LA Clippers: 3 Candidates for NBA’s Most Improved Player
The 2020-2021 season will be the start of a revenge season for the LA Clippers. We are likely to see one of the NBA’s most improved players on the team.
The LA Clippers will seek to rebound from last season’s playoffs with their two main stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. It will take more than those two to bring a championship, which is why we are likely to see one of the NBA’s most improved players on the team.
For the past couple of seasons, there have been many different examples where the NBA’s Most Improved Player was selected based on their value TO their team. Last season, New Orleans Pelicans small forward Brandon Ingram was one of the biggest surprises in the NBA by leading the team in points per game (23.8). This was with rookie power forward Zion Williamson and point guard Jrue Holiday on the team.
The season before that, power forward Pascal Siakam stepped up as the new starter and helped contributed by averaging 16.9 points per game while Kawhi Leonard was the star of the team.
Some of the past recipients of the NBA’s Most Improved Player award are Paul George, Kevin Love, Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Oladipo. These are players who have become NBA MVP, First-Team All-NBA selections, or major contributors to their team as NBA title contenders.
The Clippers have a roster full of talent, with nine solid players that can contribute game-by-game. While Leonard and George will be the ticket sellers and the spotlight of the team, they will need help contributing to a potential NBA title.
With a new head coach in Ty Lue, the Clippers will be able to start fresh with better player utilization. This will ultimately lead to more productivity and efficiency from some of these players.
Here are three likely candidates for the NBA’s Most Improved Player from the Los Angeles Clippers, starting with Luke Kennard.
LA Clippers MIP Candidate: Luke Kennard – Shooting Guard
The LA Clippers went into the 2020 NBA Draft without a first-round pick. They came out of the Draft with a big win as they traded beloved backup shooting guard Landry Shamet to the Brooklyn Nets and guard Rodney McGruder to the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade involving the 19th overall pick. In return, the Clippers got a significant upgrade to Shamet at the shooting guard.
Last season for the Pistons, Kennard averaged 15.8 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 4.1 assists per game with a field-goal percentage of 44.2% and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.9%. Kennard started in 25 of the 28 games that he played in this past season for the Pistons. He missed most of the season due to tendonitis in his knee.
Kennard being traded to a team that needs more impact in shooting from the three-point arc. He is a consistent shooter that can create his own shots like Shamet but rarely gets cold. He does lack the defensive efficiency on pick and rolls and reading shooting plays in the three-point arc. His pairing with Lou Williams and Reggie Jackson in the top of the court from the bench would be a disastrous situation.
Kennard has been getting better in reading and reacting to plays on defense. He is also working more efficiently in setting up plays which is why he feels he can contribute significantly at the point guard position.
Kennard can be a player that could see a significant role increase by being a dynamic playmaker in setting plays for the offense. If he can be more efficient on defense, he could find himself a rotational starter. He could find himself in a key role like Siakam was for the Raptors when Kawhi was there. Clipper Nation is very excited to see what he can do for the team.