2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player | Odds, Tips & Picks - Updated 28th Mar 2023

Last updated: 28th March 2023

Current favourites:

Lauri Markkanen @ 1.25

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander @ 4.00

Jalen Brunson @ 26.00

Mikal Bridges @ 61.00

Tyrese Haliburton @ 251.00

At The Jump Hub, we have assessed their chances as we see them and will update this article regularly to see if we were right...

Check out PlayUp for the latest live odds.

Odds are subject to change.

*See foot of article for key to terms used

General update - 28th Mar 2023

2 weeks is a long time in the NBA. Long enough for Tyrese haliburton to miss 6 games for the Indiana Pacers and see his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds rocket from @ 36.00 to @ 251.00. After returnign for 2 games and performing well, he dropped back out with an ankle injury and looks set to miss at least 2 games. Awards are a no-nonsense, tough affair and that effectively rules him out of the running this season. It's a shame for a player who started the season as a favourite @ 10.00 and dropped as low as @ 4.33 at one point. But them's the breaks...

This leaves us with 2 real contenders in Lauri Markkanen @ 1.25 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander @ 4.00

When we look at their head-to-head stats, we find a few interesting points to note:

Markkanen vs Gilgeous-Alexander

* = career best

Just look at the number of career-best performances in that list. It's hard to argue against these 2 outstanding young players being most improved. They are certainly both playing like men-possessed and are worthy of recognition for that fact alone. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is much the better scorer of the 2 and easily gives the most assists. Markkanen takes it when we look at rebounds and is less expensive in terms of turnovers.

But in reality, we are not comparing the players against each other. Rather it is a more existential exercise of comparing them against their past-selves.

A lesson we could all learn something from...

So, which of them has imprived the most when compared with their own record? Well, let's compare them against their own stats per game for last season:

Most improvement

Fascinating. If this is the way that they decide these things then we finally agree with te bookmakers! Markkanen is clearly the more improved player if we look at these numbers. Sure, Shai GA pulls it back a little towards the bottom end but, overall Markkanen is the winner. Let's see if things turn out that way for real...

General update - 13th Mar 2023

So, the race drops down to a final 5 and all others fall by the wayside. Mikal Bridges is a name that we didn't expect to see make it so far. In fact, he caught us off-guard so badly that there isn't even a full section dedicated to him here. So apologies Mikal. If you go on to win it there will be some serious egg on faces in The Jump Hub office...

General update - 28th Feb 2023

The field of realistic contenders for NBA Most Improved Player this season are down to just 9. More like 3 if we're really objective. Of those, Lauri Markkanen is the bookmakers' favourite @ 1.44

General update - 21st Feb 2023

• Jalen Brunson continues to climb in the standings with an impressive drop in his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds. From a high of @ 151.00 to his current odds of @ 4.33, making him 3rd favourite after Markkanenen and Gilgeous Alexander, tied on @ 2.40

General update - 10th Feb 2023

• Cam Thomas rockets out of nowhere to join the list of favourites to take the NBA Most Improved Player Award @ 12.00

• After a similar meteoric rise, Nicolas Claxton falters and drops to @ 61.00

• The 2 main favourites, Markkanen and Gilgeous-Alexander remain solid in terms of their betting odds @ 1.67 and @ 2.40 respectively.

General update - 2nd Jan 2023

• With the nearest player to the top 3 being Alperen Sengun @ 46.00, it's safe to say that the betting markets see the race to be named NBA Most Improved Player as one with just 3 players in it.

• Since missing 10 days in mid-December, Markkanen has made a decent comeback and his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds drop back down to @ 6.00. This must be some consolation to Utah Jazz who are currently on a 4-game losing streak. The combined total of points they lost them by is a mere 13.

• Shai G.A. continues to perform solidly and post excellent scores. His Oklahoma team, however are not faring so well. They lost to the 76ers by more points than Jazz did in 4 games. Shai did not help out as much as they might have hoped. Scoring just 14 points and hitting a pretty dire 4-15 field goals (26.7%). Even so, his betting odds shortened ever so slightly to @ 1.57. Go figure.

General update - 28th Dec 2022

No real change at the top.

• Shai G.A. consolidates his position further at the top. In an overtime (OT) loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, he put up some insane numbers. Including 44 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists

• Haliburton hangs on for dear life at the top. Not aided by some sporadic scoring stats.

General update - 20th Dec 2022

Starting this season, the winner of NBA Most Improved Player will now be awarded a trophy named after 5-time NBA winner, George Mikan.

