Memphis star Ja Morant is the runaway favorite to win Most Improved Player this season, but Draymond Green is not convinced about his case.
Addressing reporters this weekend, the Golden State veteran Green touched on the Most Improved Player Award and explained why Warriors teammate Jordan Poole, not Morant, should take it home this year.
“The award is called the ‘Most Improved,’ not who had the best year, that’s the MVP award actually,” said Green, per NBC Sports. “I think a lot of times, we get it confused … No disrespect to Ja Morant, but Ja Morant is an MVP candidate. Ja Morant isn’t a ‘Most Improved Player’ candidate. Ja Morant was f–king incredible last year.
“When you look around, the most improvement has been Jordan Poole, and I think that goes without saying,” added Green. “You go across the list, and you show me what those guys did last year and the year before that, and you show me what Jordan did last year and the year before that, he is the most improved. If we’re going by what the title of the award is, what the name of the award is, then it’s easily Jordan.”
Player A: 19.1 points and 7.4 assists per game on 44.9 percent shooting last year, 27.4 points and 6.7 assists per game on 49.3 percent shooting this year
Player B: 12.0 points and 1.9 assists per game on 43.2 percent shooting last year, 18.4 points and 4.0 assists per game on 44.8 percent shooting this year
Player A is Morant, who made the leap this season from a star to a superstar. Player B is Poole, who made the leap this season from a fringe rotation piece to a legitimate secondary option. Both players have done their damage for contending teams as well.
The crux of Green’s argument appears to be that Morant was already an excellent player last season while Poole was barely making an impact. Green will obviously be biased towards his teammate, but he doesn’t really make a convincing claim. After all, this was the season that Morant truly became a box-office draw as well as the leading man for a true title contender. Even with Poole’s admittedly impressive improvement this season, it really can’t compete with the way that Morant’s star has skyrocketed into orbit lately.
Photo: Jan 26, 2022; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
