5 best Most Improved Player of the Year candidates after 9 days of 2023-24 NBA season

---

#3 Shaedon Sharpe

The Damian Lillard standoff and the drafting of Scoot Henderson made Shaedon Sharpe the forgotten man in Portland.

In 80 games last season, he averaged 9.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.2 APG. In his first five games, he is putting up 20.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.0 APG and 1.0 SPG.

Sharpe leads the Blazers in scoring and is turning heads not just with his highlight reel dunks but also with his hustle on defense. He could be one of the legit contenders for the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year award.

---

#2 Cam Thomas

Thomas came out like a house on fire in the Brooklyn Nets’ first three games. He had 36, 30 and 33 points in those games. Thomas fizzled against the Miami Heat in their last game, coming up with just 13 points.

Thomas has always been a bucket-getter. Consistency and work on the defensive end are the main reasons why he hasn’t had the breakout many thought he’d have. Still, going from 10.6 PPG to 28.0 PPG is a staggering improvement.

If he can sustain the same, he could be a major contender for the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year honor.

---

#1 Tyrese Maxey

The Philadelphia 76ers may have decided not to give James Harden a max contract because they probably thought Maxey was already the better player. Maxey is averaging 30.3 PPG, exactly 10 points better than last season, without Harden.

The former Kentucky standout has been nearly unstoppable with his shotmaking. He's hitting 50.0% of his field goals, including a mind-blowing 56.0% from deep. Now that Harden has been traded, Maxey is guaranteed to be Joel Embiid’s pick-and-roll partner in Nick Nurse’s offense.

The NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Trophy may go to Maxey by the season’s end.