NBA Most Improved Player 2020: December Power Rankings
More than two months of the 2019-20 NBA season has now been played, and a number of players around the league have made a big impression during the first third of the season. The likes of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and James Harden are among the stars competing to be named Most Valuable Player following a string of excellent performances - and while not as prestigious, the race to named Most Improved Player is also hotting up.
The MIP award has served as a launch platform for some of the NBA's biggest stars over the past few years, and Pascal Siakam has transformed into one of the best players in the East since winning the award earlier this year. So, as we head into 2020, here we will take a look at the five leading contenders to be named as the NBA's Most Improved Player.
#5 Brandon Ingram - New Orleans Pelicans
Included as part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, Brandon Ingram arrived in New Orleans alongside fellow promising young talents in the form of Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. While Ball and Hart have failed to make much of an impact for a struggling Pelicans team, Ingram has displayed the sort of form that convinced the Lakers to take him with the second overall pick back in the 2016 NBA draft.
Heading into the campaign, Ingram had never managed to average more than 20 points for a season, although the 22-year-old is currently averaging 25.2 points while shooting an excellent 48.9 percent from the field. Ingram has also connected with 41 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc - and the former Laker man is also averaging career highs in rebounds (7.1), steals (0.9) and blocks (0.8). Evidently, the Pelicans will be keen to lock the forward into a new long-term contract - and Ingram is on track to establish himself as an All-Star.
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