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2024/25 NBA Futures | Awards: Who’s Winning Most Improved?

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2024/25 NBA Awards, Predictions & Best Bets: Who's Winning Most Improved?

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FAMILY. We’re back.

The 2024/25 NBA Season is just 3 weeks away and we’re here to talk about awards. I’ve got a few futures placed and I’ll get into all of them in the days leading up to the start of the regular season.

Today we’re talking about one of my favorite awards, and one of the hardest to predict; the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. Last year we saw Tyrese Maxey take home the award and in the year prior, it was Ja Morant.

This year the field is wide open, with got guys like Alpren Sengun and Scottie Barnes looking to take that next step. Then we’ve got guys like Tyrese Haliburton and Paolo Banchero looking to make the leap from All-Star to Superstar.

If there’s one thing we know about the NBA, it’s the fact that the level talent is as high as it’s ever been. I’m incredibly excited about the upcoming season and I can’t wait to talk all about it.

Here are our favorite bets for the 2024/24 NBA Most Improved Player Award!

2024/25 NBA’s Most Improved Player Award via BetOnline – Get a $500 WELCOME BONUS

Past Winners of the MIP

Tyrese Maxey — Philadelphia 76ers (2024)
Lauri Markkanen — Utah Jazz (2023)
Ja Morant — Memphis Grizzlies (2022)
Julius Randle — New York Knicks (2021)
Brandon Ingram — New Orleans Pelicans (2020)

Best Current Betting Odds via BetOnline & MyBookie

Victor Wembanyama (+750)
Jonathan Kuminga (+1400)
Josh Giddey (+1700)
Jalen Williams (+2000)
Jalen Green (+3500)
Paulo Banchero (+2800)
Immanuel Quickley (+2500)
Cade Cunningham (+3300)
Austin Reaves (+6000)
Trey Murphy (+5000)
Chet Holmgren (+5000)
Lamelo Ball (+5000)
Franz Wagner (+5000)
Cam Whitmore (+10000)

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Jalen Green (+3500) via MyBookie

The first guy I’m going to talk about is Jalen Green, starting shooting guard for the Houston Rockets. I know you’re probably familiar with Green’s game but this is the year he takes that next step; the kind of step we just saw Tyrese Maxey take.

Jalen Green’s now played 3 years in the NBA, his best year being Year 2; averaging 22.1 points per game on 42% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. The Rockets won just 22 games that year and would once again miss the playoffs.

Last year the Rockets finally got a taste of what it feels like to play for something real. Houston finished 11th in the Western Conference at 41-41, just 5 games back of both the Warriors and Kings for a spot in the play-in games.

Green took another step forward after the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis. JG saw his scoring jump from 18/game to 22.8, all while shooting 3% better (44.1%). He shot 36.8% from 3 over that same span of time and showed flashes of brilliance late, last year.

New Additions

The addition of guys like Fred Vanvleet and Dhillon Brooks really helped change the culture down in Houston and helped this Rockets team win almost twice as many games. Head Coach, Ime Udoka, has these guys buying in and it looks like the Rockets may be ready to contend.

If Houston’s going to contend for a spot in the post-season this year, they’ll need their young guy Jalen Green to play at an All-Star type level.

With the additions Houston made before last season, Green saw his scoring and volume take a dip. Green averaged just 19.6 points per game on just 16.2 field goal attempts per game (42%). In the year prior he averaged 22.1 on 17.9 shot attempts per game.

The drop in volume is normal with addition of new veterans, but now Green’s in his fourth year and the Rockets have set him up as the future of this franchise. He should see a jump in volume this year, as well as benefit the most from the addition of Steven Adams.

Aquaman

You might ask what part Aquaman (Steven Adams) plays in this, so let me explain. Adams is one of the scariest screen setters in the National Basketball Association. Running into that man must feel like running into a wall, I can only imagine.

In the last two seasons, in games with Steven Adams, Ja Morant shot 36% from 3 over a 91 game span. In 70 games without Steven Adams, he shot 29% from deep; not to mention the fact that he shoots 48% from the field with Adams on the floor.

Adams was hurt halfway through his 2nd year with the Grizzlies, missing all of last season with issues surrounding his knee. He’s expected to be ready for the start of the season and I’m excited to see Adams out there with JG.

Jalen Green (+3500) via MyBookie

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Paolo Banchero (+2800) via MyBookie

The next guy I’m about to talk about is someone I spent way too much time talking about last year, Paolo Banchero. Banchero led the Magic to 47 wins last year and got them into the post-season for the first time since 2019/2020.

Paolo played in 80 of the Magic’s 82 games last year, averaging 22.6 points per game 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

In in his rookie year, Banchero averaged 20 points per game with just 3.7 assists per game.

Franchise Player

Banchero saw his usage jump 2% in his sophomore year, averaging 2 more shots per game but still increasing his shooting percentage from 42.7% to 45.5%. With the increase in usage, came an increase in ball handling and running of the offense.

His assists per game jumped almost by 2 per game. with his team assist % jumping from 23.7% in his rookie year to 30.6% last year. The Magic are trusting Paolo more and more and the results have been fantastic.

Paolo’s addition of a 3-point jumper last year was huge. In his rookie year, Paolo shot 29.8% from 3, taking 4 attempts per game; last year Paolo upped his 3P percentage to 33.9% while averaging 4.4 attempts per game.

It’s tough for any player to take on more usage, produce more and not only produce but to do it efficiently. Paolo has answered the call and has the Magic back in the post-season.

This year look for more of the same, the Magic drafted Paolo to be their franchise player; this is the year he officially takes over.

Paolo Banchero (+2800) via MyBookie