NBA Most Improved Player (MIP) Rankings 2024-25: Top 5 candidates after Week 5 ft. Franz Wagner
There are so many candidates for the Most Improved Player (MIP) of the Year award five weeks into the season. Evan Mobley has topped Sportskeeda's MIP power rankings in the past two weeks with his outstanding performance for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mobley is already one of the favorites to win the Defensive Player of the Year award as well.
LaMelo Ball, Jalen Williams and Franz Wagner are doing fantastic things and are very hard to ignore. The odds are even favoring them now along with Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks. Other candidates like Norman Powell, Payton Pritchard and Gradey Dick had a down week.
With all that said and done, let's look at this week's Most Improved Player rankings brought to you by Sportskeeda.
NBA Most Improved Player (MIP) Rankings - Week 5
#5 - Christian Braun | Guard | Denver Nuggets
- Last Week's Ranking: No. 3
- Average (Week 5) - 17.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 SPG 0.3 BPG
- Average (This Season) - 16.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 SPG 0.7 BPG
- Average (Last Season) - 7.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG 0.4 BPG
Christian Braun didn't do anything wrong in Week 5, but still dropped two places in the Most Improved Player rankings. Braun was fantastic for the Denver Nuggets, especially in their win over the LA Lakers. He was perfect 7-for-7 from the field and hit two 3-point shots.
The reason why he went to No. 5 is the sheer number of candidates doing much better in the past seven days. It's hard to argue how valuable Braun has been for Denver, but he'll likely remain in contention for the Most Improved Player of the Year as long as he stays healthy.
#4 - LaMelo Ball | Guard | Charlotte Hornets
- Last Week's Ranking: NR
- Average (Week 5) - 32.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.0 SPG 0.0 BPG
- Average (This Season) - 30.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 6.9 APG, 1.0 SPG 0.0 BPG
- Average (Last Season) - 23.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.8 SPG 0.2 BPG
There has never been a previous All-Star in NBA history that won the Most Improved Player of the Year. Granted there have been first time All-Stars who took home the award in the same season like Tyrese Maxey, Lauri Markkanen, Ja Morant, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram in the past five years.
However, it's hard to ignore what LaMelo Ball is doing this season. Ball is averaging career high in points and recently dropped 50 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. He's turned into one of the NBA's best scorers, while the Hornets already have six wins this season.
#3 - Jalen Williams | Forward | Denver Nuggets
- Last Week's Ranking: NR
- Average (Week 5) - 28.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 3.5 SPG 1.0 BPG
- Average (This Season) - 21.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, 2.0 SPG 1.0 BPG
- Average (Last Season) - 19.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.1 SPG 0.6 BPG
Jalen Williams' numbers this season are not eye-popping compared to what he was doing in the previous campaign. However, Williams has been the most important player for the OKC Thunder due to his versatility on both sides of the floor. He's played all five positions this season.
While most people will look at points per game for the Most Improved Player of the Year award, Williams has better numbers across the board. He's averaging higher points, rebounds, assists and blocks this season.
#2 - Franz Wagner | Forward | Orlando Magic
- Last Week's Ranking: NR
- Average (Week 5) - 28.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 8.3 APG, 2.5 SPG 0.0 BPG
- Average (This Season) - 23.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.7 SPG 0.2 BPG
- Average (Last Season) - 19.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.1 SPG 0.4 BPG
The Orlando Magic have coped up in the absence of Paolo Banchero and have relied on Franz Wagner to get big wins. Wagner has been phenomenal for the Magic over the past two weeks. He has scored at least 30 points in four of his last five games, with all of those four games resulting in wins.
Wagner's scoring is not the only stat that improved, but also his assists numbers. It will be interesting to see how the German star will adjust once Banchero returns to the lineup. Will Wagner remain in the Most Improved Player of the Year race?
#1 - Evan Mobley | Forward | Cleveland Cavaliers
- Last Week's Ranking: No. 1
- Average (Week 5) - 15.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.7 SPG 1.7 BPG
- Average (This Season) - 17.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.9 SPG 1.5 BPG
- Average (Last Season) - 15.7 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG 1.4 BPG
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best defenses in the NBA due to Evan Mobley. His numbers might not be far from what he's doing last season, but his impact on the 17-1 Cavaliers is intangible and unquantifiable.
Mobley retained the top spot in this week's Most Improved Player rankings despite a nine-point performance. One of the reasons why his stats are not inflated is the Cavs are blowing out their teams, and he's not playing full minutes.