The George Mikan Trophy

General update - 12th Dec 2022

• Shai G.A is blowing away the rest of the field in the race to be named the NBA Most Improved Player. Still the 3rd-best scorer in the NBA right now. His free throw accuracy for December is simply astonishing. With betting odds of @ 1.91, catch him if you can

• Tyrese Maxey remains out with an injured foot. After being a solid front-runner early on, his betting odds are now @ 76.00

• Lauri Markkanen has missed Utah's last 3 games with an unspecified illness. He does not look set to return just yet. However, his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds are holding firm @ 7.50

• Tyrese Haliburton is consolidating his position with some excellent numbers. He remains the NBA assists (AST) leader. 4th for steals (STL). His betting odds stay the course @ 4.33

General update - 7th Dec 2022

• Shai G.A is currently the NBA's 3rd-highest average scorer this season with 31.3 points per game. He is also 10th for turnovers...

• Tyrese Haliburton remains the NBA assist (AST) leader and overtakes Markkanen to become 2nd favourite

General update - 28th Nov 2022

• Tyrese Haliburton goes right to the top of the table for assists. He leads the whole NBA with 11.1 at the time of writing. His nearest competitor here is Shai G. A. in 19th with 6.2 assists per game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander @ 4.00

Oklahoma City Thunder

NBA Most Improved Player betting odds progression:

@ 3.60 — @ 8.60 — @ 9.75 — @ 1.17 — @ 1.73 — @ 1.62 — @ 1.80

Pre-season — Oct — 2nd Nov — 16th Nov — 25th Nov — 30th Nov — 7th Dec

@ 1.91 — @ 1.73 — @ 1.57 — @ 2.00 — @ 2.30 — @ 2.40

12th Dec — 20th Dec — 28th Dec/2nd Jan — 13th Jan — 20th Jan — 1st/21st Feb

@ 3.75 — @ 6.50 — @ 4.00

28th Feb — 13th Mar — 28th Mar

• Born: July 22nd 1988 - Toronto, Canada

• Measurements: 6’6” (1.98m), 180lb (81kg)

• College: Kentucky

• NBA Draft: 11th pick, 2018

• NBA debut: October 17th, 2018

• Position: Shooting guard, point guard

• Teams: Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder

2021/’22 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 56 \ MP: 34.7 \ PTS: 24.5 \ FG%: 45.3 \ 3P%: 30.0 \ FT%: 81.0 \ TRB: 5.0 \ AST: 5.9 \ STL: 1.3 \ BLK: 0.8 \ TOV: 2.8 \ PF: 2.5

Update: 13th Jan 2023

The onslaught continues and Shai G.A keeps coming.

• 37 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists

In Oklahoma's destruction of the 76ers 133 : 114 (13th Jan)

He is riding high and sweeping all before him in terms of his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds. He currently sits even @ 2.00

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 37 \ MP: 35.7 \ PTS: 30.8 \ FG%: 50.1 \ 3P%: 34.9 \ FT%: 91.0 \ TRB: 4.8 \ AST: 5.6 \ STL: 1.6* \ BLK: 1.1* \ TOV: 3.3* \ PF: 2.8*

*Career high

Update - 27th Dec 2022

Just take a look at these numbers and tell us that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't deserve to be the scorching hot favourite to be named the NBA Most Improved Player for 2022/'23 and lift the new George Mikan Trophy...

• G: 30 \ MP: 35.9* \ PTS: 31.6* \ FG%: 50.2 \ 3P%: 35.2 \ FT%: 92.5* \ TRB: 4.8 \ AST: 5.7 \ STL: 1.7* \ BLK: 1.0* \ TOV: 3.4* \ PF: 2.6*

*Career high

Career highs all over the place (including fouls and turnovers, yes we had noticed)

• His accuracy from the free throw line remains phenomenal at 92.5%.

In fact, it puts him 5th in the whole NBA right now. And his field goal conversion rate is hardly anything to sneer at.

Shai is 3rd in the NBA for points per game. One place above the scoring machine, Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is having the absolute season of a lifetime and we're here for every minute of it. We just wish he played for our team (Go Hawks!)

His performance in Oklahoma's last game (at the time of writing) was nothing short of elite. It was a tight overtime (OT) loss to the New Orleans Pelicans but none of that loss is on Shai G.A:

• 44 points

• 10 rebounds

• 6 assists

He played 43 minutes and hit 58.6% of his field goal attempts. The guy is sensational...

