Former Oklahoma State Guard Holds Good Odds to Win NBA Most Improved Player
A few years ago, Cade Cunningham, the top player in his class, picked Oklahoma State over other colleges.
He averaged over 20 points per game and over six rebounds per game in his 27 appearances as a Cowboy. This led to him being selected No. 1 by the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 NBA Draft.
After missing out on Rookie of the Year in his first season, Cunningham missed the bulk of his second season with a leg injury. Now, he's returning with an improved roster and with the ability to take a real leap in year three.
Ahead of the new NBA season, Cunningham holds the second-best odds (+1300) to win Most Improved Player.
Trailing just Mikal Bridges, both players will be in roles that allow them to shoot the ball with great volume while having surrounding talent that maximizes their skill sets.
Cunningham averaged 17.4 points per game in his rookie year, which consisted of 64 games played. Last year, he played in just 12 games, where he averaged 19.9 points per game. Every aspect of his game, except shooting efficiency, took a leap from year one to year two, but there's not much of a sample size.
These awards are heavily swayed by narrative and a former No. 1 overall pick having a breakout year after dealing with injuries may just be cause for him to be in the running. What does it look like? An All-Star appearance accompanied by a four-to-five points per game jump could just do it, especially if his efficiency improves.
Having a former top pick win Most Improved Player feels counterintuitive, given the standards of what their career looks like including such a jump to stardom. However, there are no baseline rules as to what must happen for a player to win the award in the NBA, so if Cunningham can truly make the leap to stardom, there's no reason he can't win the award.
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022