NBA Most Improved Player Odds 2022-23: Brunson Elevates New York To New Level

NBA Most Improved Player odds are available for the 2022-23 season! See the table below for all of the updated NBA Most Improved Player odds, and continually check back in, as these odds will fluctuate over the next several months. 

NBA Most Improved Player Odds 2022-23

You can find NBA Most Improved Player odds on virtually every major sportsbook in the states. However, our table below makes life easy for you, giving you the best NBA Most Improved Player odds for each player. Take a look at our analysis below, too, and see if you’d like to tail.

NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Most Improved Player Race

As the 2022-23 season progresses, expect the NBA Most Improved Player odds to fluctuate. This is a tight race, with several players being viable options to win the award! At the moment, Lauri Markkanen is the favorite to win the NBA MIP award but see below why there are a number of players who could leap him by the end of the season.

1. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

• Last Week: 1
• 2022-23 Statistics: 25.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.8 apg
• MIP Odds:

A change of scenery, or two, turned out to be the best thing that could happen for Lauri Markkanen. In 2018, Markkanen’s second season in the NBA, he put up nearly 19 points and nine rebounds per game for the Bulls; it was not too long after that he was moved to Cleveland and then to Utah. Finally, Markkanen’s potential was realized, as he was forced to take on a primary scoring role for the Jazz.

Since arriving in Utah this season, it has been evident that Markkanen’s capabilities were somehow being hindered. Perhaps, he just needed to be thrown in the fire as a lead-scoring option. Regardless, not only has he led the Jazz in scoring, he has done it with incredible efficiency.

Markkanen averages just shy of 26 points per game on an incredible 50/40/87 shooting split. As far as seven-footers go, there are only a few in history who have been able to shoot at this level. Additionally, he is capable of scoring in a wide variety of ways, even off the bounce.

At this point in the season, Markkanen is a pretty strong favorite to win the NBA Most Improved Player award. Thus far, he has held off incredible seasons from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges; his overall improvement has been undeniable.

Markkanen’s point per game average increased by ten points while his FG% and 3P% are up between four and five percent from the prior season, despite having more volume.

For the foreseeable future, Markkanen will be an NBA All-Star, especially on this Jazz team that needs him to produce substantial offensive output. Check out ESPN analyst Zach Lowe making the case for Markkanen to be an All-Star, which he was named!

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

• Last Week: 2
• 2022-23 Statistics: 31.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.5 apg
• MIP Odds:

If it weren’t for the absolutely ludicrous play from guys like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would likely have a case for Most Valuable Player. Surely, he would be a lock to win the MIP award, right?

Wildly enough, Lauri Markkanen has had such a substantial jump that SGA has been moved to second place in our NBA MIP ladder with the second-best NBA Most Improved Player odds.

Gilgeous-Alexander has posted 31.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on a roughly 50/34/91 shooting split. It turns out that the concerns regarding SGA’s three-point shot have subsided. Actually, every concern about his play has subsided.

Despite all of this, Lauri Markkanen has passed up SGA, but he still has an outside shot at climbing back up the MIP ladder. Keep an eye on those two and their NBA Most Improved Player odds for the rest of the 2022-23 regular season. Check out SGA’s recent highlights, courtesy of House of Highlights.

3. Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

• Last Week: 3
• 2022-23 Statistics: 23.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6.2 apg
• MIP Odds:

Anyone who watched Jalen Brunson in his first few years in Dallas knew that he was capable of one day becoming a starter for an NBA team, but not many people could have predicted that he would blow up as he has in just his first season in that permanent role; he has the capability of being an All-Star-caliber for many years to come!

Brunson’s impact for this Knicks team has been indescribable; his 24 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game on a 49/41/83 shooting split have lifted them from a below-average team to a dangerous playoff matchup. His craftiness, strength, and IQ allow him to get to his spots whenever he wants. The Knicks will gladly take that “tampering” punishment.

Brunson hovers around third on our NBA Most Improved Player odds race, but likely won’t jump Lauri Markkanen at this point due to an injury that has kept him out for several games. There is too much ground for him to cover in too few games.

Still, look below at Brunson’s 38-point outburst against the Spurs, thanks to House of Highlights.

4. Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets

• Last Week: 4
• 2022-23 Statistics: 17.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.6 apg
• MIP Odds:

Bridges got traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline for his favorite player growing up. That can’t be something that happens all that much. Regardless, Bridges has been put into a position where he could climb this ladder fairly quickly.

The Brooklyn Nets no longer have a surefire primary scorer/superstar to lean on. As a matter of fact, Bridges could be considered the Nets’ first or second option in their offense right now, along with Spencer Dinwiddie.

If Bridges posts 20+ points per game for the remainder of the season, then this bet has some life, especially if the Brooklyn Nets can string together some wins and get a top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Bridges is fresh off a career night when he scored 45 points against the Miami Heat; he also pulled down eight rebounds, dished out five assists, and recorded four “stocks.”

A lot can happen in the NBA in a short period of time, so you never know!

5. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

• Last Week: 5
• 2022-23 Statistics: 20.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 10.4 apg
• MIP Odds:

There are so many seasons where Tyrese Haliburton would have been in the lead for the NBA Most Improved Player award or at least on the heels of the frontrunner. Haliburton has been nothing short of phenomenal, averaging close to 21 points, ten assists, and four rebounds per game while shooting 41% from behind the arc.

Actually, Haliburton could be the first player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and ten assists while shooting over 40% from three for an entire season. Even though he could be the first player ever to pull this off, he is still far away from winning the NBA Most Improved Player award; that should tell you how competitive this award is this year.

What makes Haliburton so good? Few players have the IQ and vision that Haliburton has offensively; he sees plays before they happen, knows where his guys are going to be, and executes with elite precision. Further, Haliburton has added even another layer to his game this year: isolation scoring.

Haliburton’s ability to create a shot not just for others but himself, too, has allowed him to take a major step forward in his career. As a matter of fact, this ability catapulted him to All-Star status for the 2022-23 season and, likely, for many more years to come in the future.

While it is a long shot for Haliburton to win the NBA MIP award, and his NBA Most Improved Player odds reflect this fact, his recent performances, like the 39-point and 16-assist game against the Sixers, could compound over the next few weeks.

NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Just Outside Top 5 – Nic Claxton, Alperen Sengun, Jaren Jackson Jr, Franz Wagner

NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Key Factors

A player’s opportunity for an increased role and offensive usage within an organization, as well as their ceiling, progression, and their respective team’s success from one year to the next, are all key factors when it comes to betting on the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

It takes more than just an increase in statistics, as several recent winners have taken their teams from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the conference (think Ja Morant in the 2021–22 season.)

Oftentimes, players that win this award have a combination of the aforementioned factors, and it isn’t always cut and dry. Many people in the 2021-22 season believed that Jordan Poole or Desmond Bane was more deserving than Morant, as Ja was clearly destined to be a superstar.

Unexpectedness can also be an element that propels certain players above others, similar to Julius Randle in the 2020-21 season. While that didn’t impact Morant winning the award the following season, he did have the added bonus of taking his team from a fringe playoff team to the No. 2 seed in a tough Western Conference. 

NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Past Winners

Many former NBA MIP award winners have turned into superstars later in their careers. For instance, players like Tracy McGrady, Ja Morant, Kevin Love, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zach Randolph, Gilbert Arenas, Jermaine O’Neal, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and C.J. McCollum are just a few that catapulted from Most Improved Players to All-Stars.

NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Conclusion

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks like Vegas’ favorite to win the MIP award, and his NBA Most Improved Player odds reflect that, as he is minus odds to win halfway through the season.

Still, there are other players that may be worth taking a shot on, including Lauri Markkanen, who has been ablaze recently. Markkanen has improved his points per game by roughly ten points and his FG% and 3P% by between six and seven percent. 

Even a player like Tyrese Haliburton could come out of nowhere with a strong second half to the 2022-23 season and steal the award away, as the Indiana Pacers have far exceeded expectations.

Take a look at the Lineups YouTube channel in order to stay up-to-date on other NBA-related information, and check out some of our other NBA futures odds pages, including NBA MVP Odds, NBA Rookie of the Year Odds, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds, and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds.

NBA Most Improved Player Odds FAQ

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