NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Love and the 15 Most Improved Players
At the end of every season, the NBA gives out it's Most Improved Player Award to the player who is, well, the most improved.
This award at times can be a crapshoot, as it seems that it is usually given out to a young player who saw his stats jump by quite a bit due to a huge increase in playing time or had a bad season in the year prior due to a nagging injury.
While it may be true that the most improved player statistically is usually the one who sees his minutes increase, that doesn't mean those players whose minutes don't increase aren't improving.
Today I have compiled a list of players with the most improvement statistically, mentally, and intellectually from last year's NBA season to this year.
It is mostly compiled of players who are playing around the same number of minutes as they did last year, but at times it is hard to ignore the improvement of those players who have seen an increase in minutes along with an increase in their stats, like Kevin Love for instance.
Love is playing eight more minutes per game this season, but one would be hard-pressed to argue that he is not one of the most improved players this season.
So, without further ado, here we have 2011's most improved basketball players.
15. Michael Beasely, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Sure, he is a shooter on one of the worst teams in the NBA, but Michael Beasley's improvement is beyond his numbers.
Even though he has only played in 59 games this season, Beasley is only 25 points away from matching his career high for total points, which he reached last season.
Beasley is averaging five more points per game this season and looks like he is becoming more of a team player.
He doesn't look as if he hates his teammates, and has barely been a distraction this season, something he has been ever since Miami used their number two pick on him back in 2008.
14. Kris Humphries, New Jersey Nets
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Kris Humphries is seeing real playing time for the first time in his career, and it seems to be paying off at least a bit.
Humphries improved statistics come from his increased playing time and the fact that he is playing for a team where nobody seems to want to crash the boards.
He is averaging ten rebounds a game this season, which is an extremely impressive four more than he averaged a season ago.
Other than that, Humphries has also increased his shooting percentage by 10 percent, which is downright impressive.
13. Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz
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Since Deron Williams was traded away from the Jazz, Utah fell out of the playoff race, but Al Jefferson continued on his season which has been one of his best defensive seasons ever.
Jefferson has had a slight increase in his offensive statistics, as he is averaging two points more than last year and is shooting slightly better than last season, but his work on the defensive end of the floor cannot be ignored.
He is putting up the most blocks per game that he ever has (he has already surpassed his career high in total blocks) and his defense is downright deadly.
Jefferson went from a decent defender and underrated player in the league to one of the better defenders and even more underrated in the process, as people have failed to take notice.
12. Raymond Felton, Denver Nuggets
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Raymond Felton started the season looking like a lock for the Most Improved Player Award, but after he was traded to the Nuggets, he either fallen into a funk or his stats have fallen because he left an incredibly offensive team for an average offensive team.
Felton, when he was on the Kicks was dishing out assists like he never had before and even scoring at a rate that he has never before.
Still, his season averages thus far are still much better than they were a season ago, as he is averaging four more points and three more assists per game.
So while his numbers continue to reflect an improvement he is one of the league's most improved players, but I do expect his numbers to continue to fall off a bit, as he is also no longer starting.
11. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers
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Andre Iguodala is the only player on this list who has to be watched to really know about his improvements as a player.
His numbers have actually dropped off a bit this season, but the way he plays has changed dramatically for the better.
In the past few seasons, Iguodala seemed to have become bored with his team, as they were quite stagnant, and in a nosedive. Now, however, there are some young players on their team showing promise and the team is steadily improving.
With that, Iguodala is becoming much more selective in the shots he takes, leading to an improvement in his field goal percentage and his three-point shooting percentage, along with an increase in the number of assists he's been dishing out.
This shows that he is becoming a better leader for his team and a smarter player along the way.
He has also become a much better defender, as he seems to be trying much harder, even though his defensive numbers don't show it. It just goes to show that there is a lot about basketball beyond statistics.
10. Darko Milicic, Minnesota Timberwolves
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I never thought the day would come in which I wouldn't mind seeing my team pick up Darko Milicic, but he is really making a case for that with his season so far this year.
Through 60 games this year, Darko Milicic nearly has more points than his previous two seasons combined, and is turning into quite the good defensive player.
If nothing else, Darko could end up being a defensive specialist on a very good team one of these days.
He is near the top of the league in blocks, swatting 2.2 per game, and is even on the track to becoming a decent rebounder, even though he is only averaging a bit over five per game.
If someone could come along and teach him how to play basketball like a seven-footer, meaning standing strong in the lane and banging his body around for a rebound, and shooting for a high percentage, he may end up looking like less of a huge bust.
9. Tyson Chandler
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Tyson Chandler has become one of the most under-appreciated players in the NBA this season, and it's quite a shame.
He has been inserted into an offense that he fits into perfectly, and improved his defense while he was at it.
Chandler is averaging four more points per game this season when compared to last season, and pulling down three more boards per game while he is at it.
Along with that he has improved his free throw shooting a tad and is shooting nearly eight percent better from the field.
The most impressive thing about Chandler this season is that he is nearly having the most efficient shooting season ever. Like in the history of the whole NBA.
Chandler's true shooting percentage, which takes into account all shots, including free throws, is currently 70.06 percent, the record is 70.26 percent held by Artis Gilmore back in 1982.
Any time a guy is threatening to break a record, even if it is for a new-fangled statistic, he must be doing something right.
8. Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks
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I was thinking about leaving Amar'e out of this list, as most of his offensive improvement is surely due to the fact that he became the focal point of an extremely high-scoring offense, but he has improved on the other side of the floor as well.
Stoudemire is known for being a louse defensively, basically hanging out near the paint, not wanting to throw all of his effort into the defensive end. This year, things seem to have changed at least a bit.
He is averaging two blocks a game, doubling his average from a year ago, and is slowly becoming a defensive presence down low.
