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t-team-all-nba-awards-wiggins-parker-rondo-64f8cd6b6513"> <div> <div> <h2>The Official 2019 Worst Team All-NBA</h2> <div><h3>Forget First Team All-NBA — who were the NBA’s five worst starters for the 2018–19 season?</h3></div> <div><p></p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*rehtbgYquRG5IDPa2bZlAQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="d4f1">17. Devin Booker, Suns</h2><p id="d09d">With shouts to T.J. Warren’s added three pointer, the Suns put Devin Booker in the creator role and watched him thrive, boasting career highs in both points and assists per game by two each. Booker also did a better job getting the rim and finishing there, his percentages in the paint way up with an increased free-throw rate as well. Booker’s offensive game is on the cusp of greatness now, and he’s still just 22 years old.</p><h2 id="1f68">16. Thomas Bryant, Wizards</h2><p id="7c99">Bradley Beal took a step, but Bryant went from out of the league to legitimately useful NBA player. Bryant was one of the many castoff Lakers centers succeeding around the league. He averaged 18 points and 11 boards per 36 minutes and actually led the league with a nice 69% two-point percentage and a decent 33% three. That adds up to a stretch big about to make some money this summer. Not bad for a guy that was literally assigned and recalled from the Lakers G-League team 19 times last season.</p><h2 id="bc01">15. Kevon Looney, Warriors</h2><p id="851d">Kevon Looney got good this season without anyone really noticing, as we bided our time waiting for Boogie all year. Looney played the most Warriors minutes outside the Hamptons Five and became a reliable switch defender, rebounder, and passer as a competent big man. His 135 offensive rating led the team by a mile, a rare breath of youth and energy around the rim.</p><h2 id="1b49">14. Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves</h2><p id="2951">Sure, Derrick Rose learned how to shoot threes. Fantastic. Karl-Anthony Towns nearly died in a car accident, missed the first two games of his career, then put up 28/13/4 on 53/43/81 shooting over the final 20 games of the season. He also started playing defense, and not just no-longer-terrible. He’s actually trying and he’s getting kinda good at it. Don’t forget about KAT.</p><h2 id="5d47">13. Bam Adebayo, Heat</h2><p id="12ad">It looked early in the season like this spot might go to Josh Richardson, but he cooled off after a hot start, and while Justise Winslow came on late, Bam Adebayo did even more. Bam started 22 games after the All-Star Break and exploded onto the scene with a 122–104 ortg-drtg differential, posting a tidy 16 points, 12 boards, and 4 dimes per 36 minutes. He’s become a real menace defensively, switchable on the perimeter and able to protect the rim, and he’s scoring efficiently. Adebayo looks like a real building block for the Heat.</p><div id="fb38" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/2019-nba-all-junior-teams-basketball-awards-embiid-siakam-buddy-hield-rookie-sophomore-c709783b953d"> <div> <div> <h2>The 2019 NBA All-Junior Teams</h2> <div><h3>The rookie and sophomore classes have been amazing. So why is the junior class so lackluster?</h3></div> <div><p></p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Py8JPQDE5RDbIGd4u8Bkpg.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="876c">12. Malik Beasley, Nuggets</h2><p id="aedb">Nikola Jokic didn’t improve that much, you just started noticing him, Jamal Murray’s breakout is happening in the playoffs, and Monte Morris doesn’t count since he played only 25 minutes last year. That leaves the Mutant. A first round pick in 2016, Malik Beasley was a forgotten man entering the season for a Nuggets team with Murray, Gary Harris, Isaiah Thomas, and Will Barton at guard. But with a suddenly improved jumper, Beasley proved to be a microwave scoring option off the bench, scoring a point every two minutes with the sort of irrational confidence that’s kept Denver in multiple playoff games this spring. Now with 60% true shooting and an arsenal of ways to score, Beasley is in Denver’s closing five many nights.