Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton finishes sixth in Most Improved Player voting
The NBA announced the voting results for the 2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player award on Monday night, and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was among the vote getters for the award.
Haliburton finished sixth in voting. He received 10 votes in total, with one first-place vote, one second-place vote, and eight third-place votes. The guard bloomed from a strong starter into an All-Star for the Pacers and helped the team climb from 25 wins in 2021-22 to 35 this season.
"We have this amazing quarterback point guard," Indiana President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said of Haliburton this month.
The 23-year old guard grew his scoring average from 15.3 to 20.7 points per game. His assists per game average climbed from 8.2 to 10.4, and his shooting efficiency increased. In every statistical area, Haliburton grew on the offensive end of the court.
The Pacers were better for it. Their record improved, of course, and that was in part because the team was so effective with Haliburton on the floor. Indiana's net rating was 3.77 points per 100 possessions better with Haliburton on the court than on the bench, largely due to the team's 118.79 offensive rating with the point guard on the hardwood. He is a significant part of the team's identity.
"Ty is our guy," Pritchard said.
Haliburton finished behind Lauri Markkanen, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Nic Claxton in the voting. Markkanen, of the Utah Jazz, ended up winning the award and receiving 69 first-place votes. Markkanen, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Haliburton were all first-time All-Stars this season.
The Pacers have a history with the Most Improved Player award, now also called the George Mikan Trophy. They have five winners in franchise history, which is tied for the most ever with the Orlando Magic. Jalen Rose, Jermaine O'Neal, Danny Granger, Paul George, and Victor Oladipo have all taken home the hardware for Indiana before.
Haliburton had a chance to follow in those footsteps, but he just didn't play enough. The young guard only hit the court 56 times this season due to various injuries.
Haliburton, now having been named an All-Star and establishing himself as one of the best guards in the NBA, will likely never have a shot at Most Improved Player again. Between Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, though, the blue and gold could have other players in the mix in due time.
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