Update - 20th Dec 2022

In Oklahoma's last 5 games (5-straight losses), Shai G.A. has:

• Scored a total of 153 points

• Given 25 assists

In December, he has:

• Missed only 4 of 86 free throws

He is pressing ever onwards to secure himself the new Georkge Mikal Trophy and be names the NBA's Most Improved Player. The bookmakers tend to agree and his betting odds sit @ 1.73

Update: 12th Dec 2022

Shai G.A. is the 3rd-highest scorer in the NBA with:

• 30.8 points (PTS) per game.

His accuracy from the foul line is nothing short of staggering. He's missed only 2 of 55 free throws in December so far. That gives him a ridiculous:

• 96.4% accuracy across 4 games

He is also:

• 7th in the NBA for steals (STL)

• 20th for assists (AST)

• 20th for minutes played (MP)

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 24 \ MP: 35.5 \ PTS: 30.8 \ FG%: 50.1 \ 3P%: 31.5 \ FT%: 92.9 \ TRB: 4.6 \ AST: 5.9 \ STL: 1.7 \ BLK: 1.1 \ TOV: 3.3 \ PF: 2.5

What else is there to say? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having the season of a lifetime. He is an absolute shoo-in for the NBA Most Improved Player Award if this continues. His betting odds reflect that @ 1.91

Update: 28th Nov 2022

Shai G.A. has upped his game if anything. He is in sizzling form right now.

In his last 4 games he has:

• 123 points

• 47/49 free throws made

• 28 assists

• 23 rebounds

He has scored more than a point a minute in 6 games this season so far. The last of which was in a crushing 118-105 loss to Houston. Shai snatched 32 points in just 28 minutes with a conversion rate of 57.1%

To say that he is on fire would be to do him a disservice

Although his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds have lengthened a tiny amount, if he carries on like this then the award is his.

Update: 23rd Nov 2022

So, just to embarrass us and our whining below, the betting markets have finally caught on to the achievements of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is now the red-hot favourite to be named the NBA Most Improved Player for 2022/'23

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 15 \ MP: 35.7* \ PTS: 31.1* \ FG%: 53.4* \ 3P%: 40.9 \ FT%: 90.7* \ TRB: 4.6 \ AST: 5.9* \ STL: 1.8* \ BLK: 1.4* \ TOV: 3.2* \ PF: 2.5*

*Highest average of professional career

Original text

Initially, the bookmakers' favourite, Oklahoma City Thunder’s point guard has made a rather remarkable start to his 2022/’23 campaign. 

In the 15 games he has played, he has started them all and been given heavy minutes on the court. Almost 36 in each matchup. And not without good reason. 

Gilgeous-Alexander has surpassed his previous best ‘per-game’ averages in almost every category you can think of. 

• More minutes.

• Higher points

• Greater number of offensive rebounds

• Better field goal conversion rate. 

• Matching his best-ever effort in giving assists to teammates.

• Increased accuracy on 3-point shots.

• Snaffling more steals.

• Making more blocks.

A staggering record of 90.7% success from the free throw line. 

And don't think that’s just one of those anomalies that happen when a player takes very few free throws. For The first 5 games of the season, he didn’t miss a single one.

That’s 30 straight free throws. 

Not impressed? In the next 4 games, he only missed 2. In total that’s 62 shots scored from 64 attempts. Try that in your local sports centre and get back to us if you find it easy. 

Need more? Wow. After 13 games, he was 94/100. At the time of writing (22nd Nov 2022) he has 107/118. 

What more could any reasonable person ask?

From our assessment of his numbers and what we’ve witnessed, Shai seems to be improving steadily too. He could become a genuinely elite-level player if he keeps this up.

31.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and still found time to give 5.9 assists? Impressive. 

That the bookmakers have lengthened his NBA Most Improved Player odds is surely a testament to the quality of the opposition. not to anything the young Canadian has or hasn't done.

If we're assessing improvement over previous seasons' performances then there's no arguing that he is hitting all the marks. He has improved in every aspect of his game in terms of the stats. The only parameter here where he has a worse record than last season is in rebounds. And that's only by 0.4. Everywhere else, he's up. Often in a big way.

If it's improvement within the current season we want then that's a touch harder to justify.

But that's only because he's been so good from the word 'go'.

He's matching or surpassing his worst levels in terms of player fouls and turnovers. But not by much. With increased minutes and involvement in games, that's a natural side-effect.

Let's compare his numbers to last season's.

