WEBVTT - Most Improved Candidates For Every Team 0:00:06.530 --> 0:00:11.530 Good day, sweet world, and welcome to another No Dunks podcast. 0:00:11.869 --> 0:00:15.920 It's Saturday, October 3rd. I'm J.E. Skeets, here in the 0:00:16.000 --> 0:00:19.639 yard where the boys play. Shouts to everybody joining me 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:23.940 live on YouTube or listening later on Apple or Spotify. 0:00:24.420 --> 0:00:30.050 Do all the things I always ask you to do. Like, comment, sub, share, 0:00:30.710 --> 0:00:34.490 and five-star ratings and reviews. That's all we ask here 0:00:35.270 --> 0:00:38.769 at No Dunks. Today's weekend podcast, it's all about most 0:00:38.950 --> 0:00:44.030 improved players. It is 100% inspired by one of my 0:00:44.090 --> 0:00:47.339 favorite NBA writers. It's a guy I mention all the 0:00:47.380 --> 0:00:52.239 time on our podcast. That is Tom Ziller. Affectionately, I 0:00:52.300 --> 0:00:57.279 refer to him as Ghostface Ziller. Ziller writes by far 0:00:57.320 --> 0:00:59.560 and away the best NBA newsletter on the internet. It's 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:02.380 not even close. There's a lot of good ones, but 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:04.780 Ziller's number one in my books. It's called Good Morning, 0:01:04.819 --> 0:01:08.580 It's Basketball. I will link to it in the show notes. 0:01:08.819 --> 0:01:13.020 You should subscribe. It is the best way to keep 0:01:13.060 --> 0:01:15.240 up with the league. All you need is good morning, 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:17.760 it's basketball and no dunks. And I think you're set. 0:01:18.540 --> 0:01:21.030 But yeah, make sure you go at least check out 0:01:21.060 --> 0:01:23.730 Ziller's work and you should subscribe and support him and 0:01:23.750 --> 0:01:27.950 his great work. Anyway, Ziller recently wrote a column where 0:01:28.010 --> 0:01:33.160 he picks most improved player for every team in And 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:37.649 you know, I absolutely love this sicko stuff. So we're 0:01:37.670 --> 0:01:40.030 going to go through each team here today. We're going 0:01:40.050 --> 0:01:42.990 to talk through the pros and cons of Ziller's selections. 0:01:43.370 --> 0:01:45.569 And then I'm going to make my own pick when 0:01:45.790 --> 0:01:49.890 or if I have a different option. So to start 0:01:50.050 --> 0:01:53.800 off here, Ziller notes in his article, and he wrote 0:01:53.820 --> 0:01:56.940 this at the end of September, quote, the NBA's most 0:01:56.980 --> 0:01:59.860 improved player award is a tricky one to nail down 0:01:59.940 --> 0:02:04.160 because the criteria is so nebulous. End quote. I think 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:07.240 there is some truth to that, but it's a fun 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:10.799 award to really debate. Now, our last 10 winners in 0:02:10.860 --> 0:02:18.610 reverse order are Nikhil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Tyrese Maxey, Lowry Markkinen, 0:02:18.970 --> 0:02:25.329 Ja Morant, Julius Randall, Brandon Ingram, Pascal Siakam, Victor Oladipo, 0:02:26.290 --> 0:02:31.730 and the Greek freak himself, Giannis. So, Is there a 0:02:31.750 --> 0:02:35.790 pattern there? What's the pattern? Seven of those 10 guys, 0:02:36.950 --> 0:02:41.829 they made their first all-star team in their MIP award year, right? 0:02:42.310 --> 0:02:46.850 The only ones that didn't make an all-star team in 0:02:46.910 --> 0:02:48.910 the year they won most improved over the last 10 0:02:48.910 --> 0:02:52.330 years were Siakam, which I had to like triple check, 0:02:53.290 --> 0:02:56.390 but he made it the following year, his first all-star team, 0:02:56.950 --> 0:02:59.369 but MIP, he didn't make it. And then the last 0:02:59.410 --> 0:03:03.590 two winners on the Hawks, caca, caca, double caca for 0:03:04.070 --> 0:03:07.770 Daniels and Alexander Walker. But seven of the 10 guys, 0:03:08.610 --> 0:03:12.440 they leveled up and they got the attention and their 0:03:12.460 --> 0:03:14.840 teams were probably pretty good. If you're making an all-star team, 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:16.859 you had the numbers, all that stuff. So that's the 0:03:16.900 --> 0:03:20.800 pattern here. Basically, a lot of those names are like 0:03:21.700 --> 0:03:26.830 star level talents. So that's our baseline