Arguably the biggest reason for the NY Knicks‘ jump from cellar-dweller to a competitive playoff team this past season was the play of Julius Randle.
His emergence to stardom earned him an all-star appearance, an All-NBA Second Team selection, and he was the clear-cut winner of the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award (MIP).
More often than not, especially in recent history, the recipient of the MIP Award has been a player who has come into his own and reached his potential as one of the league’s best players.
Just 19 of the 36 winners of the award since its inception for the 1985-86 season have been All-Stars.
Only seven of those players (Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, Goran Dragic, Paul George, Victor Oladipo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Randle) were selected to an All-NBA team in the same season, with Pascal Siakam being the only other player to make an All-NBA team after winning the award.
Other recent All-Star caliber players who won the award are Kevin Love, CJ McCollum, Jimmy Butler, and Brandon Ingram.
Can Another NY Knicks Player Be the MIP this season?
Therefore, there is a rich history to the award, and seeing a player honored for making such a leap in their career is a good sign that that player will be a star-level player for years to come.
A frequent pastime for NBA fans in the offseason is discussing which players will make those leaps.
Typically, fans and media are successful in predicting which player wins the award and which players are in the running for it as well.
One of the popular names that are being discussed online for this year’s winner in fact is a New York Knick.
So, in this article, I will be giving my three choices for which Knicks players have a chance to succeed Julius Randle as the winner of the MIP Award in the 2021-22 season.
Can Mitchell Robinson win the Most Improved Player Award?
Yes, I think we are definitely past the point in time where it was rational to believe Mitchell Robinson has All-Star potential.
And yes I did just get finished noting that most players who are in consideration for the Most Improved Player Award are at or near an all-star caliber level.
But, in Robinson’s case, there are several areas in which he can possibly see an upgrade, which when combined can launch him into that MIP conversation.
Here is a checklist for those improvements:
- Average double-digit points and rebounds
- Increase free throw percentage
- Play close to a full season and be the anchor for a top NBA defense
- Drop fouls per game even more so
- Take and make jump shots
Robinson doesn’t need to accomplish all or even most of these things, but any combination of those five goals can compile a solid argument for Robinson being in the running for MIP.
For the last few seasons, many Knicks fans have hoped to see Mitch consistently record double-double production, and for good reason.
This isn’t just an example of people overrating the value of baseline statistics.
Being able to get at least 10 points and rebounds per game at the center position is the hallmark of a top-tier big-man.
But more importantly, from a talent perspective, Robinson is more than capable of doing so.
We shouldn’t expect less from a player as efficient and as tenacious a rebounder as he can be oftentimes.
An NBA starting center should be averaging either 10 points or 10 assists, especially with the playmaking and overall talent Robinson will be playing alongside this upcoming season.
Part of that first goal becoming a reality is shooting a better free throw percentage and even utilizing a jump shot.
More free throws made equals more points scored, it’s that simple.
Robinson is a very poor free throw shooter (57% for his career), so improving that part of his game can finally get him better numbers in the scoring column.
And while having a poor free-throw shooter take jumpers doesn’t sound like a great idea, Robinson has been posting summer workout videos of himself shooting three-pointers during every offseason.
Being able to stretch the floor is a huge benefit for a center in the NBA.
Shouldn’t Robinson at least start attempting a couple of shots outside the paint? We won’t know if he can do it until it is attempted in a real game.
Lastly, Robinson has already been successful in anchoring an elite defense and improving his fouling woes, but in a somewhat limited sample size.
These accomplishments and all others won’t be relevant enough for the MIP if he isn’t on the floor. If Robinson can do any of these things and play 70 or more games for the first time in his career, he will be taken more seriously as a significant player in the league.
Can Immanuel Quickley win Most Improved Player this season?
The Knicks have a ton of talent when it comes to their backcourt.
So much so in fact that RJ Barrett and Alec Burks will be the New York Knicks’ primary small forwards this season despite usually being utilized as shooting guards.
