2022-23 NBA Preseason Awards Media Poll: Most Improved Player
A new NBA season is upon us and with it comes speculation about what will happen over the next few months.
Who will win this season's awards? Which teams will finish with the best and worst records? Who has the best chance to make the All-Star Game for the first time in their career?
Fastbreak on FanNation polled 21 different NBA media members, some who cover the league as a whole and some who cover an individual team, asking them these specific questions and gathering their results.
Below are the results from the voting that took place for the 2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player award:
Media Members Pick To Win Most Improved Player:
Tyrese Haliburton - Indiana Pacers
Traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Indiana Pacers last season, Tyrese Haliburton instantly became a star-caliber player and being only 22-years-old, Haliburton enters the 2022-23 NBA season as a favorite to win the Most Improved Player award.
Receiving 6 of the 21 total votes cast in Fastbreak on FanNation’s preseason media poll, Haliburton was the lead vote-getter with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards right behind him receiving four total votes.
In 26 games with the Pacers last season, Tyrese Haliburton averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 9.6 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from three-point range. These kinds of numbers will put Haliburton into All-Star consideration, which is why he is certainly one of the growing stars in the NBA.
We cannot forget about Anthony Edwards though, as he may be the player put in the best position to ultimately win the Most Improved Player award. The Timberwolves went out and added All-Star center Rudy Gobert this offseason and with Edwards heading into his third season in the league, everything aligns for the former first overall pick to have a massive breakout season.
Six of the last eight winners of the NBA’s Most Improved Player award earned their first All-Star honors the same year they won the award, so this is certainly something to watch in regards to Haliburton and Edwards this upcoming year.
Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs) received three votes and Anfernee Simons (Portland Trail Blazers) received two votes for the award in the preseason voting. Vassell could very well be the No. 2 option on a rebuilding Spurs roster next to Keldon Johnson during the 2022-23 season and Simons recently signed a four-year, $100 million extension this offseason, so it is very likely that he too could step into a No. 2 scoring role for his team.
Rounding out the list of those who received a single vote this preseason for the Most Improved Player award are: LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors), Collin Sexton (Utah Jazz), Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks) and De’Andre Hunter (Atlanta Hawks).
Complete voting results from 2022-23 NBA Preseason Media Poll:
- 2022-23 NBA Preseason Most Valuable Player
- 2022-23 NBA Preseason Rookie of the Year
- 2022-23 NBA Preseason Most Improved Player
- 2022-23 NBA Preseason Sixth-Man of the Year
- 2022-23 NBA Preseason Coach of the Year
- 2022-23 NBA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
- Who Will Finish With The Worst Regular Season Record?
- Who Will Finish With The Best Regular Season Record?
- Which Team Will Win The Eastern Conference?
- Which Team Will Win The Western Conference?
- Which Team Will Win The 2023 NBA Finals?
- Who Is Most Likely To Be A First-Time All-Star During The 2022-23 NBA Season?