</p><h2 id="a246">11. D’Angelo Russell, Nets</h2><p id="0c33">I’ve half a mind to go with Caris LeVert, on his way before his season was derailed by injury. D’Angelo Russell made himself a ton of money this season. He led the Nets with 21 points and 7 assists a game, both career highs. The improved 37% three is obvious, but the bigger improvement was perfecting his pull-up and getting into the paint, finishing at the rim. Russell had some huge fourth-quarter finishes and is a legit starting point guard now, but his improvement has been overblown. His minuscule free throw rate is lower than ever, and the meh 53% true shooting shows how reliant Russell is on his jump shot. There’s still a lot of poor defense, too many turnovers, and plenty of holes in the game that are about to make D’Angelo Russell extremely overpaid. He was not the Most Improved Player in the NBA this season.</p><h2 id="e6fb">10. Joel Embiid, 76ers</h2><p id="92a9">Joel Embiid isn’t the sort of guy we recognize for Most Improved, but he took a Process-sized step forward from All-Star to superstar. Embiid saw a significant uptick in points, rebounds, and free throws per game while cutting his turnover rate and posting a career-high 59% true shooting. Embiid was always this good defensively, but he’s finally more than just a volume player on offense, one that takes over games in the post and wins them all on his own. Up next: a bona fide MVP campaign.</p><h2 id="a436">9. Domantas Sabonis, Pacers</h2><p id="c065">Credit to the Pacers, who could also make a strong MIP case for Myles Turner or Bojan Bogdanovic, but Sabonis is the guy who really broke out in 2019. Sabonis played basically the same minutes as last year but just got way better, jumping a couple rebounds and points a game as his field-goal percentage rocketed from 51 to 59%. Sabonis flashes all the tools in the post, with the nimble footwork his father once brought to the NBA. He suddenly became one of the league’s most efficient big men off the bench, and he’d get <a href="https://readmedium.com/2019-nba-bench-mob-all-stars-31st-32nd-33rd-team-basketball-e558ee3a7282">my vote for 6th Man of the Year</a>.</p><div id="a532" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/2019-nba-bench-mob-all-stars-31st-32nd-33rd-team-basketball-e558ee3a7282"> <div> <div> <h2>The 2019 NBA Bench Mob All-Stars</h2> <div><h3>Why isn’t there a 31st Team All-NBA? Bench players matter, and it’s time we give them their due</h3></div> <div><p></p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*jE5pJ5Mv-cpw7UOl4aS_9A.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="b793">8. John Collins, Hawks</h2><p id="217f">Collins is so young he should still be in college at age 21, but John the Baptist took a huge, gigantic leap in 2019, which feels appropriate. He nearly doubled his scoring, just a few decimal points short of a 20/10. Collins played about the same numbers of minutes as last season but was a starter this year and kept his outstanding efficiency up while posting a 122 offensive rating. He also hit 55 threes at an acceptable 35% clip, showing his offensive game is on its way up. He looks like a future All Star, and the future is coming soon.</p><h2 id="dd74">7. Marcus Smart, Celtics</h2><p id="5360">Let’s just say there wasn’t much MIP competition in Boston. Marcus Smart suddenly found a competent offensive game to go with his incredible All-Defense abilities. Smart did more with less, taking fewer, smarter shots in a complimentary starting role as his shooting percentages skyrocketed, from 43 to 51% on twos and 30 to 36% on threes. The smaller offensive role made Smart better than ever on defense too, leading the league in steal percentage. Before this offensive revolution, Marcus Smart was a gimmick, a defensive weapon who took as much off the table on O as he brought on D. Now that he’s competent on offense,