here when we 0:03:26.850 --> 0:03:29.320 go through every team. and we try and make a 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:34.720 pick for a most improved candidate. Again, this is real 0:03:34.780 --> 0:03:37.980 sicko shit here. So let's move, because we've got 30 0:03:37.980 --> 0:03:42.000 teams to do. I will start every team with Ziller's pick, 0:03:42.530 --> 0:03:45.990 his explanation, and then again, tell you why I like it, 0:03:46.170 --> 0:03:48.350 dislike it, or who I would go with. Okay, the 0:03:48.370 --> 0:03:53.910 Atlanta Hawks. One more time. Jalen Johnson is Ziller's pick. Now, 0:03:55.050 --> 0:03:59.300 surprise me a little bit. Johnson made... All-Star and All-NBA 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:04.910 last year. But Ziller thinks he has some potential for 0:04:04.950 --> 0:04:09.230 additional scoring volume. He could add to 22 points per 0:04:09.250 --> 0:04:12.470 game last year, especially now with the roster around him. 0:04:15.190 --> 0:04:17.529 I think it's unlikely because, again, he's sort of already 0:04:17.570 --> 0:04:21.920 hit the benchmarks. Could he score more? Yes. But will 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:24.940 it be enough to warrant an MIP? Probably not. So 0:04:24.980 --> 0:04:31.210 my pick would be From the Hawks, Onyeka Okonkwo. Now, 0:04:31.730 --> 0:04:33.690 I should start by saying the odds of the Hawks 0:04:33.710 --> 0:04:37.150 winning a third straight Most Improved Player award are next 0:04:37.190 --> 0:04:38.910 to zero. I think they were the first team to 0:04:38.950 --> 0:04:44.400 go back-to-back in Nikhil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels. So a 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:47.799 third one, yeah, right. But Onyeka, his case, he's entering 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.940 his seventh season in Atlanta. He turns 26 in December. 0:04:51.300 --> 0:04:53.730 So he's like knocking on the door of his prime. 0:04:54.290 --> 0:04:56.790 He has increased his scoring every year. So he's got 0:04:56.830 --> 0:05:06.339 that little fun narrative built in. 4.6, 8.2, 9.9, 10.2, 13.4, 15.2. 0:05:06.339 --> 0:05:08.680 That's all he has to improve on. So he would 0:05:08.700 --> 0:05:12.820 have to flirt with a 2010 stat line. And, you know, 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:16.100 he's added the three ball. He can hit it fairly consistency. 0:05:16.180 --> 0:05:17.980 He'd have to be a big guy that can shoot 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:21.100 like nearly 40% from three. He'd have to chip in 0:05:21.140 --> 0:05:24.080 the two and a half stocks, let's say. in terms 0:05:24.140 --> 0:05:27.820 of steals and blocks. Maybe. Maybe there's a case. I 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:30.200 wouldn't be putting money on Okonkwo to win MIP, but 0:05:30.580 --> 0:05:33.659 that's my Hawks pick. Sneaky pick could be Aaron Wiggins 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:39.270 coming over from OKC as well. Boston Celtics. Ziller goes 0:05:39.350 --> 0:05:44.230 with Baylor Shireman. The Hobbit himself from the Shire, man. 0:05:44.770 --> 0:05:48.880 Shireman's role, Ziller thinks, could explode with Jalen Brown gone. 0:05:49.570 --> 0:05:52.390 He is starting at the incredibly low baseline of five 0:05:52.410 --> 0:05:55.710 and a half points per game. But even if that doubles, 0:05:57.010 --> 0:06:00.140 I mean, I don't know if that's enough. Like, I 0:06:00.180 --> 0:06:03.360 guess you would have to win this award like Daniels did, 0:06:03.660 --> 0:06:06.560 where you don't score a ton, but you lead the 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:09.539 league in Daniels' case steals, right? I think he averaged 0:06:09.580 --> 0:06:12.099 like three steals per game when he won most improved. 0:06:12.160 --> 0:06:14.320 I mean, Shireman would have to be like this defensive 0:06:14.380 --> 0:06:17.469 star here if he's only scoring that amount of points. Now, 0:06:17.490 --> 0:06:22.010 Hugo Gonzalez, another... trendy dark horse pick here for this award. 0:06:22.570 --> 0:06:25.890 Both Shireman and Gonzalez, I mean, a part of the, yeah, 0:06:25.930 --> 0:06:28.190 they're too good, we believe. We're not trading them for 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:30.900 a Giannis equation here. So we'll find out. My pick 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:33.360 for the Celtics, I'm not overthinking it. Give me Peyton Pritchard. 