2021/’22 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 56 \ MP: 34.7 \ PTS: 24.5 \ FG%: 45.3 \ 3P%: 30.0 \ FT%: 81.0 \ TRB: 5.0 \ AST: 5.9 \ STL: 1.3 \ BLK: 0.8 \ TOV: 2.8 \ PF: 2.5

Our one main issue is that he has missed an awful lot of games due to injury over the last couple of seasons. Playing in just 59% of all games over those 2 seasons in fact. Does that affect whether or not he is the Most Improved Player? You be the judge.

Actually, you don't get to do it. But a glance at those stats shows us that he is certainly improving. Enough to win the award?

As far as we're concerned, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still displaying all the properties of a player that is worthy of the NBA Most Improved Player award.

He must even be in the running for MVP with numbers like that!

That was a flippant, throwaway comment that got us thinking. Turns out it's not as crazy as it sounds. His MVP betting odds have shortened from:

@ 201.00 to @ 71.00

Frankly, we're bemused by the betting markets lengthening his Most Improved Player odds from:

@ 3.60 to @ 8.60 to @ 9.75. That's with the favourite Maxey OUT injured.

Never let it be said that sports betting odds always make sense...

Lauri Markkanen @ 1.25

Utah Jazz

NBA Most Improved Player betting odds progression:

@ 6.00 — @ 7.50 — @ 4.00 — @ 6.00 — @ 7.00 — @ 7.50 — @ 6.50

Pre-season — 2nd Nov — 16th Nov — 30th Nov — 7th Dec — 12th Dec — 20th Dec

@ 7.50 — @ 6.00 — @ 2.88 — @ 2.25 — @ 1.80 — @ 1.73 — @ 1.67

28th Dec — 2nd Jan — 12th Jan — 13th Jan — 20th Jan — 1st Feb — 10th Feb

@ 2.40 — @ 1.44 — @ 1.30 — @ 1.25

21st Feb — 28th Feb — 13th Mar — 28th Mar

• Born: May 22nd 1997 - Vantaa, Finland

• Measurements: 7’0” (2.13m), 240lb (108kg)

• College: Arizona

• NBA Draft: 7th pick, 2017

• NBA debut: October 19th, 2017

• Position: Power forward, small forward

• Teams: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz

2021/’22 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 61 \ MP: 30.8 \ PTS: 14.8 \ FG%: 44.5 \ 3P%: 35.8 \ FT%: 86.8 \ TRB: 5.7 \ AST: 1.3 \ STL: 0.7 \ BLK: 0.5 \ TOV: 0.9 \ PF: 2.1

Update: 13th Jan 2023

Lauri Markkanen is another player that just keeps plugging away and providing rock-solid performances. He has held firm or improved in every single stat here and his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds reflect that, dropping down to @ 2.25

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 41 \ MP: 34.2 \ PTS: 24.5 \ FG%: 52.4 \ 3P%: 41.2 \ FT%: 87.5 \ TRB: 8.5 \ AST: 1.9 \ STL: 0.6 \ BLK: 0.6 \ TOV: 1.8 \ PF: 2.1

Update: 20th Dec 2022

Markkanen remains a high-scoring player to have on the court and is averaging 22.6 per game in December.

Put that alongside a 92.3% rate from the free throw line and 52.8% of all attempted 3-pointers this month. It's not hard to see why the betting markets are keeping the faith with Lauri Markkanen.

His NBA Most Improved Player betting odds stay reasonably low @6.50

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 29 \ MP: 33.9 \ PTS: 22.3* \ FG%: 52.9 \ 3P%: 42.0 \ FT%: 84.3 \ TRB: 8.3 \ AST: 2.2 \ STL: 0.6 \ BLK: 0.7 \ TOV: 2.1 \ PF: 2.2

Update: 12th Dec 2022

Lauri Markkanen has missed 3 games and looks likely to miss more through an unspecified illness.

Update: 23rd Nov 2022

With the injury to Tyrese Maxey and the unstoppable march of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, things have shuffled around a fair bit in terms of Most Improved Player betting odds. Currently, we find Lauri Markkanen as the 2nd favourite.

In his last 2 games against the Portland Trailblazers and the Los Angeles Clippers, he has been excellent. 10 rebounds per game. Over 20 points in each. He is not hurting his chances of the award - let's see how he fares against the Detroit Pistons tomorrow.

Original text

A few things that we noted here. Markkanen clearly has a tremendous eye for a free throw. He is not quite back at his '21/'22 level yet but was setback by only hitting 1/4 against the 76ers. He has been otherwise extremely reliable.