Options

he’s a top-15 guard and suddenly an immense bargain on that $12-mil-a-year contract.</p><h2 id="eb74">6. Paul George, Thunder</h2><p id="2fac">I really wanted to write about Jerami Grant or Nerlens Noel, but neither improved as much as Paul George, who went from top-20 to a guy that will probably finished third in the MVP race. PG broke through with suffocating perimeter defense and a huge leap to 28ppg while scoring at the most efficient rate of his career, even more so before his late-season shoulder injury. George went from second banana to being the MVP candidate on the same team with a dude that averaged a triple-double.</p><h2 id="c0d6">5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks</h2><p id="6a5d">Honestly, who didn’t improve on the Bucks this season? You can make a great case for Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Pat Connaughton, and others, but let’s make the case instead for the reason those guys all improved: the Greek Freak. Antetokounmpo improved his PPG a fifth straight season despite playing four fewer minutes a game. Giannis somehow took 57% of his shots at the rim and made 77% of them, basically a Gumby-fied version of Shaq as a 24-year-old. Throw in a 33% three he added in the second half of the season and you get a career-best 64% true shooting and a man that improved his WS/48 a full 41% this season after already being one of the league’s top-7 players. There are few steps bigger than the one from star to MVP, but no one in the NBA takes bigger steps than Giannis Antetokounmpo.</p><h2 id="5d7b">4. Jusuf Nurkic, Blazers</h2><p id="fc2a">A year ago, Jusuf Nurkic was such a black hole on offense I listed him among <a href="https://readmedium.com/official-2019-worst-team-all-nba-awards-wiggins-parker-rondo-64f8cd6b6513">my Worst-Team All-NBA</a> dishonorable mentions and thought his contract extension was a huge mistake. Now he’s the second best player on Portland. Nurkic started to find a shot for the first time and also got to the line far more often with his torrid, physical play, dominating on the glass and setting the tone on both ends. Nurk improved from a 100 offensive rating the rest of his career to 116 this season. He became a much better passer and dominated on the offensive glass, and it’s a downright shame his broken leg cost him this playoff breakout he so deserved.</p><h2 id="dcd5">3. De’Aaron Fox, Kings</h2><p id="66bc">Buddy Hield deserves a mention, but Fox was a breakout star. I normally hate lauding sophomore improvements, but sophomore point guards aren’t supposed to be this good this quickly. De’Aaron Fox was <i>terrible</i> last season — he literally had negative win shares. Even for a rookie, it was bad. Then Fox came out and kept the Kings in the Western playoff race as the 21-year-old heart and passion of a fun, uptempo team that ran alongside him. Fox learned how to shoot in a hurry, adding a 37% three even his staunchest supporters thought would take years to develop, and that pull-up mid-range is deadly with his speed and handle. Point guard is notoriously difficult to learn. For Fox to go from awful rookie to top-15 starter overnight is virtually unprecedented.</p><div id="d253" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/nba-all-sophomore-teams-2019-basketball-awards-d1792536411b"> <div> <div> <h2>The 2019 NBA All-Sophomore Teams</h2> <div><h3>Enough about rookies — what about the surprisingly deep and delightful sophomore class that looks like an all-timer?</h3></div> <div><p></p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*s4g0HedyBZjFLPltqS3VIg.