0:06:34.020 --> 0:06:37.760 If he cracks the 20 point per game barrier, and 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:41.140 let's just say he has an on-fire season from deep 0:06:41.190 --> 0:06:43.369 and he's hitting like three and a half, three pointers 0:06:43.430 --> 0:06:46.849 per game, the case starts being built there by the 0:06:46.930 --> 0:06:51.750 Boston media. He is also entering his seventh season. He's 0:06:51.790 --> 0:06:54.790 already in his prime. I think he's 28 years old already. 0:06:56.670 --> 0:06:59.029 The odds makers like him. Pritchard has the third best 0:06:59.150 --> 0:07:03.810 odds to win most improved at plus 1,300. So he's 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:07.320 on the short list. Now, if he did win MIP, 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:10.780 somebody correct me if I'm wrong in the stream team. 0:07:11.660 --> 0:07:13.860 He would add MIP to a sixth man of the 0:07:13.900 --> 0:07:15.740 year trophy, which he won a couple of years ago. 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:20.600 And I think Again, somebody fact-check me. I think Daryl 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.940 Armstrong is the only player in NBA history to win 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:28.230 both awards in the same season. He did it in the— sorry, sorry. 0:07:28.610 --> 0:07:30.450 Pritchard wouldn't be doing it in the same season. Daryl 0:07:30.490 --> 0:07:32.410 Armstrong did it in the same season back in the 0:07:32.450 --> 0:07:34.750 late 90s. But I'm not sure anyone else has even 0:07:34.770 --> 0:07:37.910 won a most improved and a sixth man. Again, like 0:07:39.390 --> 0:07:42.890 Detlef Schrempf, he's got a couple of sixth men, but 0:07:42.940 --> 0:07:45.460 I don't think he won most improved, so. You know, 0:07:45.640 --> 0:07:48.310 Pritchard going for history. I'll take Pritchard on the Celtics. 0:07:48.350 --> 0:07:52.390 I think he's the most likely. Boston Nets, Brooklyn Nets, 0:07:52.710 --> 0:07:58.750 De'Ron Sharp. Ziller likes Sharp's potential to embrace a starting 0:07:58.810 --> 0:08:03.840 role with Nick Claxton gone. He could put up numbers 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:10.120 on high efficiency. Sharp's per 36 numbers have always looked 0:08:10.180 --> 0:08:14.290 pretty damn tasty. Now, he only played like 19 minutes 0:08:14.330 --> 0:08:16.050 per game. So you got to take this with a 0:08:16.070 --> 0:08:19.150 grain of salt. But his per 36 numbers were like 0:08:20.010 --> 0:08:23.760 a guy averaging 17, 13, and four and a half. 0:08:23.860 --> 0:08:27.260 Like lights out numbers here if he could somehow like 0:08:27.300 --> 0:08:31.820 sustain those levels in big minutes. He ain't getting to those. 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:35.280 Could he improve enough to be in the conversation for MIP? Sure. 0:08:36.100 --> 0:08:40.670 A lot of people will say maybe Yegor Jomin. He'd 0:08:40.690 --> 0:08:43.390 be a popular pick, though. You know I loathe taking 0:08:43.550 --> 0:08:47.770 players in their second year, so don't love that. My 0:08:47.809 --> 0:08:53.270 weird pick for the Nets, Michael Porter Jr. Okay, here's 0:08:53.290 --> 0:08:56.190 what would have to happen. MPJ would have to average 0:08:56.610 --> 0:08:59.569 basically the exact same numbers as last year, so he 0:08:59.610 --> 0:09:02.550 wouldn't improve much, I don't think, on 24 points per game, 0:09:02.550 --> 0:09:06.150 7 boards, 3 assists. I think the efficiency would have 0:09:06.190 --> 0:09:08.830 to jump. And then the Nets would have to win 0:09:08.870 --> 0:09:10.929 a bunch of games. They would have to surprise people. 0:09:10.980 --> 0:09:13.980 They'd have to double up their win total from 20 0:09:13.980 --> 0:09:16.959 wins to suddenly they're like a 40-win team and they 0:09:16.980 --> 0:09:20.780 are in the play-in race and they're making their way 0:09:20.820 --> 0:09:24.270 through a backdoor to get into the playoffs. It's far-fetched. 0:09:24.830 --> 0:09:26.250 We've got to have some bad teams in the East. 0:09:26.450 --> 0:09:29.050 The Nets will probably be one of them. But maybe 0:09:29.070 --> 0:09:32.170 there's a weird case for Michael Porter Jr. there. What 0:09:32.190 --> 0:09:34.390 do you think? Sharp, Porter Jr., who do you pick 0:09:34.410 --> 0:09:36.859 from the Nets? With all of these teams, let me 0:09:36.900 --> 0:09:38.660 know in the stream team and obviously in the comments. 