Ja Morant Brings Most Improved Player Award to Grizzlies

As pretty much everyone saw coming, Ja Morant took home the NBA’s Most Improved Player hardware on Monday after a fantastic season that also had him in the MVP conversation.

While the MIP is nice, it’s a stepping stone for the main event award handed out by the Association later in these playoffs. This year, the Most Valuable Player will likely go to Joel Embiid, but this honor could be the springboard to an MVP season for Morant next year.

Ja was the runaway favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook for much of the season after putting up 27.4 points per game this year compared to 19.1 last season. The Grizzlies superstar would have finished just outside the top-five in the NBA’s scoring race in sixth had he qualified, but he suited up for 57 games, just one under the minimum 58 needed.

Morant’s Grizzlies will look for a 3-2 lead in their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow night. FanDuel Sportsbook has Memphis as -6 point home favorites.