The NBA Most Improved Player Odds (NBA MIP Odds) Say Brandon Ingram is the Man
By: James Tillman
Welcome back to our ongoing discussion about the players who are in the running for the Most Improved Player award. Last week, the names who appeared on the list included Devonte Graham, Brandon Ingram and sophomore sensation Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
Did this trio of players retain their spots on our weekly list or did a new name emerge? Here’s a look at the updated odds for the guys in the running for the MIP award based on how they performed over the abbreviated week heading into the All-Star break.
Betting on the NBA Most Improved Player Odds
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The Third-Best NBA Most Improved Player Odds (NBA MIP Odds: Devonte Graham +400 – No Change)
Taking the shortened week into consideration, there is a chance that each of the players may have just one game under their belt over the past week, and Devonte Graham falls into this category. Following a less than memorable outing against the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 10 in which he scored 14 points on just 6-for-17 shooting from the field, Graham went into the break on a high note.
In a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he contributed 28 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Even more important, the Hornets are on a modest two-game winning streak for the first time in a month. Although it is difficult to see Graham making a serious run in this race, he leads the Hornets in scoring and has been one of the few bright spots for a team that will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
The Second-Best NBA Most Imroved Player Odds (NBA MIP Odds: Luka Doncic +175 – No Change)
After being saddled with an ankle injury, Luka Doncic returned to the court in spectacular fashion to say the least. In his lone contest prior to the All-Star break, he scored 33 points (on 10-for-18 shooting) to go along with 12 rebounds and eight assists.
As a result, the Mavericks cruised to a 130-111 win over the Sacramento Kings and they are currently in the No. 7 spot in the conference playoff race. With the second half of the season about to start, look for Doncic to make a serious push towards reclaiming the top spot on the list.
The NBA Most Improved Player Odds (NBA MIP Odds) Favorite: Brandon Ingram (+175 – No Change)
Even though Ingram didn’t play in any games over the past week, he retains the No. 1 spot on our weekly list. On the season, Ingram is leading the New Orleans Pelicans in scoring with a career-best 24.9 points per contest. His 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per outing are also career highs for the fourth-year forward.
And from an efficiency standpoint, Ingram is shooting 47.3 percent from the field overall and an impressive 40 percent from 3-point range. Based on the leaps Ingram has made in each of his NBA seasons, he is certainly a deserving candidate for several reasons. It will be interesting to see how this race continues to shape up during the second half of the season.