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="f4e3">2. Nikola Vucevic, Magic</h2><p id="715e">Nobody saw this season coming from Vucevic, who dropped a 21/12/4 line out of nowhere. Vooch made the All-Star team and was so good that he has a legit case for All-NBA with a season that <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Nikola+Vucevic&player_id1_select=Nikola+Vucevic&y1=2019&player_id1=vucevni01&idx=players&player_id2_hint=Karl-Anthony+Towns&player_id2_select=Karl-Anthony+Towns&y2=2019&player_id2=townska01&idx=players">measures up pretty well against Karl-Anthony Towns</a>. Vucevic got better at pretty much everything. He hit a career-best 55% of his twos and found a 36% three, posting a 115 ortg as the only consistent offensive weapon on a surprise playoff team, and he was suddenly better than ever on defense, too. Heading into the season, Nikola Vucevic was a forgotten man holding down Mo Bamba’s starting spot. Now he’s a marquee free agent this summer, and he might get a max contract.</p><h2 id="6b8d">1. Pascal Siakam, Raptors</h2><p id="e3de">With all due respect to everyone else, there’s really only one man that can be the 2019 Most Improved Player, and it’s Pascal Siakam. A lot of others on this list improved at particular skills or saw their game improve incrementally. Siakam transformed into an entirely different player. A year ago, Siakam played 1679 minutes, almost all of them off the bench. He was a useful enough rotation player but forgettable enough that 99% of NBA fans wouldn’t have even flinched if he’d been thrown into the Kawhi Leonard trade.</p><p id="4c77">Now Siakam is a legit star. He became Toronto’s second — yeah, I said second — most reliable starter, developing a spin move and an iso game to go along with a jump shot he pulled out of thin air, hitting a three a game at 37% and boosting his true shooting from 55 to 63% despite playing further from the rim with a significantly boosted usage. He doubled his free-throw rate and started hitting those too, and his switchy versatile defense has become a devastating lynch pin next to Kawhi. Suddenly, Toronto has the best 1–2 punch at forward in the entire NBA.</p><p id="b4dd">As much as everyone’s been talking about Siakam’s breakout, this dude is still on his way up. I think we’re actually <i>under</i>rating the career trajectory Siakam may be on. Here, check out these four guys below, all forwards around Siakam’s age:</p><figure id="6abe"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*fOe2dOIipLfUJUgUQHevnQ.png"><figcaption><a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Pascal+Siakam&player_id1_select=Pascal+Siakam&y1=2019&player_id1=siakapa01&idx=players&player_id2_hint=Shawn+Kemp&player_id2_select=Shawn+Kemp&y2=1993&player_id2=kempsh01&idx=players&player_id3_hint=Larry+Nance&player_id3_select=Larry+Nance&y3=1984&player_id3=nancela01&idx=players&player_id4_hint=James+Worthy&player_id4_select=James+Worthy&y4=1985&player_id4=worthja01&idx=players">Stats</a> per <a href="undefined">Basketball Reference</a></figcaption></figure><p id="f755">Which guy is best? They’re all about the same age and played similar minute loads. Siakam’s the only one hitting threes, a product of modern advancement. He’s also the best passer of the bunch and has the highest VORP. Player 1 is the best rebounder and has some freakish athletic numbers and the highest usage rate. Player 2 played the most minutes and is a strong defender. Player 4 looks worst of the four but broke out in that year’s playoffs with 22ppg and a 129 ortg en route to a championship.</p><p id="87c2">You ready for some names? Player 1 is Shawn Kemp, 2 is Larry Nance Sr., and 4 is James Worthy. Worthy is in the Hall of Fame, and all three guys are among the top 50 power forwards in NBA history. All three made the Conference Finals the year above, and the trio combined for 16 All-Star appearances. <i>That’s</i> the trajectory Pascal Siakam is now on. He went from 7th or 8th man to future All-Star in one offseason. That’s insane. And that’s why Pascal Siakam is your 2019 Most Improved Player.</p><h1 id="2d6f">2019 MOST IMPROVED PLAYER BALLOT</h1><h2 id="ff42">1. Pascal Siakam 2. Nikola Vucevic 3. De’Aaron Fox</h2><p id="7590"><i>Follow Brandon on Medium or <a href="https://twitter.com/wheatonbrando">@wheatonbrando</a> for more sports, television, humor, and culture. Visit the rest of Brandon’s <a href="https://readmedium.com/brandon-anderson-writing-archives-6b3ee1a29301#.6cteu050v">writing archives here</a>. Thanks to <a href="undefined">Basketball Reference</a> as always.</i></p></article></body>

