The Race for the 2019-20 NBA’s most improved player award, who will it be?

Dantre Cole 1/22/20

The Race for the 2019-20 NBA’s most improved player award

With just about half a season to go in the 2019-20 NBA season, there have been several candidates throughout the halfway mark of the season whose numbers have improved drastically since the 2018-19 NBA season. Here is a perspective of my top 3 candidates too be on the lookout for to win the NBA’s most improved player award for the 2019-20 season so far.

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3. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

· 2018-19 stats: 18.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3 apg

· 2019-20 stats: 25.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.4 apg

Brandon Ingram is in his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram was a part of the blockbuster trade that saw Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks, including the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, and in return the Lakers received superstar Anthony Davis, which has proved to be worth the trade as he and Lebron James are starting to get things rolling, and Davis appears to be in the driver’s seat to take things over in LA whenever Lebron James calls it a career. Ingram is quickly developing into one of the best young players in the league, only aged 22 years old. Ingram’s PER currently on the season is 21.25, which is currently good enough for 29th in the league. That is a major upgrade from his PER last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, which was 13.48. At just 22 years old, Ingram has shown major improvement in the league for what appears to be a bright future for the New Orleans Pelicans, once 2019 #1 overall draft pick Zion Williamson makes his season debut. Ingram is currently shooting 47.6% from the field on the season, which is a downgrade from last season’s 49.7%, however Ingram is shooting 40.7% from 3 point range, which is an upgrade from last season’s 33% from the 3. Ingram is a player who can create his own shots as well. The numbers are up overall on the season for Ingram compared to last season, and the Pelicans may have lost a superstar in Anthony Davis, but they have a player in Brandon Ingram only in his 4th year, whose been drawing recent comparisons to a player such as Kevin Durant. The Pelicans may regret betting on themselves and not offering Ingram a contract before the season started, but if Ingram keeps his production up, it’s almost certain the Pelicans are going to give the former #2 overall pick in the 2016 draft that maximum contract offer.

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2. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

· 2018-19 stats: 8.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.2 apg

· 2019-20 stats: 16 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 4.7 apg

What a great season it has been so far for Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo. In just his 3rd NBA season, Adebayo has shown improvement in his numbers nearly all across the board. Adebayo is averaging 10.4 field goals per game, making 6.1 of those FGA per game, which is good enough for a career best 59% from the field. Adebayo also gets to the free throw line an average of 5.5 times per game. Adebayo has proven this season that he’s also a great rebounder in this league, averaging 10.5 RPG, with 2.6 of those RPG being offensive rebounds per game. On top of contributing on the offensive side of the ball and providing rebounds, Adebayo has also proven that he’s a legit defender in the league. This season, he’s averaging 1.2 block per game and 1.2 steals per game, and he’s proven this season that he can be the perfect sidekick for perennial all -star Jimmy Butler, who signed with the Miami Heat via free agency in the summer of 2019. With the Miami Heat being a surprise team sitting at 30-13 in the Eastern Conference, good enough for 2nd place, it’s almost certain that Adebayo, along with teammate Jimmy Butler, will be heading to Chicago for the NBA all-star game this year, which would mark the 1st of his young career.

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3. Devonte’ Graham, Charlotte Hornets

· 2018-19 stats: 4.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.6 apg

· 2019-20 stats: 18.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 7.7 apg

Talk about an improvement from a season ago. The casual NBA viewer may not know much about Devonte’ Graham, because he plays for the Charlotte Hornets, who are in the middle of what looks like another lost season. The 6’2 pg out of Kansas was the 34th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, and it looks like the Charlotte Hornets found an absolute steal with Graham. Graham spent all 4 years at The University of Kansas before entering the NBA draft, which is a rare thing to do since we are in an era of 1 and done players entering the NBA from college. Graham still has a lot of improving to do, as he is only shooting 37.6% from the field this season, which isn’t very efficient considering he takes 15.5 shots per game, only hitting 5.8 of those attempts. If Graham can get that field goal percentage up and start taking more efficient shots on a Charlotte Hornets team that has nothing to look forward to after losing Kemba Walker via free agency this summer, he can become a perennial all star in this league and give Hornets fans something to look forward to in the upcoming seasons.

Basketball Reference, Sport Radar, 22 Jan. 2020, www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/adebaba01.html.

Basketball Reference, Sport Radar, 22 Jan. 2020, www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grahade01.html.

Basketball Reference, Sport Radar, 22 Jan. 2020, www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/ingrabr01.html.