0:09:39.500 --> 0:09:42.000 The Charlotte Hornets. Okay, Brandon Miller is Ziller's pick. He's 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:44.380 not overthinking this one. He's the league-wide favorite for the 0:09:44.420 --> 0:09:49.300 award at plus 750. He's already made some pretty serious leaps. 0:09:50.460 --> 0:09:52.620 We've seen the flashes from Brandon Miller. The loss of 0:09:52.660 --> 0:09:57.770 LaMelo Ball should supercharge his role. Ziller writes, I'm seeing 0:09:57.809 --> 0:10:01.950 a game into the mid-20s. for per-game scoring, a 30% 0:10:01.950 --> 0:10:05.050 usage rate. And if things go well enough for Charlotte, 0:10:05.130 --> 0:10:08.959 some consideration for All-Star and maybe All-NBA. That's the Brandon 0:10:08.980 --> 0:10:10.880 Miller case. I think that makes a lot of sense. 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:16.180 He gets compared to Paul George a lot in terms 0:10:16.380 --> 0:10:19.819 of how they play, how they look. Paul George won 0:10:19.860 --> 0:10:23.880 most improved in 2012-13. The Pacers had a really good 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.319 year that year. I think they went from like a 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:29.540 500 team to nearly a 50-win team, if I remember, 0:10:29.580 --> 0:10:34.189 like a 49-win team. And Paul George became an all-star. 0:10:34.210 --> 0:10:37.710 I think he was suddenly getting, you know, all defensive 0:10:37.730 --> 0:10:40.210 team selections like right away there. Now, Brandon Miller has 0:10:40.230 --> 0:10:42.590 to improve on that end, in my opinion. But yeah, 0:10:42.630 --> 0:10:46.400 I see the case for Brandon Miller if the shoulder 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:50.929 holds up. Just to pick somebody else, though, what about 0:10:50.970 --> 0:10:55.010 Kobe White? What if Brandon Miller gets injured again, let's say, 0:10:55.090 --> 0:10:59.570 or doesn't hit the 65-game threshold? A narrative would be 0:10:59.590 --> 0:11:04.250 there for Kobe White. If he scores 22 a game, 0:11:04.340 --> 0:11:07.640 shoots 39% from deep, the Hornets don't miss a beat 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:10.300 without LaMelo. He slides right into that starting role at 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:14.020 the point guard spot. We've seen him score before. There's 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:17.880 like a two-year window on the Chicago Bulls. where Kobe 0:11:17.900 --> 0:11:20.980 White basically averaged 20 points per game. So, you know, 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:25.579 we're not asking a guy to go from 10 to like, 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:29.040 can you flirt 23, 24 a game? Like people can 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:34.370 do that, but like, good luck. Kobe White's already there, right? 0:11:34.450 --> 0:11:36.910 So again, the Hornets would have to surprise. Brandon Miller, again, 0:11:37.110 --> 0:11:39.569 favorite to win this from the odds maker. That would 0:11:39.590 --> 0:11:42.590 be my pick. I'm just playing devil's advocate here and 0:11:42.610 --> 0:11:48.560 giving you a little Kobe White. Chicago Bulls. Matas Buzelis. 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:52.400 Ziller notes he had a big statistical jump in year two, 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:57.589 stands to boost those numbers again. His usage rate was 0:11:57.690 --> 0:12:00.910 just under 23% last season, so you'd like to see 0:12:01.170 --> 0:12:04.130 Tiago Splitter, who's obviously the coach now of the Bulls, 0:12:04.290 --> 0:12:08.120 give Buzelis the reins like he did for Denny Avdia 0:12:08.179 --> 0:12:12.890 last season. I think that's good in concept. Bouzelis is 0:12:12.910 --> 0:12:14.870 going to have to become a much better passer if 0:12:14.910 --> 0:12:19.290 that happens, better at drawing fouls if that happens. Then, 0:12:19.330 --> 0:12:21.970 of course, there's the whole Caleb Wilson dynamic. Like, can 0:12:22.010 --> 0:12:24.270 he come in right away and he's winning Rookie of 0:12:24.290 --> 0:12:26.790 the Year and he's like the alpha dog from day one? 0:12:27.370 --> 0:12:29.630 We'll see. But Bouzelis only averaged 16 points per game 0:12:29.670 --> 0:12:34.560 last year. So there's room there to jump into the 20s, 0:12:35.100 --> 0:12:38.420 low 20s, for him to win MIP. I like the pick. 0:12:39.820 --> 0:12:45.280 My wildcard pick would be Josh Giddey. Because in this hypothetical, 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:48.949 Caleb Wilson comes in, he's the real deal. He's the ROI. 