Which Celtic is Now on the NBA Most Improved Player Odds (NBA MIP Odds) Board?
By: James Tillman
Hello NBA fans. We welcome you back to your weekly discussion regarding the trio of players in the running for the NBA Most Improved Player award. Dallas Mavericks’ second-year guard Luka Doncic had dominated this category prior to being shelved with an ankle injury.
Did Doncic reclaim the top spot on this list or did a couple of new names emerge? Here’s a look at the updated odds for the players with the best chances to win the award based upon how they performed over the past week (Feb. 25 through Mar. 2).
Betting on the NBA Most Improved Player Odds
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Third-Best NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Jayson Tatum (+450). Last Week’s NBA MIP Odds (Out of Top 3)
A week ago, Doncic slid to the No. 3 spot on our list and he has now been supplanted by Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum. Over the past week, Tatum has certainly put up some impressive numbers. In a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers, he scored 36 points and grabbed four rebounds. It is also worth noting that he shot 14-for-22 from the field and converted eight of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc.
In the team’s 114-103 win over the Utah Jazz, Tatum was at it again, scoring 33 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three assists. He concluded the week with another solid outing against the Houston Rockets, finishing with 32 points, 13 boards, and five assists. It was the fourth straight outing in which Tatum exceeded the 30-point mark.
Moreover, Tatum compiled averages of 30.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest on 49.4 percent shooting from the field and 48.1 percent from 3-point range during the month of February. On the heels of this recent stretch, Tatum has certainly earned a spot on the list. Let’s see if he’s able to stay there.
Second-Best NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Bam Adebayo (+300) Last Week’s NBA MIP odds (+300)
Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo made his way into the mix a week ago and he retains the No. 2 spot on the list. In a losing effort against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Adebayo did his part, scoring 22 points, collecting 10 rebounds and handing out seven assists. Let’s also mention that he had two blocks as well. In his next two outings against the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets, the third-year forward combined for 30 points, 23 rebounds and six assists.
Adebayo finished off another impressive week with a great all-around effort against the Bucks. In that contest, he scored 14 points, pulled down 13 boards, handed out five assists and blocked three shots. The 2019-20 campaign has been by far the best NBA season of Adebayo’s young career and it appears that he is just starting to scratch the surface of what he can bring to the court on a nightly basis.
Top NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Brandon Ingram (+150) Last Week’s NBA MIP Odds (+140)
New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram continues to hold down the top spot on our weekly list and he certainly got off to a hot start. In a 118-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, he scored 34 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded four assists. In the team’s 116-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, he had yet another strong outing with 29 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.
Unfortunately, Ingram didn’t finish the week on a high note. In a rematch against the Lakers, he scored 15 points while connecting on just five of his 23 attempts from the field, including an abysmal 1-for-9 showing from long range. But during a season in which he is posting career-bests in points (24.6), rebounds (6.3), assists (4.3) and 3-point shooting (39.2 percent), it’s easy to see why he continues to be the odds-on favorite in this category.
