It wasn't the regular season that many of us expected, but given the circumstances, an impressive late-season run and another near-playoff miss could serve to provide a sturdy foundation for the future. But now that it's over, it's time to hand out awards. In this case, you get to vote on who wins. We'll have a different award to hand out each day, so keep checking in. Feel free to discuss your reasoning for making a particular vote in the comments.
Previous Awards: Most Improved Player - Most Impressive Victory - Defensive Player of the Year
Here lies an award that has quickly become my favorite. I've always been interested in developing prospects, sure, but this is the type of award that you can look back on a year later and see exactly how wrong you were about your initial projections. Last season's voting serves as a perfect example. Take a look at the results:
59% - Jordan Hill
28% - Chase Budinger
5% - Trevor Ariza
4% - Kyle Lowry
3% Jermaine Taylor
Of course, the question specifies that improvement is to be gauged from the end of one season to the end of the next. So, in other words, we were guessing who, by this point, would be the most improved player among the above options. Clearly, Hill's game hasn't grown and matured as we'd hoped, whereas Kyle Lowry's has exploded.
With this collective gaffe in judgment in mind, try your luck at this year's crop. Has Lowry peaked? Will Hill regain relevancy? Will Patrick Patterson turn into a legitimate starter? Have at it.