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The NBA announced Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant won the league’s Most Improved Player award for the 2021-22 season. Morant was the driving force behind Memphis landing the No. 2 seed in the West, averaging 27.4 points per game and being selected as an All-Star starter.
The 2021-22 #KiaMIP is… Ja Morant!
— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2022
(@JaMorant) #NBAAwards #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/rv04UVL2Zw
Morant entered the season at +3000 to win the honor according to Action Network and was a force for Memphis. A month into the season, his odds to win the honor were +350 according to DraftKings Sportsbook. By the All-Star break, he was -550 to win the honor and was the heavy favorite.
Fellow finalists Dejounte Murray and Darius Garland were way behind Morant in the final tally. The Grizzlies guard has struggled a bit in the postseason, but this award is for regular season performance and it’s hard to argue with the uptick in stats. This is a somewhat controversial award because improvement is subjective, but Morant fits the bill.
Don’t do a lot of takes on here and recognize Ja Morant moved from star to superstar this year. But No. 2 overall picks shouldn’t win MIP IMO.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 25, 2022
My ballot: Murray, Bane, Poole.
Carry on. pic.twitter.com/9oLvsj3mpW