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    Ja Morant Named NBA's Most Improved Player

    On Monday, the NBA announced Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant as this year’s recipient of the Most Improved Player Award.

    Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant has been named the 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player, the NBA announced on Monday.

    Morant is the first player in team history to win Most Improved Player and he secured 38 total first-place votes in this year’s voting for the award.

    During the 2021-22 regular season, Ja Morant averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and shot 49.3% from the floor, helping the Grizzlies achieve a 56-26 record, tied for the most wins in team history and capturing the team’s first Southwest Division championship.

    Leading all players in points in the paint per game (16.6) during the regular season, Ja Morant became the first guard to do so in 25 seasons since data was first tracked.

    Finishing second in the Most Improved Player award voting this season was Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs) and finishing third was Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers).

    Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors) received the third-most first-place votes, ahead of Darius Garland, but ended up finishing fourth in this year’s voting.

    Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers), Miles Bridges (Charlotte Hornets) and Ja Morant’s teammate in Desmond Bane also received first-place votes for Most Improved Player this season.

    Morant, a first-time All-Star this season, has ascended himself to “superstar” status in the NBA and through just three seasons, he has already helped make the Memphis Grizzlies one of the best teams in the entire league. 

    • 2021-22 NBA Awards Media Poll: Most Valuable Player: 20 different NBA media members from around the country participated in a mock voting process conducted by SI Fastbreak for this year’s NBA awards. Here are the results of the voting for Most Valuable Player. CLICK HERE.
    • 2021-22 NBA Awards Media Poll: All-NBA Teams: 20 different NBA media members from around the country participated in a mock voting process conducted by SI Fastbreak for this year’s NBA awards. Here are the results of the voting for the All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams. CLICK HERE.
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