2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player Midseason Odds
Tyrese Maxey took another step forward this season, one big enough to earn him All-Star honors for the first time in his career, and the Philadelphia 76ers star is currently the betting favorite to win Most Improved Player.
This isn’t the first time Maxey has been in the conversation, as he finished sixth in Most Improved Player voting in 2022 after his second-year leap. Though he’s the odds-on favorite at -225, Alperen Şengün (+450) and Coby White (+650) are also putting together strong cases and neither player was on Maxey's level a season ago.
When the Philadelphia 76ers traded James Harden in October, it opened the door for Maxey to run the offense in the City of Brotherly Love. He responded by upping his scoring average for the third straight season, this time from 20.3 points per game to 25.6. Maxey’s assists are also up to 6.4, nearly double his 2022-23 average, and his rebound, steal and block numbers are all career-highs as well. The only appreciable step back is his shooting percentage, which dropped as his field goal attempts — specifically three-pointers — increased.
Maxey stepped up after the 76ers traded James Harden and he’s continued to shine while Joel Embiid is out.
Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports
Maxey made this jump despite Joel Embiid’s league-leading 38.9% usage rate and with the reigning MVP on the shelf, he’s had some of his best games, including a career-high 51-point outburst a few weeks ago. Philadelphia (32–21) is still firmly a playoff team in the East, but the 76ers have struggled in Embiid’s absence despite Maxey’s play. As far as the new 65-game requirement goes, Maxey has only missed five so his postseason award eligibility is not at risk.
Şengün is consistently stuffing the stat sheet for a Rockets team (24–29) that’s on the outside of the play-in picture in the Western Conference. His scoring average exploded from 14.9 points per game to 21.2 and his assists rose from 3.6 to 5.0. The only players in the NBA this season averaging at least 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Embiid, Luka Dončić, Domantas Sabonis and Şengün. That’s good company to keep, and Şengün has played in all but one game so far this season.
White is enjoying a breakout year with the Chicago Bulls. He’s started all 54 games after spending the majority of his career coming off the bench and the results have been 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game — all career-highs. With White’s playing time increase, his number of shot attempts rose as well and his 46% field-goal percentage and 39% mark from deep are both career-best marks.
Earlier in his career, White showed flashes when he averaged 15.1 points and started over 50 games in his second season. His involvement dipped over the next two years and he averaged a career-low 9.7 points per game in just 23 minutes last season, which makes this sudden improvement all the more surprising. Zach LaVine’s absence has allowed White to truly come into his own in the starting lineup while the Bulls (26–28) fight for play-in position.
Heading into the All-Star break, Most Improved Player looks like a three-horse race. After White, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (+5000) has the next-best odds — like Maxey, Barnes is a first-time All-Star. Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (+10000) and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (+10000) round out the next group of contenders before there’s an even larger drop-off.
There might be some value in White at the moment given how he and the Bulls have played in the new year, but Maxey is still a strong favorite as the star of a playoff-bound team. Plus, he’s shouldering an even larger workload with Embiid out. Though Lauri Markkanen’s Utah Jazz just missed the play-in a year ago, three of the last five Most Improved Player winners were on playoff teams.
2023-24 NBA Most Improved Player Odds
Tyrese Maxey -225
Alperen Şengün +450
Coby White +650
Scottie Barnes +5000
Cameron Thomas +10000
Jalen Johnson +10000
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