Setting a few league records and having a season even better than your MVP season of a year ago is apparently only good enough to get you fourth in the NBA’s most improved player voting. Steph Curry received only seven first place votes, although he’s the first reigning MVP to finish in the Top 10 of voting for this award the following since voting info became available in the last 20 years.
Steph Curry is the 1st reigning MVP to finish in the top 10 in Most Improved Player voting the following season. pic.twitter.com/ksfhPSVS0W
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 22, 2016
The winner was Portland’s C.J McCollum, whose points per game skyrockets from 6.8 last year to 20.8 this year as he became an integral part to another playoff appearance for the Blazers. The 10th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft received 101 first place votes and a total of 559 points.
Second came Charlotte’s Kemba Walker with 166 points and Milwaukee’s Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third with 99 points.
Blazers guard CJ McCollum wins NBA Most Improved Player award. Results below: pic.twitter.com/YmCLNRP9JO
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) April 22, 2016
McCollum’s performance drastically improved well beyond his scoring, as he set career highs in field goal percentage, three point percentage, assists and rebounds. He becomes the third Blazers player to win the award joining Kevin Duckworth from 1987-88 and Zach Randolph from 2003-04.
No word on whether Steph will use this as further motivation when he returns from his ankle injury.
[ESPN]
