NBA News Wire
Suns’ Dragic wins Most Improved Player award
Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.
All posts by Alan DraperUpdated5 hours ago on April 25, 2024
Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic, who helped lead the team to a 23-win improvement while establishing career highs in scoring and field goal percentage, was named the 2013-14 NBA Most Improved Player on Wednesday.
The annual award is presented to a player who has made a significant improvement from the previous season.
Collecting 408 of a possible 1,134 points, Dragic received 65 first-place votes from a panel of 126 sportswriters and broadcasters. Guard Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers (158 points, 13 first-place votes) and forward Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans (155 points, 16 first-place votes) came in second and third, respectively. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.
Dragic, who entered the 2013-14 campaign with a career scoring average of 9.5 points, averaged a career-best 20.3 points to go with 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds, as the Suns finished with a record of 48-34, one game behind the Dallas Mavericks, who claimed the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. He shot a career-best .505 from the field and a career-high .408 from behind the 3-point arc, the only player in the NBA to shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.
Dragic is the third Sun to win the award, joining Kevin Johnson (1988-89) and Boris Diaw (2005-06).
