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With over a month left in the regular season, Tyrese Maxey, the star guard for the 76ers, is still the frontrunner for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. However, Warriors veteran Chris Paul doesn't agree. He believes that Coby White, the guard for the Bulls, has the best chance of winning the award.
After the Warriors lost 122-125 to the Bulls previously, Paul told The Athletic that White clearly deserves the award. This season, White has averaged 19.7 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game, all career highs.
"He should get it," Paul said of White, who attended his AAU camp in North Carolina and has been one of his pupils for years. "He's not just doing it here and there. He's doing it every night. That's when you earn respect in this league."
"His ball-handling has gotten a lot better from last year, and you can see we've been talking about it," Paul said. "Confidence comes with the work you put in. For me, I'm like a big brother to a lot of them (AAU students) because I've known them for so long."
Both Maxey and White have compelling cases for the award. Maxey is averaging 26 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game, all career highs, as the primary ball-handler for the Philadelphia 76ers, and his performance has been stellar. While some may argue that Maxey's increase in scoring from 20.3 points last season to 26 points this season was expected, the 23-year-old has delivered impressive performances, especially after Harden's departure, even in Embiid's absence. Since Embiid's injury, Maxey has kept the 76ers in the 7th position in the Eastern Conference, just two games behind the 4th seed Knicks.
Other contenders for the Most Improved Player award include Jalen Williams of the Thunder, Alperen Sengun of the Rockets, Jonathan Kuminga of the Warriors, and Jalen Johnson of the Hawks. |
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Post time 27-3-2024 09:06:12