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:52.290 He changes the dynamic of the Bulls. They're like a 0:12:52.330 --> 0:12:54.970 plus 500 team. Trey Kirby's saying the Bulls are back 0:12:55.010 --> 0:13:04.550 every second episode. Giddey last year averaged 17-9-8 in about 0:13:04.550 --> 0:13:09.530 50 games. So if he maintained those numbers, if he's basically... 0:13:09.990 --> 0:13:13.650 Flirting with a 20-point triple-double on a good team, I 0:13:13.690 --> 0:13:19.510 think he would maybe warrant some consideration. Maybe. The scoring 0:13:19.550 --> 0:13:21.089 is not going to jump enough for him to really 0:13:21.110 --> 0:13:23.929 win this. And then there's the thing where, again, somebody 0:13:23.970 --> 0:13:25.850 in the East does have to lose some games here, 0:13:26.150 --> 0:13:29.990 and most improved players don't usually come from really bad teams, 0:13:30.070 --> 0:13:33.730 so Bulls could be one of those bad teams. I 0:13:33.770 --> 0:13:37.070 do believe in Caleb Wilson, though. But Bezelis is probably 0:13:37.090 --> 0:13:40.330 the number one pick. Cavaliers. Peyton Watson, says Ziller. He 0:13:40.370 --> 0:13:44.720 says there are actually no good candidates, no good car 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:49.960 ideas on the Cavaliers. He goes through the roster, right? 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.300 Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, obviously too established, too good. Jared Allen, 0:13:53.820 --> 0:13:57.070 already a former All-Star. That's a knock against him. Evan Mobley, 0:13:57.590 --> 0:13:59.949 same thing. Defensive Player of the Year under his belt. 0:14:00.450 --> 0:14:04.080 So maybe, this is Ziller thinking it out here, maybe 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:08.660 Watson gets like a vibes boost. If Cleveland has like 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:13.540 a lights out, excellent regular season, they lead the East. 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:17.730 They're the 60 win team in the conference and Watson 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:21.750 levels up the scoring and he gets some praise. I 0:14:21.790 --> 0:14:24.890 like it. The other pick is probably a trendy name, 0:14:25.170 --> 0:14:29.190 like lower down Jalen Tyson. I'll take him just for 0:14:29.230 --> 0:14:33.250 being different. Um, I'm skeptical he's going to be able 0:14:33.270 --> 0:14:35.870 to continue to shoot 45% from three, but if he does, 0:14:35.930 --> 0:14:40.870 then Tyson could do this if he levels up. Dallas Mavericks, 0:14:41.010 --> 0:14:44.930 Ziller went with Derek Lively II. Here's his case. He 0:14:44.950 --> 0:14:47.530 had a totally lost season in 25-26 due to injury. 0:14:47.890 --> 0:14:52.440 He missed basically half of the season prior, 24-25. So 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:58.100 in a bigger role, could Lively be a double-double machine? Maybe. 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:03.000 My crazy pick for most improved? I can't believe I'm 0:15:03.010 --> 0:15:04.660 going to say this because it goes against everything I 0:15:04.700 --> 0:15:06.600 stand for when it comes to most improved. But what 0:15:06.660 --> 0:15:10.360 about Cooper Flagg? What about Cooper Flagg? It's been 20 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:14.840 years since a player won most improved in his sophomore season. 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:16.730 I think the last to do it was Monte Ellis. 0:15:17.090 --> 0:15:19.710 It used to happen a lot back in like the 0:15:19.830 --> 0:15:24.110 earlier stages of this award. Gilbert Arenas, Kevin Johnson, I 0:15:24.150 --> 0:15:27.150 think Kevin Duckworth. There's a couple other guys that won 0:15:27.170 --> 0:15:28.790 in their second year, but it's been a long time. 0:15:28.850 --> 0:15:31.010 I mean, it's like I am on board saying like, 0:15:31.030 --> 0:15:33.950 come on. Especially if you won rookie of the year. Yeah, 0:15:33.970 --> 0:15:39.270 you should get better. No, no, duh. But for Flagg 0:15:39.290 --> 0:15:43.710 to do it, he would have to like rise immediately 0:15:43.850 --> 0:15:48.910 to the end of a ballot MVP guy. If Bon 0:15:48.950 --> 0:15:51.700 Temps was still doing the straw poll, people would have 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:56.740 to be putting Flagg this coming season, third, fourth, fifth, whatever. 