Lauri's field goal numbers are much improved in the 18 games he has played so far this season.

The best of his career at this juncture.

Points are up higher than he has managed before. As are both assists and blocks.

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 18 \ MP: 32.9* \ PTS: 22.3* \ FG%: 54.4* \ 3P%: 36.9 \ FT%: 81.3 \ TRB: 8.4 \ AST: 2.3* \ STL: 0.6 \ BLK: 0.9* \ TOV: 2.0* \ PF: 2.0

*Highest average of professional career

Do these improvements justify making Mrakkanen 2nd favourite to be awarded Most Improved Player? In our minds, not really. But if he can maintain his standards and stay focussed then anything is .possible We've already seen injury affect the runaway early favourite.

If things continue apace then nobody will come close to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But Markkaen can only affect his own outcomes and keep plugging away. Watch this space...

Jalen Brunson @ 26.00

New York Knickerbockers

NBA Most Improved Player betting odds progression:

@ 91.00 — @ 101.00 — @ 151.00 — @ 26.00 — @ 23.00

Pre-season — 2nd Nov — 16th Nov — 30th Nov — 12th Dec

@ 36.00 — @ 4.33 — @ 7.00 — @ 6.50 — @ 26.00

20th Dec — 21st Feb — 28th Feb — 13th Mar — 28th Mar

• Born: August 31st 1996 - New Brunswick, New Jersey

• Measurements: 6’1” (1.85m), 190lb (86kg)

• College: Villanova

• NBA Draft: 33rd pick, 2018

• NBA debut: October 17th, 2018

• Position: Point guard, shooting guard

• Teams: Dallas Mavericks, New York Knickerbockers

2021/’22 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 79 \ MP: 31.9 \ PTS: 16.3 \ FG%: 50.2 \ 3P%: 37.3 \ FT%: 84.0 \ TRB: 3.9 \ AST: 4.8 \ STL: 0.8 \ BLK: 0.0 \ TOV: 1.6 \ PF: 1.9

Update: 21st Feb 2023

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 56 \ MP: 35.1* \ PTS: 23.9* \ FG%: 48.5 \ 3P%: 41.1* \ FT%: 83.8 \ TRB: 3.6 \ AST: 6.2* \ STL: 0.9* \ BLK: 0.3* \ TOV: 2.0* \ PF: 2.3*

*Highest average of professional career

Update: 21st Feb 2023

Over his last 4 games alone, Brunson has contributed:

• 136 points (PTS)

• 21 rebounds (TRB)

• 24 assists (AST)

His field goal percentage (FG%) is consistently above 50% and he gets a reasonable number of the 3-pointers that he attempts. All in all, it's not difficult to see why the betting markets have him as one of the favourites to take the NBA Most Improved Player award this season.

He has put in career-high numbers this season in:

• Minutes played (MP): 35.1

• Points: 23.9

• 3-point percentage (3P%): 41.1

• Assists: 6.2

• Steals (STL): 0.9

• Blocks (BLK): 0.3

Although he also has career-highs in turnovers (TOV) with 2.0, and fouls (PF) with 2.3, those numbers are far from catastrophic and tend to reflect his increased involvement in games.

It's hard to see what else he could do to improve his chances except keep playing as he is and hope that Markkanen and Gilgeous Alexander have dips in form.

We shall see...

Tyrese Haliburton @ 251.00

Indiana Pacers

NBA Most Improved Player betting odds progression:

@ 10.00 — @ 12.00 — @ 13.00 — @ 8.00 — @ 5.00 — @ 4.33

Pre-season — 2nd Nov — 16th Nov — 30th Nov — 7th Dec — 12th Dec —

@ 5.00 — @ 4.50 — @ 5.00 — @ 14.00 — @ 26.00 — @ 41.00

20th Dec — 2nd Jan — 12th Jan — 13th Jan — 20th Jan — 1st Feb

@ 23.00 — @ 46.00 — @ 61.00 — @ 36.00 — @ 251.00

10th Feb — 21st Feb — 28th Feb — 13th Mar — 28th Mar

• Born: February 29th, 2000 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin

• Measurements: 6’5” (1.96m), 185lb (83kg)

• College: Iowa State

• NBA Draft: 12th pick, 2020

• NBA debut: December 23rd, 2020

• Position: Shooting guard, point guard

• Teams: Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers

Haliburton actually has 2 sets from the 2021/'22 season as he moved from Sacramento Kings, where he had:

