MIB? Knicks' Jalen Brunson Among Favorites For Most Improved

A lack of mid-season recognition could give way to end-of-year hardware for the New York Knicks' point guard.

Hey now, you're ... Most Improved?

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was denied All-Star glory over the past weekend, but oddsmakers at FanDuel have bigger projections for him as the latter portions of the NBA regular season tip off this week. Entering the post-All-Star slate, Brunson officially owns the second-best odds at taking home the Most Improved Player Award at +350. 

Brunson is one of only three players whose odds lie in triple digits: he trails only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City and Utah's Lauri Markkanen, a pair of All-Stars who lead the way at +130 each. Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton is the next closest name at +5000.

It's certainly easy to see why Brunson would be up for MIP, which was previously won by teammate Julius Randle after the 2020-21 campaign. The signer of a four-year, $104 million contract has responded to every challenge and then some in his first year in New York, flourishing in the new role of primary facilitator and offensive option. Brunson is averaging career-bests in almost every major category, including 23.9 points and 6.2 assists per game in his fifth NBA campaign after coming over from Dallas. Thanks to Brunson's efforts, the Knicks (33-27) are in prime position to avoid the purgatory of the Play-In Tournament, currently sitting in the sixth and final automatic Eastern Conference playoff spot.

New York opens its final regular season stretch on Friday when they face the Washington Wizards on the road (7 p.m. ET, MSG).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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