0:15:56.960 --> 0:16:00.100 He'd be in the running. He'd be getting votes. Then 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.740 if that was the case, This MIP would be like 0:16:03.780 --> 0:16:08.380 a consolation prize to the MVP. I know Trey and 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:10.560 I have talked about this before on the show. It's happened, right? 0:16:11.500 --> 0:16:15.260 John Morant comes to mind. 21-22 season. John Morant finished 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.180 7th in MVP votes. He was an all-star. He was 0:16:18.340 --> 0:16:23.880 All-NBA's second team. And, you know, he got the MIP. Again, 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:25.860 it was sort of a little bit, we know you're 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.210 really good. You were Rookie of the Year. But here 0:16:28.250 --> 0:16:32.050 you go. Here you go. Just for being... in the 0:16:32.110 --> 0:16:37.430 conversation for MVP. So John Moran averaged 27-6-7 that year. 0:16:37.450 --> 0:16:41.210 He won most improved. Semi-attainable numbers for Cooper, I think. 0:16:43.100 --> 0:16:46.800 Could it happen? Maybe. I think the voters would love 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:49.820 to give it to him, so he's my wildcard pick 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:54.560 for the Mavericks. Even though he's a second-year player. Denver Nuggets. 0:16:54.760 --> 0:17:00.070 Julian Strother. Okay. Okay. Ziller says this is the play 0:17:00.110 --> 0:17:02.530 if you think David Adelman, their coach, will move Cam 0:17:02.550 --> 0:17:05.350 Johnson or Christian Brown to a pure bench role and 0:17:05.410 --> 0:17:11.770 give Strother the Michael Porter Jr. style role. Probably not happening. 0:17:11.830 --> 0:17:14.869 Even Ziller admitted that. Because of that, I guess my 0:17:14.910 --> 0:17:17.550 pick from the Nuggets would be Christian Brown. You're just 0:17:17.570 --> 0:17:21.140 hoping for an insane bounce-back season. He only played 44 0:17:21.140 --> 0:17:24.020 games last year. He only averaged 12 points per game. 0:17:24.859 --> 0:17:27.980 He's shot. Did he shoot under 30% from three, I 0:17:28.020 --> 0:17:30.619 want to say, or right around there? He'd have to 0:17:30.660 --> 0:17:34.119 go back to looking like the, well, the guy that 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:37.119 ended up getting paid by the Nuggets, where the trajectory 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.090 was looking real nice. This guy's a winner. Obviously helped 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:42.430 him win the title. He was young. He was turning 0:17:42.470 --> 0:17:44.750 into something. So, you know, I don't think it's likely 0:17:44.770 --> 0:17:48.409 with the Nuggets. I'll take Brown over Strother, though, as 0:17:48.550 --> 0:17:53.090 an outside chance. Detroit Pistons, Asar Thompson, says Ziller. Thompson 0:17:53.130 --> 0:17:55.690 finished third in defensive player of the year. So all 0:17:55.730 --> 0:17:58.830 the improvement in the eyes of the voters is going 0:17:58.850 --> 0:18:01.930 to have to come on offense. Plenty of room to grow. 0:18:02.410 --> 0:18:05.060 Plenty of room to grow. He would just have to 0:18:05.100 --> 0:18:10.260 blossom into that second creator role for Detroit. And then 0:18:10.300 --> 0:18:14.320 maybe MIP is in play. Maybe. Maybe. I think there's 0:18:14.340 --> 0:18:18.100 some other nominees on the Pistons. I think Paul Reed... 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:22.720 He would be like the De'Ron Sharp sort of case. 0:18:23.700 --> 0:18:27.350 B-Ball Paul, he's a per 36 darling. He's to the 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:32.250 extreme of per 36 darling. He only played 14 minutes 0:18:32.310 --> 0:18:35.190 per game. So when you do his per 36 averages, 0:18:35.210 --> 0:18:39.690 this guy's awesome. He's like a 20 and 12 with 0:18:40.190 --> 0:18:42.320 two and a half steals and two and a half blocks. 