Miami Herald · Apr 4, 2017
Heat’s James Johnson has strong case to be league’s Most Improved Player
The NBA’s Most Improved Player award been gone to a Miami Heat player twice before.
Rony Seikaly won it 1990 and Isaac Austin won it seven years later.
Although he’s facing some stiff competition, one could argue James Johnson has as good a shot as any player in the league to become the Heat’s third recipient.
Based on combined statistical improvements in scoring, rebounding and assist averages from last season to this season, no player in the league has made a bigger jump than Johnson (+12.4) according to STATS. That’s better than Denver’s Nikola Jokic (+11.7), Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook (+11.2) and Phoenix’s Devin Booker (+9.7), who are the next three players on the list.
