For much of the season, Jalen Johnson looked like the cleanest Most Improved Player pick. His leap to 22.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists pushed him to the front of the race early, and the debate mostly settled around him and Deni Avdija, who has put up 24.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists for the Trail Blazers.
That is usually how this award works. By the second half of the season, the field tends to narrow, the breakout is already obvious, and the race starts to feel more like confirmation than suspense. For a while, this one looked headed that way, too.
Now there is a real late twist. Jalen Duren has forced his way into the discussion with a huge recent stretch, including 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds over his last 10 games, while the Pistons just reached 50 wins and continue to strengthen their case as one of the league’s best regular-season stories.
Duren’s full-season jump to 19.1 points and 10.6 rebounds on 64.1% shooting was already strong. But once that production is attached to elite team success, the race changes. What looked like a Johnson versus Avdija finish may now be heading somewhere else.
10. Payton Pritchard
2025-26 Stats: 16.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 45.7% FG, 36.1% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 47.2% FG, 40.7% 3P%
Payton Pritchard belongs in the back end of this race because the jump is real, even if it does not have the same star-level impact as some of the names above him. Last season, he was a very good bench scorer and won Sixth Man of the Year. This season, he has expanded his role as a usual starter.
The points are up, the assists are up in a meaningful way, and his offense has become more varied instead of being limited to instant shooting off the bench. He has gone from specialist energy guard to a more complete second-unit organizer who can also close games when needed.
The biggest shift is the playmaking. Going from 3.5 assists to 5.4 is not a minor bump. It changes the shape of his season. Pritchard is not just finishing possessions now. He is helping create them, and that matters on a Celtics team that still needs steady offensive control behind its main stars. The Celtics are 46-23 and second in the East, so his growth is happening on a high-level team with real stakes, not in empty developmental minutes.
There is still a limit to the case. His three-point efficiency has dipped from 40.7% to 36.1%, and he is not carrying the same offensive burden as the bigger names in this award field. That is why he sits this low. But improvement is not only about becoming a primary scorer. Sometimes it is about taking a winning role and making it broader, harder to defend, and more valuable every night. That is what Pritchard has done. He is a better creator, a steadier all-around guard, and a real reason the Celtics’ depth continues to matter deep into the season.
9. Immanuel Quickley
2025-26 Stats: 17.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 44.3% FG, 37.5% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 17.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 42.0% FG, 37.8% 3P%
Immanuel Quickley is not one of the flashiest names in this race, but the season deserves real credit. Last year, the production was solid in a smaller sample. This year, he has basically matched the scoring, improved the rebounding, pushed the playmaking a little higher, and most importantly, done it across 65 games instead of 33. That matters. Availability is part of improvement too, especially for a lead guard on a team trying to stay relevant in the East playoff picture. The Raptors are 39-29 and fifth in the conference, and Quickley has been a central reason they have stayed there.
The case is not built on a huge scoring explosion. It is built on stability, control, and a larger nightly burden. Quickley has become a more reliable table-setter without losing his value as a scorer. The assists have climbed from 5.8 to 6.0, the steals have jumped from 0.7 to 1.3, and the field-goal rate moved from 42.0% to 44.3%. None of that screams superstar leap, but together it shows a more polished lead guard who is making better decisions and impacting more possessions on both ends.
That is why he belongs in the rankings, even if he does not have the headline case of the bigger breakout names. Quickley has not turned into a franchise-changing star. He has turned into a steadier, more complete primary guard for a winning team. That kind of jump does matter, especially when it comes with better efficiency, better defense, and a team that suddenly has playoff aspirations. In an award that often leans toward raw box-score shock, Quickley’s case is more subtle. It is also real.
8. Jamal Murray
2025-26 Stats: 25.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 7.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 47.8% FG, 42.3% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 21.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 47.4% FG, 39.3% 3P%
Jamal Murray deserves a spot in these rankings because this has been a real offensive jump, not just a small statistical bump. The scoring has climbed from 21.4 to 25.1. The assists are up from 6.0 to 7.1. The three-point efficiency improved too, moving from 39.3% to 42.3% on a heavier diet. That is the kind of leap that matters for this award, especially when it comes from a player who was already established. Murray did not just return to form. He expanded his game into something closer to a true co-pilot season.
The context around the season helps him. The Nuggets are 42-28 and sixth in the West, and this has not been a smooth year for them. Nikola Jokic missed time earlier in the season, and Murray had to carry more of the offense than usual in stretches where the Nuggets could not just default to Jokic solving every possession. That showed up in the shot creation, the higher scoring volume, and the broader playmaking load. Murray is in the middle of a career-best season statistically, which is exactly how it has looked on tape.
There is still a limit to the case. Murray is not having the kind of first-time breakout that usually wins this award, and voters often prefer younger players making a leap from role player to centerpiece. That hurts him here. But the improvement is still real, and it should not be dismissed just because the name is familiar. He reached 65 games, posted career-best scoring and assist numbers, and sharpened one of the league’s best two-man games without losing efficiency. That is enough to put him in the top 10, even if it probably is not enough to win the award.