• G: 51 \ MP: 34.5 \ PTS: 14.3 \ FG%: 45.7 \ 3P%: 41.3 \ FT%: 83.7 \  TRB: 3.9 \ AST: 7.4 \ STL: 1.7 \ BLK: 0.7 \ TOV: 2.3 \ PF: 1.4

...to the Indiana Pacers, where he had:

• G: 26 \ MP: 36.1 \ PTS: 17.5 \ FG%: 50.2 \ 3P%: 41.6 \ FT%: 84.9 \ TRB: 4.3 \ AST: 9.6 \ STL: 1.8 \ BLK: 0.6 \ TOV: 3.2 \ PF: 1.9

Update: 13th Jan 2023

Since our last update when we complained about his scoring consistency, Haliburton has become an absolute paragon of consistency. But of course he has.

• 16, 16, 15, 16, 15

Unbelievable. Maybe he read the article...

Yeah right.

He is still providing a superb number of assists per game and really proving himself to be a valued playmaker. The Pacers are 23-19 for the season. But, perhaps a good sign for them is that they are 8-3 over their last 11 games. So many assists from Haliburton cannot fail to have had a positive influence on those outcomes and he is doing himself no harm in the running to become the NBA Most Improved Player this season. But the competition is tough and he finds his odds slipping to @ 14.00

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 40 \ MP: 33.4 \ PTS: 20.2 \ FG%: 48.0 \ 3P%: 39.9 \ FT%: 88.0 \ TRB: 4.0 \ AST: 10.2 \ STL: 1.8 \ BLK: 0.4 \ TOV: 2.6 \ PF: 1.1

Update: 28th Dec 2022

Haliburton is just about keeping sight of Shai G.A. at the top of the list but is not helping himself with some seriously sporadic scoring. In December alone his numbers look like this:

• 14, 26, 23, 3, 1, 29, 17, 15, 33, 43, 12

All in roughly the same number of minutes on the court. The rarefied, dizzying heights of 43 points in 38 minutes against Miami and 1 in 33 minutes against the same team??? Bizarre

Update: 20th Dec 2022

Tyrese Haliburton is doing nothing to hurt his chances in this season's Most Improved Player runnings.

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 29 \ MP: 33.4 \ PTS: 19.5 \ FG%: 47.0 \ 3P%: 38.5 \ FT%: 87.6 \ TRB: 4.0 \ AST: 10.7 \ STL: 1.7 \ BLK: 0.4 \ TOV: 2.7 \ PF: 1.2

24 assists in his last 3 games alone!
Although not nearly as prolific a free-throw taker as Gilgeous-Alexander (who has taken 86 in December) he is nevertheless highly accurate. In fact, he has missed just 2 of 27 this month.

Update: 12th Dec 2022

• Tyrese Haliburton is consolidating his position as NBA assists leader. He is also 4th for steals.

On top of such impressive stats, he is scoring at a higher rate than last month.

• 24.5 points per game in December

• 90.9% accuracy from the free throw line

Were it not for Shai G.A. having the season of his life, we believe that Tyrese Haliburton would be the runaway favourite to take the NBA Most Improved Player award. As it is, he remains in solid contention with betting odds @ 4.33

Update: 28th Nov 2022

• Tyrese Haliburton now leads the whole NBA with 11.1 assists at the time of writing.

His nearest competitor here is Shai G. A. in 19th with 6.2 per game.

Update: 23rd Nov 2022

Well, there have been some big changes in the runnings for Most Improved Player of late. But not for Tyrese Haliburton it seems. We're hoping that our pessimistic note below doesn't prove too accurate and that he doesn't slide out of the running.

But when you effectively lose the bookmakers' favourite out of the blue (injury to Maxey) you hope to see some increased confidence in your chances. Not so with Tyrese Haliburton. His betting odds have barely moved throughout the turmoil. That doesn't bode overly well for his chances but he certainly has time to pull out all the stops.

Original text

Haliburton is knocking it out of the park in assists. A career-high average of 10.5 per game so far this season. He is also ahead of his own standards in terms of total rebounds.

So, how much of an improvement do the numbers above represent?

Let's compare them to his 2021/'22 season stats:

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 15 \ MP: 34.1 \ PTS: 20.6 \ FG%: 49.3 \ 3P%: 40.4 \ FT%: 85.4 \ TRB: 4.6* \ AST: 10.5* \ STL: 1.9* \ BLK: 0.3 \ TOV: 2.9 \ PF: 1.4

*Highest average of professional career

Tyrese certainly seemed happier in Indiana, and his numbers improved almost right across the board. In fact, Haliburton has improved steadily with every season that passes and isn't that the point of the NBA Most Improved Player award?

