NBA Awards 2019: 3 reasons why De'Aaron Fox should win the Most Improved Player Award
The Most Improved Player is one of the most prestigious individual accolades of the regular season. Held in high regard with other awards such as the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards, it's given to the player who improved drastically over that NBA season.
The player worked on various aspects of their game, emerging as someone with a bright future - while giving fans something to look forward to, as a stepping stone for bigger and better things.
Previously, players such as Kevin Love, Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been awarded the accolade. Giannis won the award back in 2017 and is now frontrunner for this season's MVP award - his accomplishment proving just what is possible if you continue improving your game.
Last year's recipient was Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo, who beat Rockets center Clint Capela and Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie in the process. A skilled player during his first four seasons in the league, he improved significantly after being traded to the Pacers - showing he was an emerging star and one that could lead them to success, with this year's candidates no exception either.
This year's race features three deserving players, who all made great strides and have proven their capability to lead a team. Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell, Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam and Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox are this year's nominees.
In a tight, competitive race which could go either way, one of the trio is ultimately being overlooked and in this article, I explore three reasons why Fox deserves to win MIP in the awards ceremony on June 24:
#3 His stats improved from his rookie season
Fox has just completed the second year of his young NBA career. This past season, the speedy point-guard averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 81 games - while averaging 1.6 steals too.
To contrast during his rookie year, he averaged 11.6 pts, 4.4 ast and 2.8 rebs per game: which just goes to show the significant levels of improvement in almost every category since then.
His field goal percentage and consistency from three-point range has also improved too. This year, he shot 45.8% from the field (4.6% increase) and 37.1% (6.4%) from deep. The improvement in the 21-year-old's game was noticeable as he worked on his game over the summer months, growing into an even better and more efficient player while doing so - precisely what the MIP award is all about.