But, even with all of this depth, Immanuel Quickley can still be expected to see plenty of burn.
Just by becoming a more efficient and consistent scorer, Quickley will be an improved player, and his numbers will look great, therefore potentially turning heads towards a MIP campaign.
While Quickley’s rookie season was certainly a success, he did have his struggles. He was very much a microwave sort of player.
Sometimes he was just unstoppable with his deep threes and his floaters. But, other times he was ice cold.
Quickley struggled the most with his 2-point scoring, finishing the year with a non-ideal 39% field goal percentage and a just as unenthusiastic 40% 2P%.
Thankfully though his efficiency woes did not translate to his three-point shooting as he shot 39% on 4 attempts from deep per game.
Quickley’s minutes may only hover around 20 minutes per game once again in his sophomore season, but he can still go a long way in improving his game by having a better shot selection at times and by simply making more of the great looks he often creates for himself.
Additionally, we can see an improvement in Quickley’s assist numbers.
During the NBA Summer League, IQ was given the keys to the offense and did a great job.
In his four games as the starting point guard, Quickley tallied 7 assists twice and recorded 8 and 9 assists in the other two games.
Overall, his assist to turnover ratio was 31:11, which is very impressive.
Maybe that success will see Quickley get more looks like the lead guard in the Knicks offense.
The addition of more competent playmaking and shooting in the form of Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker can do wonders for both Quickley’s shooting and assists numbers.
Sure, to an extent you can make an argument that Quickley wouldn’t be deserving of MIP just because he has better stats on a team with an improved offense.
However, it is still on Quickley to record those stats.
The right boost in his shooting percentages (and in turn points per game) assist numbers and an overall increased role in the offense can lead to a nod for the MIP Award.
Do you think RJ Barrett can win the Most Improved Player Award this year?
Make no mistake, RJ Barrett is clearly the player on the Knicks roster with the most realistic shot of being the NBA’s 2022 Most Improved Player.
Heck, RJ was so great in his second year as a pro that he received two 3rd place votes for the award this past season.
At just 21 years old and already the second-best player on a team that finished 4th in the Eastern Conference, Barrett is the alluded to name who is among the most popular choices for winning the award by having a big year 3.
“Year 3 RJ Barrett” has probably been the one thing Knicks fans are most excited about.
Barrett already made strides towards stardom by improving his PPG, RPG, and APG numbers and increasing each of his shooting percentages despite an incredibly cold stretch to start the 20-21 campaign.
The biggest areas in which he took a leap were with his three-point and free-throw shooting.
Once the largest holes in his game, Barrett now shoots roughly league average at the charity stripe (75% ) while knocking down a more than efficient 40% of his 4 attempts per game from downtown.
If just one offseason of work fixed his worst issues, now imagine what Barrett will look like after an offseason of not just building on those improvements but also honing his best attributes?
It is no wonder many Knicks fans are predicting Barrett will make his first career All-Star game appearance in 2022.
If he makes another significant jump and once again helps the Knicks be a top-tier team in the conference in the first half of the season, why couldn’t he be an All-Star?
What I am most excited to see from Barrett though is his defense in Year 3.
With Reggie Bullock now headed to Dallas, it is finally time for Barrett to take on the task of being the Knicks’ go-to perimeter defender.
My favorite stat from last season about RJ was his defensive field goal percentage, which was 43.1%.
That number was better than the following players: Jimmy Butler, Jaylen Brown, Lu Dort, Myles Turner, Bam Adebayo, Paul George, Marcus Smart, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum.
To think that Barrett quietly matched up defensively at a level comparable to many of the NBA’s elite defenders speaks to the promise he has on that end of the floor.
A continued increase in his efficiency and traditional stats, more success in the win column, and the potential to further solidify himself as one of the league’s best young two-way players is nearly a surefire recipe for being among the top candidates for MIP.
He’s my pick for sure, and hopefully, he will be the pick next summer.