The obvious improvement is the three extra points and the assist and a half per game more that he is averaging, along with his free throw line improvement.
7. Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
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A year ago, Serge Ibaka was an athletic freak waiting for his chance to break out and fill up a stat sheet. This year he has gotten that chance.
His increase in reps can explain his increase in points per game, which he is averaging three more this season, and his slight uptick in field goal percentage.
The really impressive thing comes from the free throw line, where he is shooting 11 percent better this year, and his defense.
The young Congolese man is an absolute force down low, where he is blocking 2.3 shots per game and grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game, both huge improvements over last season.
Along with that, he is becoming more sure-handed on offense. A season ago he turned the ball over 14 times in 100 possessions, this season that number is down to nine.
This kid is a monster on defense, and he is only getting better.
6. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
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To go along with the big man down low, Oklahoma City has also benefited from the man running their offense having huge improvements.
In roughly the same amount of playing time this season, Russell Westbrook is averaging six more points per game, is shooting ten percent better from downtown, five percent better from the charity stripe, and three percent better overall.
For this improvement he was awarded with his first trip to the All-Star Game, and is even starting to enter into a Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook debate (it's still Rose, but still).
Westbrook has grown every facet of his game this season, and looks much more confident on the court running the offense of one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
5. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers
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Now that he is getting to play with a legitimate star in Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan is finally starting to break out of his shell.
He has had a slight increase in his offensive game this season, putting up two more points per game, and improving both his field goal and free throw percentages, but the real improvement has come on the defensive end of the floor.
Jordan is pulling down two more rebounds per game, and blocking a shot more per game compared to a season ago.
Not only that, he seems to be much more at home underneath the basket, banging around with the other players in the NBA his size, and seems much less intimidated.
He looks like he could be the key player on a good Clippers team down the road, and now I have to go think about the implications of the fact that I just used the word "good" and "Clippers" in the same sentence without talking about the Columbus Clippers, Ohio's championship triple-A baseball team.
4. Dorell Wright, Golden State Warriors
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Go ahead, complain about Dorell Wright's playing 18 more minutes per game being the reason why his statistics have improved so much.
You would be right, to an extent at least.
Since moving from what now seems like what was an oppressive Miami Heat team to the Warriors last offseason, Dorell Wright has improved his game tremendously.
He is averaging 11 more points per game this season and even increased his three-point shooting just a tad.
He went from his role as a spot-up shooting bench player to the most important player on the Warriors not named Curry or Ellis.
His field goal percentage has gone down, but that is mostly because he went from shooting wide-open jumpers from time to time on Miami, to playing for the high-paced offense of Golden State.
Even his per-36 minute averages show increases, at more than three points per game better than a season ago.
If that's not enough to convince you that he has greatly improved, think about this; Wright has scored 1,085 points so far this season, in his first six seasons in the NBA, he scored only 1,333 points, a number which he should end up surpassing sometime in the next few weeks.
3. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
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There are a throng of Chicago Bulls faithful that will drone on and on about how amazing Derrick Rose has been this season, and yes it does get annoying, but they are at least right to talk about his heroics like adoring fan-boys.
Derrick Rose, in a short three years has grown from a young point guard with enormous potential into an MVP candidate.
The growth from just a year ago is quite impressive. He is scoring four more points, averaging two more assists and has seen growth in both rebounds and steals.
Then his shot percentages have gone up as well, from downtown he is shooting seven percent better and from the free throw line he is shooting eight percent better.
Not only that, he has grown into the leader of one of the best teams in the NBA, a team that is threatening to compete for the Eastern Conference crown this season.
His assist percentage, the percentage of the shots made while he is on the floor in which he assists on has grown from 30 percent a year ago to 40 percent this season.
That means he is responsible for assisting his teammates on 40 percent of the plays, plus whatever he shoots himself.
Along with that he has played much improved defense from last year and is looking like he can still get better.
2. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
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That's right, a third player from one of the worst teams in the league. I can already hear people howling at me like...well...wolves.
Sure, Beasley, Darko and Love may have stats that are a bit inflated due to the fact that they are the best players on terrible teams (I seriously can't believe that I just referred to Darko Milicic as the best anything), and somebody has to rack up stats for them, but the improvements they have made cannot be ignored.
Kevin Love went from an interesting player a year ago to a player people like to watch just because of how well he can rebound.
Think about that for a second. There hasn't been a player like that since Dennis Rodman, and people wanted to watch him for his rebounding ability and the fact that he may punch someone or take off his shorts at any minute.
Love is averaging six more points than he did last year and four more rebounds, plus he has made improvements in all three shooting percentages.
He made his first all-star game this season and is threatening to have the most rebounds per game since Dave Cowens in 1974.
Along with that he just broke Moses Malone's record for most consecutive double-doubles and has nearly double the number of double-doubles he had last season, going from 36 last year to 64 this year.
1. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers
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LaMarcus Aldridge's improvement this season is remarkable compared to what he had done in the previous three seasons.
It seemed as if Aldridge had quickly reached his peak as a player, averaging between 17-18 points and looking as if he would never be a very good defensive big man.
This season however, with the Blazers wrecked yet again with injuries, Aldridge has stepped up and is the most important player when it comes to the success of that team, and is possibly the most important player to his team of anybody on this list, besides Derrick Rose.
Aldridge is averaging nearly five more points this season compared to last, has a moderate increase in rebounds, offensive rebounds, free throw percentage and is pulling down more double-doubles than ever before.
Along with that, Aldridge is averaging double the number of blocks this season compared to last season.
His improvement is the biggest reason why Portland is still a threat in the Western Conference, currently in sixth place and looking like the most dangerous team in the bottom half of the playoff bracket.
