Atlanta basketball player Dyson Daniels has been named the NBA's Most Improved Player of the 2024/25 season.
The award winner was voted for by a global panel of journalists, and Daniels won 44 out of a possible 100 first-place votes and a total of 332 points, the NBA said.
Daniels (22) averaged 8,3 points, two rebounds, 1,7 assists and 1,6 steals more this season than the previous season, and finished second in the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind Cleveland center Evan Mobley.
"You have to stand out somehow and I did that with my defensive play," Daniels stated.
The Atlanta guard became the fifth player in NBA history to average more than 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in a single season this season, joining Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Michael Ray Richardson and Alvin Robertson.
Daniels was also the NBA's leading stealer this season, and became the first player since the 1990/91 season to finish the regular season with an average of over three steals.
"I've been told quite a few times this year that my defense is contagious. To me, that means I'm doing my job. I know as a team we have a lot to improve on defense, but I think we've taken a step in the right direction this year," Daniels said.
Second in the Most Improved Player category was Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac with 23 first-place votes and 186 points, while third was Detroit point guard Cade Cunningham with 15 first-place votes and 122 points.
Also receiving first-place votes were Denver winger Christian Brown (nine votes), Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reeves (three votes), Cleveland winger and this year's NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (two votes), as well as Houston's Aimen Thompson, Portland's Danny Avdia, Miami's Tyler Hiro and Chicago's Josh Giddy (all one vote).
Other candidates who received votes for the remaining spots were Boston point guard and this season's NBA Sixth Man of the Year Peyton Pritchard, Portland center Toumani Kamara, New York winger Oji Anunoby, and Oklahoma basketball player Jalen Williams.
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