The Most Improved Player Award bets on Miles Bridges over leader Jamorant

The Most Improved Player Award is different from other NBA honors. It's not a positional award like the big man-centered Defensive Player of the Year achievement, not the player with the most points off the bench like The Sixth Man of the Year, or the balance between team success and personal greatness like the MVP Award. Rather, mip is just a coronation in which individual players make a big enough leap from one year to the next to overshadow the factors that determine the other winners. After the first few weeks of the season, the man couldn't have been clearer.

Jamorant is currently tied for second place with Paul George, leading the NBA in terms of points per game (28.3) and behind Stephen Curry (28.7). His staggering 9.2 points improvement is marked by his improved efficiency on the offensive end. Morant's shooting percentage rose from 44.9 percent last season to 52.4 percent, 72.8 percent to 82.5 percent, and most importantly, his three-point shooting jumped from 30.3 percent to 38.5 percent, given how opposing teams defended him. Morant's development is undoubtedly the main reason why the Memphis Grizzlies are currently the No. 4 seed in the West and the team's perception has changed.

If the season ends today, Morant will almost certainly be the NBA's MIP champion. However, the season won't end today or soon, leaving the door open for others to replace Morant before the end of the season. One such player has knocked on the door.

In a seemingly left-sided situation, unless you're a Charlotte Hornets fan, Milesbridges has entered the discussion as a serious MIP candidate. He was strong in the second half of the 2020-21 season and turned it into the best start of his career this season. A season ago, Bridges averaged nearly 30.0 minutes per game, averaging 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. In eight games, those numbers have evolved into 23.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and like Morant, Bridges' performance has brought excitement, hope and energy to a fan base that has been eager in recent years.

Four of the last five winners have been the best performers on the team. For reference, Julius Randall won the award last season, Brandon Ingram won the 2020 award, Victor Oladipo won the 2017 title, and Giannis Antetokounmpo won the 2017 title. More able to advance their performance on the pitch than Bridges (or any other player). However, in a few cases, the award is awarded to the team's non-first place. 1 option – CJ McCollum in 2016 and Pascal Siakam in 2019 and Ryan Anderson in 2011-12 are also the same. Bridges differs from the aforementioned players in that he plays alongside Lamelo Bauer.

Miles Bridges' path to the MIP Award is really paved, he just needs to stay as efficient as before and hopefully those who compete at the end of the race occasionally veer off the path. We still have a long way to go, but it's safe to say that the competition for this award in particular could be fun.