0:18:43.619 --> 0:18:47.900 You know, he's basically Hakeem Olajuwon. So, you know, good 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:50.440 luck taking the 14 minutes per game and then projecting 0:18:50.460 --> 0:18:52.580 it to the per 36. If you got an opportunity there, 0:18:53.140 --> 0:18:55.520 now Jalen Duren is there again. He will be playing. 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:57.880 He got his $ 200 million. No weight clause. All right, 0:18:57.900 --> 0:19:01.770 good for you. But, yeah, I'll take B-Ball Paul. I 0:19:01.850 --> 0:19:06.590 guess Stannis Jenkins is a nominee. Ron Holland entering year three. Sure. 0:19:08.150 --> 0:19:10.610 So tell me who you think between a Star Thompson, 0:19:10.630 --> 0:19:13.909 Paul Reed, Jenkins, Holland, maybe somebody else I'm missing on Detroit. 0:19:14.330 --> 0:19:19.190 Golden State Warriors. Brandon... Bojemski. The role is wide open 0:19:19.350 --> 0:19:22.790 for Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody being out for pods 0:19:22.850 --> 0:19:26.149 to slip in there. And we've seen he has the 0:19:26.210 --> 0:19:29.470 ability to ramp up his volume and his playmaking when needed. 0:19:30.830 --> 0:19:33.190 He has increased his scoring all three seasons. I think 0:19:33.580 --> 0:19:35.639 his efficiency would really need to pop here in this 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:38.060 year to win this award. I like that pick. The 0:19:38.100 --> 0:19:43.420 other guy on the Warriors, Gui Santos. Kerr loves the Brazilian. 0:19:43.619 --> 0:19:45.680 He's going to play I don't think he'll ever have 0:19:45.700 --> 0:19:50.940 the numbers to challenge for this. Pods. much better chance. 0:19:52.090 --> 0:19:54.350 I would ultimately pick Pods from the Warriors. Can we 0:19:54.390 --> 0:19:57.690 pick a rookie of the year? Can you pick Yaxel 0:19:57.730 --> 0:20:01.530 Lindenborg for most improved? We never had that. Never had 0:20:01.550 --> 0:20:06.390 a rookie win MIP. That'd be something. Houston Rockets, Reed Shepard. 0:20:07.250 --> 0:20:11.040 This one caught me by surprise from Ziller. As he notes, though, 0:20:11.060 --> 0:20:13.320 it's going to be tough with Imei Yudoka on the 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:16.960 sidelines and Fred VanVleet coming back. Reid would have to 0:20:17.000 --> 0:20:20.540 have a very significant third-year jump to win MIP. Now, 0:20:20.640 --> 0:20:23.560 he does get compared to Mark Price a lot. In 0:20:23.600 --> 0:20:25.640 year three, I went and checked, that is when Mark 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:29.010 Price leveled up. He averaged 19 points per game, 8 0:20:29.010 --> 0:20:32.910 assists per game in 88-89. He became a first-time All-Star. 0:20:34.609 --> 0:20:36.870 I think he cracked an All-NBA third team that year. 0:20:37.190 --> 0:20:38.850 So that's what Reid would have to do. I don't 0:20:38.869 --> 0:20:41.899 think it's happening. I think it's just a safer pick, 0:20:42.940 --> 0:20:46.520 even if it's far-fetched to go Ahmed Thompson. He could 0:20:46.580 --> 0:20:51.619 be an all-star with all-star-like numbers. Jabari Smith Jr., I 0:20:51.660 --> 0:20:55.460 probably would even slot ahead of Reed's chances with Freddie 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:59.310 back in the mix. Don't love anyone's chances, but I'll 0:20:59.330 --> 0:21:04.909 take the other Thompson twin here in Ahmed. Indiana Pacers, 0:21:05.330 --> 0:21:07.950 Jairus Walker. Ziller says they don't have any great candidates, 0:21:08.550 --> 0:21:11.929 so maybe Walker will figure it out. of what he 0:21:11.950 --> 0:21:14.310 needs to bring to a high-end NBA team and thrive 0:21:14.350 --> 0:21:18.880 in a new role. Maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Other nominees... 0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:24.619 Andrew Nembhard, probably not, with Halliburton back. Obi Toppin, I'm 0:21:24.640 --> 0:21:26.960 not going to bet on that. Kelly Oubre Jr. on 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:31.430 a new team. Meh. Can't say I love anyone's most 0:21:31.490 --> 0:21:34.050 improved chances here on the Pacers. But, but, but, but, 0:21:34.109 --> 0:21:36.950 this is a franchise that has had five different players 0:21:37.450 --> 0:21:43.410 win most improved. Trivia question for everybody joining live right now. 0:21:44.810 --> 0:21:46.810 Who are the five to win for the Pacers while 0:21:46.830 --> 0:21:52.810 I take a drink of water? Okay, you got it? 0:21:54.630 --> 0:22:00.879 Jalen Rose, Jermaine O'Neal, Danny Granger, Paul George, Victor Oladipo. 