Daniels, Cunningham, Zubac named finalists for NBA's most improved player award

Detroit's Cade Cunningham, the Los Angeles Clippers' Ivica Zubac and Atlanta's Dyson Daniels all made significant leaps this season.

It's time for the NBA to reveal which jump was deemed the best.

Cunningham, Zubac and Daniels are the finalists for the NBA's most improved player award, which will be revealed Wednesday night shortly after 7 p.m. on TNT.

Cunningham saw almost all of his numbers increase over last season, including points per game (26.1 from 22.7), field goal percentage (.469 from .449), rebounds per game (6.1 from 4.3) and assists (9.1 from 7.5). He led Detroit’s massive and largely unprecedented one-year turnaround, with the Pistons going from 14-68 and the bottom of the NBA last season to 44-38 and a playoff team this season.

Zubac had the best numbers of his nine-year career, averaging 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He also played a career-best 80 games and logged nearly 33 minutes on average in those contests, plus was one of the league’s top defensive players.

Daniels’ first season in Atlanta was nothing like either of his first two NBA seasons with New Orleans. His numbers soared with career-bests in points (14.1, more than double his 5.8 average last season), rebounds (5.9), assists (4.4), steals (a league-leading 3.0) and his field-goal shooting went from 43.5% in his first two seasons to 49.3% this year. The Hawks made him a full-time starter, something Daniels hadn’t been with the Pelicans.

The most improved player award, like several other NBA honors, was voted on by a global panel of 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league and cast ballots shortly after the end of the regular season.

The other awards that were part of that voting process and have already had their results unveiled: San Antonio's Stephon Castle winning rookie of the year, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley winning defensive player of the year, New York’s Jalen Brunson winning clutch player of the year, and Boston’s Payton Pritchard winning sixth man of the year.

Other awards announced by the league since the end of the regular season: Golden State’s Stephen Curry won the Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year award and Warriors teammate Draymond Green won the hustle award.

Awards that will be announced later in the playoffs include MVP (either Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokic or Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo), coach of the year (either Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson or Houston's Ime Udoka), plus the All-NBA, All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams.

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