2019 NBA Awards Season

The Most Improved Player on Every 2019 NBA Team

Improvement comes in all shapes and sizes. What player improved the most on every NBA team, ranked from 30 to 1?

Who was the Most Improved Player in the NBA in 2019? Improvement comes in all shapes and sizes. Some players improve because they finally got more playing time; others get more playing time because they finally improved. Some guys learn to shoot. Others fill out the rest of their game around an existing shot. Sometimes younger players put all the pieces together; other times veterans add that final missing piece. In the NBA, there is no standing still. You’re either constantly improving or you get passed by.

So what players improved the most in 2019?

A few simple rules. No rookies allowed, obviously. Sophomores are allowed but discouraged. Sophomores are supposed to make a big step forward, so they have to take a monster leap to merit discussion here. A player doesn’t have to improve on the same team they were on a year ago. But they do have to do more than just see their counting stats go up because they played more minutes. What skills have actually improved this year? Show me something.

I went through the NBA rosters and picked a Most Improved Player from all 30 teams, then ranked those 30 guys from least to most improved. Let’s start with the dregs of the league and work our way up to an MIP ballot…

The Perfect 2019 All-NBA Teams

Do LeBron or Russ make the team? Gobert or KAT? And which guards and forwards sneak onto Third Team?

30. Tyler Dorsey, Grizzlies

Tyler Dorsey was legitimately the worst basketball player at NBA Summer League in 2018. Then he started 11 games for these Grizzlies and was not completely abhorrent. And that’s about all I have to say about that.

29. Cedi Osman, Cavs

Look, guys don’t exactly improve after spending a season not playing with LeBron James. Osman’s advanced numbers all dropped slightly but he mostly produced at about the same rate in a lot more minutes and without James at his side, so that’s about as much of a win as we’re getting in Cleveland.

28. Brandon Ingram, Lakers

Speaking of LeBron, it’s kind of shocking how hard it is to find anyone on the Lakers who actually improved this season, despite LeBron’s presence. Ingram’s numbers took a mini-step backwards, but the eye test showed some progress individually on defense and with the ball in Ingram’s hands, and he scored 28ppg post All-Star Break, though in only six games.

27. Austin Rivers, Rockets

You want to get cute and pick James Harden for Houston, but the Beard was better in most advanced metrics last season, he’s just doing a lot more of everything this year — impressive in its own right. Austin Rivers gets the nod instead for making it look like he’s actually an important member of a real NBA rotation and earning minutes his dad didn’t give him, for once.

26. Rudy Gobert, Jazz

It wasn’t exactly a lost year, but it’s still jarring how hard it is to come up with anyone on the Jazz that improved this year. We’ll go with Gobert, who got a little more efficient offensively while keeping Utah second overall in defense. Get this guy in the All-Star Game, and get him on the All-NBA squad, too.

25. Cody Zeller, Hornets

Cody Zeller posted career highs in points, rebounds, and assists per game. He also had the best true shooting and ortg of his career, all numbers only marginally, but it was a nice bounce-back year for Zeller after the Hornets dumped Dwight Howard and turned their starting role back over to him.

24. Bryn Forbes, Spurs

Derrick White doesn’t count since he was effectively a rookie after playing only 139 minutes last year. Bryn Forbes is the pick instead after a shooting breakout with 43% on threes and a blazing 59% true shooting, just the latest Spurs player off the scrap heap and into the starting lineup. Pop gonna Pop.

23. Danilo Gallinari, Clippers

Love me some Montrezl Harrell, but Harrell is the worst kind of Most Improved candidate, the guy that does the exact same stuff he always does at the exact same rate but in more minutes. Gallinari finally stayed healthy and shot better than ever, with the best year of his career at age 30. The Rooster could be the odd man out if the Clippers get a big free agent and need to clear some cap room. He’s an intriguing target.

The Final 2019 NBA Rookie Ladder

Let’s count down the top 25 NBA rookies. Was Trae Young or Luka Doncic the Rookie of the Year, and who else stood out?

22. Zach LaVine, Bulls

In his first full healthy season in Chicago, Zach LaVine took a pretty big step forward as “the guy.” His scoring increased from 17 to almost 24ppg, and it wasn’t just volume. LaVine shot better at every level, up from 41 to 50% on twos and 34 to 37% on threes, drawing and hitting more free throws, and improving from 50 to 57% on true shooting. This is the player the Bulls hoped they were getting from the Wolves — it just took a year for him to get healthy. Now if he’d only learn to play a little defense.

21. Dorian Finney-Smith, Mavericks

DFS is not just a fantasy sport anymore. He’s now a legit 3-and-D wing for the Mavs, even if the three is still a work in progress. Finney-Smith is a positive defender and improved enough offensively to be almost passable. He’s an interesting restricted free agent some team could pick up for cheap this summer, though the Mavs will likely try to keep him around.

20. Jahlil Okafor, Pelicans

You probably expected Julius Randle, but Randle just did more of what he usually does, on both ends. Jahlil Okafor might have resurrected his NBA career. Okafor started 24 games for New Orleans with Brow on the shelf and put up a respectable 14/7 with quality shooting and a refined offensive game that may even keep him in the league a bit longer.

19. Blake Griffin, Pistons

It’s strange to see a name like Blake Griffin on a Most Improved list, but he had a career year dragging the Pistons to the playoffs. After a decade in the league, Blake suddenly found himself a three. He hit 189 from deep this year after just 191 the rest of his career combined, making 36% of his attempts. Griffin also set a career high in assists, finally developing a complete inside-out do-everything game as the point forward he was always meant to be.

