The NBA’s Most Improved Player Award has been incorrectly voted to varying degrees for a better part of the millennium.
Perhaps the most egregious example happened when former No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant won the Most Improved Player in 2022.
That ballot was a mess that saw Morant, who was already one of the league’s better players, win the award despite better candidates in guards Dejounte Murray and Jordan Poole.
But last year, there seemed to be a bit of an epiphany as Thunder guard Shai Gilgious-Alexander did not win the award despite being a -175 favorite to win the award by the end of December.
Utah’s Lauri Markkanen instead claimed the honor.
We are seeing a similar situation here, as Tyrese Maxey was -275 as of Dec. 27.
But his odds are beginning to climb down, with Bulls guard Coby White coming on strong as Chicago’s primary perimeter scorer and closer.
Since then, White has only moved from +800 to +500 on BetMGM, and there’s reason to believe that he should be much closer to a coin flip to win the battle.
Part of the handicapping of this award is where voters may go when they click submit on their classified online ballot sheet.
2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Tyrese Maxey | -210 |
| Coby White | +500 |
| Alperen Sengun | +600 |
| Jonathan Kuminga | +850 |
Here is an excerpt from the Bill Simmons Podcast dated Feb. 7 when talking about Maxey.
“I don’t think he [Maxey] should be the most improved,” Simmons, who is a highly influential voter of NBA awards, said on his podcast.
“I actually think Coby White should be the most improved. That’s who I would vote for right now. I don’t know what his odds are, and I’m not allowed to bet on it, but Coby White went from fun bench guy to wow Coby White might make an All-Star team someday.”
Since this quote during his podcast, White has averaged 21.5 points per game, having gone for 20, 14, 20, and 32; while getting 38.7 minutes per game in February.
Remember, oddsmakers factor in liability first after social media buzz and active betting patterns when making their odds for awards that the media votes on.
So listen carefully to the voters, who don’t hold back when talking about their opinions.
This is to say that voters have a chance to continue the correct momentum since the Morant blunder of a few years prior.
Was anyone sure that White was a good player coming into this season?
The stats did not paint a rosy picture for the former 2019 No. 7 overall draft pick, but he has really turned it around this season.
| Player | PTS. | AST. | REB. | FG percent | 3-point FG percent | Player Eff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrese Maxey | 25.7 | 20.3 (26.6%) | 6.4 | 3.5 (82.86%) | 3.7 | 2.9 (27.59%) | 44.9 | 48.1 (-6.65%) | 37.8 | 43.4 (-12.9%) | 19.80 | 17.21 (15.04%) |
| Coby White | 19.6 | 9.7 (102%) | 5.3 | 2.8 (89.28%) | 4.2 | 2.6 (61.53%) | 46.3 | 44.3 (4.51%) | 39.7 | 37.2 | (6.72%) | 15.48 | 12.57 (23.15%) |
| Alperan Sengun | 21.2 | 14.8 (43.24%) | 5.0 | 3.9 (28.2%) | 9.1 | 9.0 (1.11%) | 54.1 | 55.3 (-2.17%) | 29.3 | 33.3 (-12.01%) | 21.98 | 19.87 (10.62%) |
| Jonathan Kuminga | 15.5 | 9.9 (56.56%) | 1.9 | 1.9 (0%) | 4.7 | 3.4 (38.23%) | 53.4 | 52.5 (1.71%) | 31.7 | 37.0 (-14.32%) | 16.70 | 13.45 (19.46%) |
To say that Maxey shouldn’t be the NBA’s Most Improved isn’t a knock – he was too good prior to this season in order to be considered.
Just the fact that he averaged more than 20 points per game is already showing he’s too good of a player and none of his percentages have increased this season.
So, is Maxey actually improved? Or did his usage rating just increase?
His usage rating is up from 23.6 percent to 26.7 percent.
Betting on the NBA?
- Check out the best NBA betting sites
- Read our guide on how to bet on basketball
- Get the latest NBA Championship odds
- Use the North Carolina betting apps
The sleeping giant, though, is Kuminga.
He might not have started enough games (26 of 52 games played) in order to gain true consideration, but he has been unbelievable since becoming a starter.
In his last 15 games, Kuminga is averaging 21.5 points per game, which would be a massive increase from his 9.9 last season.