His assists are the thing that really stand out.

They have gone up by around 2 per season since his NBA debut in 2020. Now at a very tasty 10.5 per game across his 15 games this time around.

Do we genuinely feel that Haliburton is a contender for the award? He's close for sure. But there are some special athletes in the running. Being generally excellent and showing consistent growth might not have the 'wow' factor required. We shall see...

Tyrese Maxey \\ N/A*

Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Most Improved Player betting odds progression:

@ 6.50 — @ 3.60 — @ 4.00 — @ 23.00 — @ 31.00 — @ 76.00

Pre-season — 2nd Nov — 25th Nov — 30th Nov — 7th Dec — 12th Dec

@ 91.00 — @ 76.00 — @ 91.00 — @ 101.00 — @ 126.00 — @ 226.00

20th Dec — 28th Dec/2nd Jan — 12th Jan — 13th Jan — 20th Jan — 1st Feb

@ 276.00 — @ 501.00 \\

10th Feb — 21st Feb

*Betting odds no longer available for this player

• Born: November 4th, 2000 - Dallas, Texas

• Measurements: 6’2” (1.88m), 200lb (90kg)

• College: Kentucky

• NBA Draft: 21st pick, 2020

• NBA debut: December 23rd, 2020

• Position: Shooting guard, point guard

• Teams: Philadelphia 76ers

2021/’22 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 75 \ MP: 35.3 \ PTS: 17.5 \ FG%: 48.5 \ 3P%: 42.7 \ FT%: 86.6 \ TRB: 3.2 \ AST: 4.3 \ STL: 0.7 \ BLK: 0.4 \ TOV: 1.2 \ PF: 2.1

Update: 12th Dec 2022

Maxey remains out of contention with his foot issues and sees his chances of being names Most Improved Player slipping away.

Update: 22nd Nov 2022

Tyrese Maxey is reportedly out of playing contention for the next few weeks due to a small fracture in his left foot.

Time will tell how much this affects his chances of being named the NBA's Most Improved Player. At the time of writing, he had dropped to @ 23.00. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Original text

Tyrese Maxey has become the new sportsbooks' favourite with his odds now sitting @ 3.60 to be named Most Improved Player. Let's take a look at the situation and see if we can decide why.

Getting heavy minutes already this season, Maxey has improved on his career best-ever averages in several categories:

• Minutes played

• Points

• Total rebounds

• Assists

Maxey scored 44 points against the Toronto Raptors in a win against them at the end of October. Just 2 days after scoring 31 points against the same team. Losing the first game, winning the second.

So, things are going swimmingly overall.

Let's compare with last season's numbers and look for improvements:

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 15 \ MP: 36.4* \ PTS: 22.9* \ FG%: 46.2 \ 3P%: 42.2 \ FT%: 73.8 \ TRB: 3.5* \ AST: 4.4* \ STL: 0.6 \ BLK: 0.3 \ TOV: 2.0* \ PF: 2.3*

*Highest average of professional career

Well. His free-throwing is not yet up to last season's standard. But at 86.6%, that was superbly high and is not an easy standard to maintain.

Otherwise, Tyrese Maxey is extremely consistent in his level of play. We might question whether that makes for 'Most Improved Player' material.

And we do...

His points are up but those numbers are very similar right across the board. This award is not given for consistently decent play. It is for marked improvements in a player's levels.

He suffers from the same issue as Gilgeous-Alexander in that increased minutes and inclusion in games lead to more player fouls and turnovers. Again, it is not too detrimental.

It's not hard, then to see why betting markets are showing keen interest in him. What does confuse us, however, is how they are preferring him to Gilgeous-Alexander for the NBA Most Improved Player award.

Maxey is having a rock-solid season so far.

Shai G-A is having a sensational one.

Desmond Bane \\ N/A*

Memphis Grizzlies

NBA Most Improved Player betting odds progression:

@ 10.00 — @ 13.00 — @ 19.00 — @ 21.00 — @ 19.00 — @ 36.00

Pre-season — 2nd Nov — 16th Nov — 30th Nov — 7th Dec — 12th Dec

@ 46.00 — @ 51.00 — @ 61.00 — @ 81.00 — @ 91.00 — @ 101.00

20th Dec — 28th Dec — 2nd Jan — 12th Jan — 13th Jan — 20th Jan

@ 176.00 — @ 201.00 — @ 501.00 \\

1st Feb — 10th Feb — 21st Feb

*Betting odds no longer available for this player

• Born: June 25th 1998 - Richmond, Indiana

• Measurements: 6’5” (1.96m), 215lb (97kg)