18. Emmanuel Mudiay, Knicks

There aren’t exactly a lot of Knicks options on the upswing, but Emmanuel Mudiay improved this season from LOL-why-is-he-still-in-the-league to just plain old bad. Mudiay posted career shooting bests at 33% from deep and 53% true shooting which, again, welcome to Badsville, but population more than just Mudiay now! His offensive rating is up from 90 with the Knicks last season to 102! That’s actually a pretty massive improvement but it’s also kind of like congratulating a bowler for improving from 20 straight gutter balls to hitting a couple pins every now and then. Yay?

The Official 2019 Worst Team All-NBA

Forget First Team All-NBA — who were the NBA’s five worst starters for the 2018–19 season?

17. Devin Booker, Suns

With shouts to T.J. Warren’s added three pointer, the Suns put Devin Booker in the creator role and watched him thrive, boasting career highs in both points and assists per game by two each. Booker also did a better job getting the rim and finishing there, his percentages in the paint way up with an increased free-throw rate as well. Booker’s offensive game is on the cusp of greatness now, and he’s still just 22 years old.

16. Thomas Bryant, Wizards

Bradley Beal took a step, but Bryant went from out of the league to legitimately useful NBA player. Bryant was one of the many castoff Lakers centers succeeding around the league. He averaged 18 points and 11 boards per 36 minutes and actually led the league with a nice 69% two-point percentage and a decent 33% three. That adds up to a stretch big about to make some money this summer. Not bad for a guy that was literally assigned and recalled from the Lakers G-League team 19 times last season.

15. Kevon Looney, Warriors

Kevon Looney got good this season without anyone really noticing, as we bided our time waiting for Boogie all year. Looney played the most Warriors minutes outside the Hamptons Five and became a reliable switch defender, rebounder, and passer as a competent big man. His 135 offensive rating led the team by a mile, a rare breath of youth and energy around the rim.

14. Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves

Sure, Derrick Rose learned how to shoot threes. Fantastic. Karl-Anthony Towns nearly died in a car accident, missed the first two games of his career, then put up 28/13/4 on 53/43/81 shooting over the final 20 games of the season. He also started playing defense, and not just no-longer-terrible. He’s actually trying and he’s getting kinda good at it. Don’t forget about KAT.

13. Bam Adebayo, Heat

It looked early in the season like this spot might go to Josh Richardson, but he cooled off after a hot start, and while Justise Winslow came on late, Bam Adebayo did even more. Bam started 22 games after the All-Star Break and exploded onto the scene with a 122–104 ortg-drtg differential, posting a tidy 16 points, 12 boards, and 4 dimes per 36 minutes. He’s become a real menace defensively, switchable on the perimeter and able to protect the rim, and he’s scoring efficiently. Adebayo looks like a real building block for the Heat.

The 2019 NBA All-Junior Teams

The rookie and sophomore classes have been amazing. So why is the junior class so lackluster?

12. Malik Beasley, Nuggets

Nikola Jokic didn’t improve that much, you just started noticing him, Jamal Murray’s breakout is happening in the playoffs, and Monte Morris doesn’t count since he played only 25 minutes last year. That leaves the Mutant. A first round pick in 2016, Malik Beasley was a forgotten man entering the season for a Nuggets team with Murray, Gary Harris, Isaiah Thomas, and Will Barton at guard. But with a suddenly improved jumper, Beasley proved to be a microwave scoring option off the bench, scoring a point every two minutes with the sort of irrational confidence that’s kept Denver in multiple playoff games this spring. Now with 60% true shooting and an arsenal of ways to score, Beasley is in Denver’s closing five many nights.