7. Donovan Clingan
2025-26 Stats: 12.2 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 52.3% FG, 33.5% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 6.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 53.9% FG, 28.6% 3P%
Donovan Clingan has one of the cleanest year-two jumps in the league. He went from a low-usage rookie center to a full-time interior force. The points nearly doubled. The rebounds jumped from 7.9 to 11.6, as he is a monster on the offensive glass. The assists also doubled, which matters because it shows more than just extra minutes. He is doing more with the ball, reading the floor better, and handling a much larger role in the offense. The blocks stayed at 1.6, but that does not weaken the case. His defensive value was already there last season. The real change came in how much more complete and reliable he became.
The team context pushes the case further. The Trail Blazers are ninth in the West, still in the play-in picture, and Clingan has become one of the reasons they stayed relevant instead of fading out of the race. He is third in the league in rebounds per game, and first in offensive rebounds with 4.6, which says a lot about the scale of his impact. Over his last 10 games, he has put up 14.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, so this is not just a season-long bump hiding behind earlier hot weeks. The finish has stayed strong late into the year.
He still sits behind the top names because the scoring volume is lower, and the offensive burden is not the same as the lead creators’ higher in the rankings. That matters in an award like this. But Clingan has a serious case because the leap is obvious, the numbers are strong, and the role changed in a meaningful way. He is no longer just a promising young rim protector. He looks like a starting center who controls the glass, anchors the paint, and gives the Trail Blazers a dependable interior base every night. That is a real improvement, and it belongs near the top third of the list.
6. Trey Murphy III
2025-26 Stats: 21.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 47.3% FG, 38.4% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 21.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 45.4% FG, 36.1% 3P%
Trey Murphy III is a tricky Most Improved Player case because the scoring jump is not massive. It is real, but not dramatic. The reason he still belongs this high is that his game looks more complete now. The efficiency is better, the playmaking is a little better, the defensive activity is up, and the offensive responsibility has clearly grown. He has done this in 61 games, not in a small-sample heater, and that matters when separating serious candidates from hot names who popped for six weeks.
There is also more force to his scoring now. Last season, Murphy looked like a very good shot-maker. This season, he has looked more like a true perimeter engine on many nights. He is creating more, getting to his spots more consistently, and punishing defenses with a broader shot diet. That does not make him a franchise centerpiece, but it does make him more than a specialist wing. For this award, that distinction matters. Improvement is not only about adding five or six points. It is also about becoming harder to scheme against and more central to what a team does on offense.
The team context is not ideal, and that is what keeps him out of the top tier. The Pelicans are 25-46, so there is no clean team-success argument here. Still, they have been much better lately, going 10-4 since February 21, and Murphy has been a major part of that stretch. He had 23 in the win over the Clippers on Wednesday and followed it with 27 in the rematch last night. That late push matters because it reinforces the same point the full season already makes: Murphy is not just scoring more. He is doing more, more efficiently, and with more control than he showed a year ago.
5. Keyonte George
2025-26 Stats: 23.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 45.6% FG, 37.1% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 16.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 39.1% FG, 34.3% 3P%
Keyonte George has one of the clearest offensive jumps in the league. The points are up from 16.8 to 23.6. The assists rose from 5.6 to 6.1. The efficiency jump is the biggest part of the case. Going from 39.1% from the field to 45.6%, while also improving his long-range accuracy from 34.3% to 37.1%, changes the entire read on his season. Last year, George looked promising but erratic. This year, he has looked like a real lead guard scorer who can bend defenses without sabotaging possessions.
That kind of leap is exactly what this award is supposed to reward. George did not just get more shots because a bad team needed volume. He became better with those shots. The handle looks tighter, the shot profile looks cleaner, and the decision-making is sharper. His career-high 43-point game against the Timberwolves in January was one of the clearest examples of that growth. It was not just a random explosion. It was a snapshot of how much more dangerous he has become as an on-ball threat.
The problem is obvious too. The Jazz are 20-49, and voters rarely love giving this award to a player on a team buried that low. That is the cleanest argument against him. Team success matters, even in an award that is usually more individual than team-based. George also missed time recently with a right hamstring issue, which has interrupted some of the late momentum. Even with that, the improvement is hard to dismiss. He made a major scoring jump, a major efficiency jump, and a meaningful playmaking jump. On pure year-to-year growth, he has one of the strongest cases in the field.
4. Nickeil Alexander-Walker
2025-26 Stats: 20.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 44.6% FG, 39.0% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 9.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 43.8% FG, 38.1% 3P%
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has a real case to finish even higher than this. The jump is massive. He went from 9.4 points on the Timberwolves to 20.3 on the Hawks, while also improving his playmaking and nearly doubling his steals. The shooting held too. That is key. This is not a volume spike built on ugly efficiency. He has stayed effective, hit 39.0% of his threes, and done it across 66 games. That is an enormous leap for a player who looked like a useful rotation guard a year ago.