0:22:01.080 --> 0:22:04.080 Five MIP winners. I think that's tied with the magic 0:22:04.140 --> 0:22:07.100 for the most in NBA history. Those are all really 0:22:07.520 --> 0:22:11.730 solid players. So, Could they have had a sixth? I 0:22:11.770 --> 0:22:16.760 see somebody here in the stream team saying, Johnny Furphy. 0:22:18.440 --> 0:22:22.380 He's hurt, isn't he? Isn't he injured? I think it's unlikely. Yeah, Zubat, 0:22:22.420 --> 0:22:26.400 somebody said. I mean, Zubat's like his numbers aren't going 0:22:26.420 --> 0:22:29.800 to like change. He's posted really good numbers before. Yeah, 0:22:29.840 --> 0:22:34.300 maybe the case he turns into an all-star and surprises. Maybe. Yeah, okay. 0:22:34.340 --> 0:22:35.520 You know what? If I had to pick somebody, I 0:22:35.520 --> 0:22:37.220 don't mind it. Put me down for a big Z. 0:22:38.550 --> 0:22:43.949 Los Angeles Clippers. Ziller went with Jordan Miller. Ziller said 0:22:43.970 --> 0:22:47.790 he considered Rui Hachimura as a candidate to have like 0:22:47.830 --> 0:22:51.330 a Lowry-Markkinen style leap. Don't be worried, Rui is not 0:22:51.369 --> 0:22:55.619 the scorer that Markkinen was when he went from the East, obviously, 0:22:55.660 --> 0:22:59.200 to the Utah Jazz. So he decided on Miller, a 0:22:59.320 --> 0:23:02.160 promising guard, as Ziller said. Now, here's the issue, though. 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:07.280 Miller suffered a torn left rotator cuff in late August. 0:23:07.340 --> 0:23:10.320 I think Ziller may have missed that one. Because I 0:23:10.359 --> 0:23:13.340 think he's out for months. He's going to be re-evaluated 0:23:13.400 --> 0:23:16.560 in like six months, I believe. Can't see him winning. 0:23:17.119 --> 0:23:18.580 So you've got to pick somebody else on the Clippers. 0:23:19.800 --> 0:23:23.899 Maybe Rui, yeah. What about a second-year guy? Break my 0:23:23.940 --> 0:23:29.460 rule again. Kobe Sanders, maybe. Probably nobody. The answer is 0:23:29.510 --> 0:23:33.830 nobody is winning most improved on the Clippers. You've got 0:23:33.850 --> 0:23:39.550 to pick a guy established. Probably Rui. To the Lakers 0:23:39.590 --> 0:23:42.030 we go. We put them on the thumbnail, that big 0:23:42.230 --> 0:23:46.190 old guy, Walker Kessler. That's who Ziller picks here. The 0:23:46.230 --> 0:23:50.170 Lakers gave up a trade package and a contract to 0:23:50.270 --> 0:23:56.150 treat Walker Kessler like, well, their star center, future center here. 0:23:56.190 --> 0:23:58.169 The savior, as Ziller put it. And what if the 0:23:58.210 --> 0:24:01.230 Lakers are right? What if they just nailed it? Because 0:24:01.320 --> 0:24:05.300 life with Luka Doncic should be really kind to Walker Kessler. 0:24:06.270 --> 0:24:09.580 The odds right now have Kessler at plus 3,000. So 0:24:09.619 --> 0:24:12.699 I think that puts him in around the top 10 0:24:12.700 --> 0:24:17.020 favorites for most improved. He's been a double-double when he's healthy. 0:24:17.900 --> 0:24:21.260 He's going to shoot... Where do you think he's going 0:24:21.280 --> 0:24:24.379 to shoot? It's going to be between 70% and 75%, 0:24:24.380 --> 0:24:28.770 probably being on the Lakers with Luka, with his shot diet. 0:24:30.170 --> 0:24:32.910 It's going to be high. So yeah, good pick. Um... 0:24:33.800 --> 0:24:36.100 I guess he can make a case for Austin Reeves, 0:24:36.800 --> 0:24:39.600 maybe to get some consideration, though he's already scoring 23 0:24:39.600 --> 0:24:41.659 points per game. He would just have to be an 0:24:41.700 --> 0:24:44.820 all-star and I guess maybe a third-team All-NBA or something 0:24:44.859 --> 0:24:50.570 like that. Maybe Mahmoud, Jake LaRavia pop. Maybe Quentin Grimes. 0:24:51.090 --> 0:24:53.750 Didn't Quentin Grimes average like 22 points per game when 0:24:53.790 --> 0:24:56.030 he got traded from Dallas to Philly at the end 0:24:56.070 --> 0:24:59.510 of that year? In like 25 games, something like that. 0:24:59.650 --> 0:25:02.540 Can you do that for a season? I think I 0:25:02.580 --> 0:25:04.899 would back Zillers-Kessler if I have to pick a Laker. 0:25:06.119 --> 0:25:08.620 The Memphis Grizzlies, he went with another big guy, even 0:25:08.720 --> 0:25:14.619