11. D’Angelo Russell, Nets

I’ve half a mind to go with Caris LeVert, on his way before his season was derailed by injury. D’Angelo Russell made himself a ton of money this season. He led the Nets with 21 points and 7 assists a game, both career highs. The improved 37% three is obvious, but the bigger improvement was perfecting his pull-up and getting into the paint, finishing at the rim. Russell had some huge fourth-quarter finishes and is a legit starting point guard now, but his improvement has been overblown. His minuscule free throw rate is lower than ever, and the meh 53% true shooting shows how reliant Russell is on his jump shot. There’s still a lot of poor defense, too many turnovers, and plenty of holes in the game that are about to make D’Angelo Russell extremely overpaid. He was not the Most Improved Player in the NBA this season.

10. Joel Embiid, 76ers

Joel Embiid isn’t the sort of guy we recognize for Most Improved, but he took a Process-sized step forward from All-Star to superstar. Embiid saw a significant uptick in points, rebounds, and free throws per game while cutting his turnover rate and posting a career-high 59% true shooting. Embiid was always this good defensively, but he’s finally more than just a volume player on offense, one that takes over games in the post and wins them all on his own. Up next: a bona fide MVP campaign.

9. Domantas Sabonis, Pacers

Credit to the Pacers, who could also make a strong MIP case for Myles Turner or Bojan Bogdanovic, but Sabonis is the guy who really broke out in 2019. Sabonis played basically the same minutes as last year but just got way better, jumping a couple rebounds and points a game as his field-goal percentage rocketed from 51 to 59%. Sabonis flashes all the tools in the post, with the nimble footwork his father once brought to the NBA. He suddenly became one of the league’s most efficient big men off the bench, and he’d get my vote for 6th Man of the Year.

The 2019 NBA Bench Mob All-Stars

Why isn’t there a 31st Team All-NBA? Bench players matter, and it’s time we give them their due

8. John Collins, Hawks

Collins is so young he should still be in college at age 21, but John the Baptist took a huge, gigantic leap in 2019, which feels appropriate. He nearly doubled his scoring, just a few decimal points short of a 20/10. Collins played about the same numbers of minutes as last season but was a starter this year and kept his outstanding efficiency up while posting a 122 offensive rating. He also hit 55 threes at an acceptable 35% clip, showing his offensive game is on its way up. He looks like a future All Star, and the future is coming soon.

7. Marcus Smart, Celtics

Let’s just say there wasn’t much MIP competition in Boston. Marcus Smart suddenly found a competent offensive game to go with his incredible All-Defense abilities. Smart did more with less, taking fewer, smarter shots in a complimentary starting role as his shooting percentages skyrocketed, from 43 to 51% on twos and 30 to 36% on threes. The smaller offensive role made Smart better than ever on defense too, leading the league in steal percentage. Before this offensive revolution, Marcus Smart was a gimmick, a defensive weapon who took as much off the table on O as he brought on D. Now that he’s competent on offense, he’s a top-15 guard and suddenly an immense bargain on that $12-mil-a-year contract.

6. Paul George, Thunder

I really wanted to write about Jerami Grant or Nerlens Noel, but neither improved as much as Paul George, who went from top-20 to a guy that will probably finished third in the MVP race. PG broke through with suffocating perimeter defense and a huge leap to 28ppg while scoring at the most efficient rate of his career, even more so before his late-season shoulder injury. George went from second banana to being the MVP candidate on the same team with a dude that averaged a triple-double.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks

Honestly, who didn’t improve on the Bucks this season? You can make a great case for Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Pat Connaughton, and others, but let’s make the case instead for the reason those guys all improved: the Greek Freak. Antetokounmpo improved his PPG a fifth straight season despite playing four fewer minutes a game. Giannis somehow took 57% of his shots at the rim and made 77% of them, basically a Gumby-fied version of Shaq as a 24-year-old. Throw in a 33% three he added in the second half of the season and you get a career-best 64% true shooting and a man that improved his WS/48 a full 41% this season after already being one of the league’s top-7 players. There are few steps bigger than the one from star to MVP, but no one in the NBA takes bigger steps than Giannis Antetokounmpo.

4. Jusuf Nurkic, Blazers

A year ago, Jusuf Nurkic was such a black hole on offense I listed him among my Worst-Team All-NBA dishonorable mentions and thought his contract extension was a huge mistake. Now he’s the second best player on Portland. Nurkic started to find a shot for the first time and also got to the line far more often with his torrid, physical play, dominating on the glass and setting the tone on both ends. Nurk improved from a 100 offensive rating the rest of his career to 116 this season. He became a much better passer and dominated on the offensive glass, and it’s a downright shame his broken leg cost him this playoff breakout he so deserved.

