NBA Most Improved Player Award: A Midseason Check In

The Most Improved Player award usually goes to a breakout star in their third or fourth year, but the 2025–26 race is proving to be different. The candidates this year include a mix of veterans, former role players, and a pair of first-round draft picks living up to the hype and becoming focal points for their rebuilding teams. 

1. Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers)

Avdija is averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game after averaging 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists last season. The 24-year-old has transformed into Portland's offensive centerpiece following the departures of Anfernee Simons and DeAndre Ayton, recording three triple-doubles already this season. He's seventh in Western Conference All-Star voting with over 1.2 million votes, ahead of names like Kevin Durant and LeBron James. While his first five seasons in the league were solid, few thought that Avdija would become the leader of a franchise, as he has become for a young and improving Portland team. 

2. Keyonte George (Utah Jazz)

The third-year guard is averaging 23.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, up from 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists last season. George has scored at least 25 points in six of eleven games since Christmas and is shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from three-point range in recent weeks. George has reached at least the 20-point mark in 26 of 40 games this season and has shown he can be a legitimate primary scoring option and a building block for a Jazz team that continues to take its time with its rebuilding project.

3. Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)

Duren is averaging 17.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, a solid jump from last season's 11.8 points and 10.3 boards. The 22-year-old center has 19 double-doubles in just 32 games and is shooting 63.3 percent from the field. Highlighted by a 24-point, 18-rebound effort against the Boston Celtics and a 22-point, 22-rebound outing against the Utah Jazz, Duren has shown consistency regardless of whether he is facing a top-tier or bottom-feeding opponent. Duren’s chemistry with Cade Cunningham has been crucial to Detroit's rise to the top of the Eastern Conference, providing the Pistons with an inside/outside punch. 

4. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Atlanta Hawks)

Alexander-Walker, in his first season with the Hawks, is averaging 20.5 points per game after averaging just 9.4 points last season with Minnesota, more than doubling his scoring output. Since December 1, he's averaged 22.4 points and 3.5 three-pointers per game, hitting 30-plus points multiple times. What makes Alexander-Walker’s bid for the honor impressive is that he is 27 years old, proving that "Most Improved" isn't just for young players, but for veterans finally getting the opportunity to showcase their full skill set.

5. (Tie) Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers) and Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)

Reaves is averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, a significant jump from last season's 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. The 26-year-old has exploded into a legitimate star, shooting an impressive 50.7 percent from the field while helping to carry the Lakers' offensive load. Reaves has hit 30-plus points nine times already this season and is proving he's more than just a complementary piece.

Johnson is putting up 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game, a noticeable increase from last season's 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. With Trae Young missing 22 games early and now traded to Washington, Johnson has become Atlanta's primary weapon while flirting with a near triple-double average. His playmaking ability, leaping from 5.0 to 8.1 assists, proves he's become a legitimate offensive engine.