The team context pushes him up the board. The Hawks are 38-31 and in the middle of one of the best late-season runs in the league, with an 11-game winning streak. Alexander-Walker has not been a passenger in that. He scored a career-high 41 against the Magic on Monday, hitting nine threes, and that performance felt like the loudest version of what his season has become. He is no longer just a connector or defensive support piece. He is a real offensive weapon on a winning team.
That is why his case is stronger than some bigger names with nicer reputations. The gap between last season and this one is huge, and it came with team success. That combination matters. He is not putting up empty numbers on a team out of the race. He is playing major minutes, spacing the floor, scoring at a starter level, and helping the Hawks climb after the Trae Young era.
That is usually the sweet spot for this award. The only reason he is not higher is that the top of the race includes players whose leap has come with even more creation or even more central offensive responsibility. But Alexander-Walker absolutely belongs in the top five.
3. Deni Avdija
2025-26 Stats: 24.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 6.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 45.9% FG, 32.5% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 16.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 47.6% FG, 36.5% 3P%
Deni Avdija has a serious case because the offensive jump is not subtle. He went from a solid secondary wing to a real initiator. The scoring rose by more than seven points a night. The assists jumped from 3.9 to 6.7. That is the part that changes the conversation. This is not only about more shots going in. It is about handling more offense, making more reads, and carrying far more of the Trail Blazers’ nightly creation load. On a ballot like this, that matters more than a simple scoring bump.
The team context keeps him high on the list even if it does not push him to No. 1. The Trail Blazers are in the West play-in race and just climbed into a tie for the eighth seed after back-to-back road wins, including a 32-point, 11-rebound game from Avdija against the Pacers. That matters because this is not empty production on a team buried in the standings. The Blazers have been playing games with real stakes, and Avdija has looked like the engine of that push.
What keeps him behind the top two is simple. The efficiency profile is a little shakier than the raw line suggests. His field-goal rate dipped from last season, and the three-point number dropped from 36.5% to 32.5%. The overall package is still strong because the volume and playmaking jumped so much, but the season is not as clean as Jalen Johnson’s or as forceful late as Jalen Duren’s. Avdija has a real chance to finish in the top three because the leap is obvious and the role changed dramatically. He just no longer feels like the favorite.
2. Jalen Johnson
2025-26 Stats: 22.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 49.3% FG, 35.0% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 18.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 50.0% FG, 31.2% 3P%
For a long stretch, Jalen Johnson looked like the obvious winner. He still has the best all-around leap in the field. The scoring climbed from 18.9 to 22.9. The assists exploded from 5.0 to 8.1. He is basically giving the Hawks a point forward line every night, and he has done it over 62 games. That matters because this award usually starts to settle by midseason. Johnson’s case got there early because he did not just improve one part of his game. He became a different level of offensive player.
The team success argument is strong, too. The Hawks are 38-31 and have won 11 straight, one of the best late-season runs in the league. Johnson has stayed central to that surge, including a near triple-double with 17 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds in the win over the Mavericks. That is the profile voters usually like: big individual growth tied to a team that is actually climbing. He has been more than a good story. He has been one of the biggest reasons the Hawks are back in the middle of the East race.
So why is he No. 2 instead of No. 1? Mostly because the race changed late. Johnson’s season still looks like a classic MIP winner, but Duren’s recent push has been louder and attached to a better team profile. That does not erase Johnson’s case. It just means the finish matters. If this had been decided a month ago, he would have won. Right now, he feels more like the player who held the spot for most of the year before someone else made the final charge.
1. Jalen Duren
2025-26 Stats: 19.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 64.1% FG, 0.0% 3P%
2024-25 Stats: 11.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 69.2% FG, 0.0% 3P%
Jalen Duren gets the top spot because he has the late push, the team success, and the kind of production jump voters notice immediately. He went from 11.8 points to 19.1 while keeping his rebounding at a high level and staying brutally efficient around the rim. The assist and block numbers are down a bit, but that does not hurt the case much. His job changed. He became more of a finisher and interior scorer on a team that needed force in the paint, and he has delivered that all season.
The bigger swing is context. The Pistons just reached 50 wins for the first time since 2007-08, and Duren has looked like a major part of that rise, not just a beneficiary of Cade Cunningham’s season. Over his last 10 games, he has put up 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds, then followed that with 24 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s win over the Wizards. That is exactly how a late-season MIP surge gets remembered. The numbers are big, the team is winning, and the timing could not be better.
This is why he has probably moved past Johnson. Johnson still has the broader all-around line. Avdija still has the prettier creation jump. But Duren has the strongest closing argument. He is producing monster numbers, the Pistons have become one of the best regular-season stories in the league, and his role has clearly grown inside a winning structure. In an award that often gets decided by narrative momentum as much as clean statistical improvement, Duren now looks like the player most likely to finish first.