3. De’Aaron Fox, Kings

Buddy Hield deserves a mention, but Fox was a breakout star. I normally hate lauding sophomore improvements, but sophomore point guards aren’t supposed to be this good this quickly. De’Aaron Fox was terrible last season — he literally had negative win shares. Even for a rookie, it was bad. Then Fox came out and kept the Kings in the Western playoff race as the 21-year-old heart and passion of a fun, uptempo team that ran alongside him. Fox learned how to shoot in a hurry, adding a 37% three even his staunchest supporters thought would take years to develop, and that pull-up mid-range is deadly with his speed and handle. Point guard is notoriously difficult to learn. For Fox to go from awful rookie to top-15 starter overnight is virtually unprecedented.

The 2019 NBA All-Sophomore Teams

Enough about rookies — what about the surprisingly deep and delightful sophomore class that looks like an all-timer?

2. Nikola Vucevic, Magic

Nobody saw this season coming from Vucevic, who dropped a 21/12/4 line out of nowhere. Vooch made the All-Star team and was so good that he has a legit case for All-NBA with a season that measures up pretty well against Karl-Anthony Towns. Vucevic got better at pretty much everything. He hit a career-best 55% of his twos and found a 36% three, posting a 115 ortg as the only consistent offensive weapon on a surprise playoff team, and he was suddenly better than ever on defense, too. Heading into the season, Nikola Vucevic was a forgotten man holding down Mo Bamba’s starting spot. Now he’s a marquee free agent this summer, and he might get a max contract.

1. Pascal Siakam, Raptors

With all due respect to everyone else, there’s really only one man that can be the 2019 Most Improved Player, and it’s Pascal Siakam. A lot of others on this list improved at particular skills or saw their game improve incrementally. Siakam transformed into an entirely different player. A year ago, Siakam played 1679 minutes, almost all of them off the bench. He was a useful enough rotation player but forgettable enough that 99% of NBA fans wouldn’t have even flinched if he’d been thrown into the Kawhi Leonard trade.

Now Siakam is a legit star. He became Toronto’s second — yeah, I said second — most reliable starter, developing a spin move and an iso game to go along with a jump shot he pulled out of thin air, hitting a three a game at 37% and boosting his true shooting from 55 to 63% despite playing further from the rim with a significantly boosted usage. He doubled his free-throw rate and started hitting those too, and his switchy versatile defense has become a devastating lynch pin next to Kawhi. Suddenly, Toronto has the best 1–2 punch at forward in the entire NBA.

As much as everyone’s been talking about Siakam’s breakout, this dude is still on his way up. I think we’re actually underrating the career trajectory Siakam may be on. Here, check out these four guys below, all forwards around Siakam’s age:

Which guy is best? They’re all about the same age and played similar minute loads. Siakam’s the only one hitting threes, a product of modern advancement. He’s also the best passer of the bunch and has the highest VORP. Player 1 is the best rebounder and has some freakish athletic numbers and the highest usage rate. Player 2 played the most minutes and is a strong defender. Player 4 looks worst of the four but broke out in that year’s playoffs with 22ppg and a 129 ortg en route to a championship.

You ready for some names? Player 1 is Shawn Kemp, 2 is Larry Nance Sr., and 4 is James Worthy. Worthy is in the Hall of Fame, and all three guys are among the top 50 power forwards in NBA history. All three made the Conference Finals the year above, and the trio combined for 16 All-Star appearances. That’s the trajectory Pascal Siakam is now on. He went from 7th or 8th man to future All-Star in one offseason. That’s insane. And that’s why Pascal Siakam is your 2019 Most Improved Player.

2019 MOST IMPROVED PLAYER BALLOT

1. Pascal Siakam 2. Nikola Vucevic 3. De’Aaron Fox

Follow Brandon on Medium or @wheatonbrando for more sports, television, humor, and culture. Visit the rest of Brandon’s writing archives here. Thanks to Basketball Reference as always.