes Kanter
- New Ceiling - 9.6 Wins Produced, 5.3 Points over Par per 48 in 2015-2016
- Previous ceiling - 5.7 Wins Produced, 0.9 Points over Par per 48 in 2014-2015
Enes Kanter brought almost four more wins to the table this season while also having the biggest per-minute leap in production (with a 500 minute-per-game threshold.) The only mark against him is as follows, his production this season pretty much matches his production last season in OKC. Enes Kanter played 1300 minutes for Utah through 49 games last season. He proceeded to play excellent in his last twenty-six games of the regular season. Now, I think Most Improved should be for a full season compared to other full seasons, but I could see the other side.
The common refrain I've heard against Kanter is his defense, which may be true. However, his per-minute production is so good on its own, that unless he's physically putting the ball in the hoop for the opponent while on defense, he has to be a net plus. I also have to give Enes Kanter narrative props. Like Kendrick Perkins, he was a big that was traded for and given a massive contract quickly. However, so far at least, he seems to justify it. Also, like Harden, he's a number three pick that scores well and comes off the bench.
Finally, here is a breakdown of Kanter's numbers between this year and last to get a feel for how he's improved.
| Stat (per 48) | 2015-2016 Kanter | 2014-2015 Kanter | Ave. Big 2014-2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes (Total) | 1721 | 2135 | |
| Wins produced (Total) | 9.6 | 5.7 | |
| POP48 | 5.3 | 0.9 | |
| Net Points | 5.8 | 3 | 1.7 |
| Defensive rebounds | 11.6 | 8.9 | 8.9 |
| Offensive rebounds | 6.9 | 6.2 | 3.7 |
| Assists | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.9 |
| Turnovers | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.6 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.7 |
| Steals | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Fouls | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
Kanter's skills are pretty much scoring and rebounding. And this season he saw a major jump in his scoring production, scoring 11.6 points per 48 minutes on 62.6% True Shooting. His rebounding also went up. His game is a bit one sided, as people note, but it's a pretty solid side. On to his "competition."
Russell Westbrook
- New Ceiling - 17.4 Wins Produced, 6.3 Points over Par per 48 in 2015-2016
- Previous ceiling - 10.6 Wins Produced, 3.8 Points over Par per 48 in 2014-2015
Another Thunder player in consideration? We were wicked impressed with Westbrook's jump last season. It's remarkable he managed to have another big leap. His per-minute performance is second only to Enes Kanter. He also managed to boost his career high Wins Produced into the stratosphere and become a legitimate MVP candidate. Unlike Kanter, I don't think many would accuse Westbrook of being a defensive liability. Like I said, though, Kanter's production is so high his defense would have to be worse than the 76ers to even bring his jump close to Westbrook's. Here's a side by side of Westbrook's 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons.
| Stat (per 48) | 2015-2016 Westbrook | 2014-2015 Westbrook | Ave. PG 2014-2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes (Total) | 2749 | 2302 | |
| Wins produced (Total) | 17.4 | 10.6 | |
| POP48 | 6.4 | 3.8 | |
| Net Points | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 |
| Defensive rebounds | 8.4 | 7.6 | 4.5 |
| Offensive rebounds | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1 |
| Assists | 14.6 | 12 | 8.4 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 6.1 | 3.6 |
| Blocks | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Steals | 2.8 | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| Fouls | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
Westbrook improved on almost every aspect of his game this season. His only real "weakness" is his turnovers. But when you factor in his assist and scoring rate, that's not even close to bringing him down. Westbrook cashed in all his potential to be the player everyone has said he was for years. It's been magical to watch.
Finishing Up and Honorable Mentions
So which Thunder player deserves the crown? I'll be very interested to see how you vote. If we had an official ballot, of course, we'd get three names, so here are some other players that would be on our radar.
- Tristan Thompson
- Kemba Walker
- Draymond Green
Patrick also suggested Stephen Curry. While Curry's jump was impressive and his career totals went up, I'd say Curry improved too much last season to call this season a "Most Improved" worthy. That said, I wouldn't blink to see anyone vote for him. Let us know what you think, and we'll see if reality matches our expectations!
-Dre