The surge for Dyson Daniels of the Detroit Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham (+400)
Here's a look at the updated odds for all contenders vying for the George Mikan trophy and how the rest of the field looks behind Daniels and Cunningham.
2025 NBA Most Improved Player Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Dyson Daniels | Atlanta Hawks | -1200 |
| Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons | +400 |
| Christian Braun | Denver Nuggets | +15000 |
| Ivica Zubac | Los Angeles Clippers | +15000 |
| Evan Mobley | Cleveland Cavaliers | +25000 |
| Tyler Herro | Miami Heat | +25000 |
Odds as of April 8, 2025 at BetMGM
NBA Most Improved Player Favorite: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks (-1200)
Daniels more so fits the criteria of what this hardware is trying to acknowledge, as he's blossomed following his first two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans to become "The Great Barrier Thief" with Atlanta and lead all players across the Association at three steals per game. To put that number in perspective, two players are tied for second place in that category at 1.8.
The Hawks were willing to part with someone like De'Andre Hunter for depth pieces because the 21-year-old Australia native had developed so quickly and perhaps surprisingly. Daniels is averaging just over 14 points per game and is likely going to double his total points from his first two years combined. That's a level of improvement which was unforeseen when compared to what Cunningham has done in the Motor City.
NBA Most Improved Player Favorite: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (+400)
Whether or not Cunningham actually wins Most Improved Player will likely come down to voter's interpretation of the criteria and if they believe being an All-Star and former No. 1 overall pick should be automatic disqualifiers. Should the hardware go to someone who emerged from obscurity to put themselves on the map, or has Cunningham done enough for the surprise Pistons this season to overlook his past draft position?
It's through no fault of his own, of course, but entering the league after getting selected first comes with certain expectations. Cunningham was also averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists last season which are all incredible numbers for a third-year player, but that production has jumped to 25.9 points (ninth in NBA), 6.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists (fourth in NBA), and that's a noteworthy jump no matter which way you slice it. The Pistons are also 43-36 and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, which guarantees at least the first .500 season for the franchise since 2019 and is also 12 more victories than the last two years combined (31).
Past 10 NBA Most Improved Player Winners
| Year | Player | Team | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tyrese Maxey | Philadelphia 76ers | +1050 |
| 2023 | Lauri Markkanen | Utah Jazz | N/A |
| 2022 | Ja Morant | Memphis Grizzlies | +3000 |
| 2021 | Julius Randle | New York Knicks | +2000 |
| 2020 | Brandon Ingram | New Orleans Pelicans | +4000 |
| 2019 | Pascal Siakam | Toronto Raptors | N/A |
| 2018 | Victor Oladipo | Indiana Pacers | +2500 |
| 2017 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | N/A |
| 2016 | CJ McCollum | Portland Trail Blazers | N/A |
| 2015 | Jimmy Butler | Chicago Bulls | N/A |
Most Improved Player winners tend to come out of nowhere, and the opening odds never lean heavily in favor of one player because it's such a crapshoot in the end.
As seen here with winners from the last decade, Tyrese Maxey in 2024 was the only player to win after opening with odds greater than 11-to-1.
NBA Most Improved Player Winners By Team
| Awards | Team | Years | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Indiana Pacers | 2000, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2018 | Victor Oladipo (2018) |
| 5 | Orlando Magic | 1991, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2012 | Ryan Anderson (2012) |
| 3 | Washington Wizards | 1992, 1994, 1996 | Gheorghe Muresan (1996) |
| 3 | Phoenix Suns | 1989, 2006, 2014 | Goran Dragic (2014) |
| 3 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1988, 2004, 2016 | CJ McCollum (2016) |
| 2 | Miami Heat | 1990, 1997 | Isaac Austin (1997) |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | 2003, 2007 | Monta Ellis (2007) |
| 2 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1995, 2024 | Tyrese Maxey (2024) |
The Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic currently share the record for the most winners of this honor at five apiece, although neither franchise has won since 2018.
NBA Most Improved Player Winners By Position
| Position | MIP Wins |
|---|---|
| Power Forward | 10 |
| Point Guard | 9 |
| Shooting Guard | 8 |
| Small Forward | 7 |
| Center | 5 |
There's no massive gap between any two positions as far as which has had more winners of Most Improved Player, with power forward leading the way at 10 players and point guard right behind at nine.
NBA Teams With Zero Most Improved Player Winners
The following teams have never had an NBA Most Improved Player winner: Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and Sacramento Kings.
How To Read NBA Most Improved Player Odds
When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Player odds laid out like this:
- Jonathan Kuminga +1000
- Evan Mobley +1100
It's like a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+). In this scenario, Jonathan Kuminga is favored despite being at plus money. If you were to bet $100 on Kuminga in the NBA Most Improved Player betting odds and it hits, you would win $1100 – your $100 is returned and you would get $1000 in profit.
If you were to bet on which player will be named Most Improved Player, you would make a futures bet.
What Is A Futures Bet?
This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s Most Improved Player. To make a Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the Most Improved Player odds and the amount of money you bet.