• College: Texas Christian University (TCU)

• NBA Draft: 30th pick, 2020

• NBA debut: December 23rd, 2020

• Position: Shooting guard

• Teams: Memphis Grizzlies

2021/’22 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 76 \ MP: 29.8 \ PTS: 18.2 \ FG%: 46.1 \ 3P%: 43.6 \ FT%: 90.3 \ TRB: 4.9 \ AST: 4.8 \ STL: 1.2 \ BLK: 0.4 \ TOV: 1.5 \ PF: 2.6

Update: 22nd Nov 2022

Desmond Bane suffered a Grade 2 toe sprain against Minnesota on Nov 11th. He will not be in playing contention for 2 to 3 weeks.

So far his NBA Most Improved Player betting odds have not suffered unduly. He is sitting @ 19.00 for now but has already missed 4 games and is set to miss a 5th tomorrow.

This is such a shame. Bane looks like the real deal to us. His numbers are tremendous. Let's hope he recovers quickly.

Original text

Ok - we went wild for Shai G.A's free throw success rate. It is only fair, therefore, that we do a bit of gushing here too. 91.2%? Seriously?

How is that even possible? Must be a fluke!

Nah - Bane has taken 57 free throws and missed only 5 of them.

He is a machine from the line. But he backs that up with a decent number of shots from the field. Currently averaging 24.7 points per game.

2022/’23 stats (averages per game played):

• G: 12 \ MP: 33.5* \ PTS: 24.7* \ FG%: 46.5 \ 3P%: 45.1* \ FT%: 91.2* \ TRB: 4.9* \ AST: 4.8* \ STL: 0.6 \ BLK: 0.3 \ TOV: 2.3* \ PF: 2.4

Desmond has improved in almost every measurable way this season. We have his odds a touch long at the moment and feel they don't truly represent his potential.

The Memphis Grizzlies are in winning form. In no small part due to Bane's efforts. That can only give him and the team confidence moving forwards. We expect him to push hard for the Most Improved Player award.

Rest of the field:

Odds progression: pre-season - most recent

Mikal Bridges:

• @ 36.00 — @ 61.00

Cam Thomas:

• @ 151.00 \\

Anthony Edwards:

• @ 31.00 — @ 36.00 — @ 61.00 — @ 76.00 — @ 91.00 — @ 101.00 — @ 176.00 — @ 101.00

• @ 176.00 — @ 226.00 \\

Devin Vassell:

• @ 31.00 — @ 36.00 — @ 46.00 — @ 76.00 — @ 151.00 — @ 101.00 \\

Kedlon Johnson:

• @ 43.00 — @ 41.00 — @ 67.00 — @ 101.00 — @ 176.00 — @ 276.00 — @ 501.00 \\

Jalen Brunson:

• @ 91.00 — @ 101.00 — @ 151.00 — @ 26.00 — @ 23.00 — @ 36.00 — @ 4.33 — @ 7.00

Zion Williamson:

• @ 56.00 — @ 76.00 — @ 91.00 — @ 151.00 — @ 176.00 \\

Anfernee Simons:

• @ 61.00 — @ 66.00 — @ 81.00 — @ 34.00 — @ 18.00 — @ 31.00 — @ 46.00 — @ 76.00

• @ 91.00 — @ 101.00 — @ 176.00 — @ 401.00 \\

Bol Bol:

• @ 61.00 — @ 66.00 — @ 36.00 — @ 31.00 — @ 34.00 — @ 19.00 — @ 34.00 — @ 76.00

• @ 91.00 — @ 101.00 — @ 126.00 — @ 276.00 — @ 401.00 — @ 276.00 \\

Cade Cunningham:

• @ 66.00 \\

Alperen Sengun:

• @ 76.00 — @ 81.00 — @ 61.00 — @ 276.00 — @ 126.00 — @ 41.00 — @ 101.00

• @ 226.00 \\

Scottie Barnes:

• @ 81.00 — @ 501.00 \\

De’Aaron Fox:

• @ 136.00 — @ 49.00 — @ 41.00 — @ 51.00 — @ 76.00 — @ 151.00 — @ 276.00

• @ 501.00 \\

Jordan Poole:

• @ 101.00 — @ 276.00 — @ 501.00 \\

Josh Giddey:

• @ 81.00 — @ 276.00 — @ 501.00 \\

\\ = Betting odds no longer available for this player

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