Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been named the 2021-22 Kia NBA Most Improved Player, the NBA announced today.
A three-year NBA veteran, Morant becomes the first player to win the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award with Memphis. The annual award, which was first presented in the 1985-86 season, is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.
Morant received 221 points (38 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray finished in second place with 183 points (20 first-place votes). Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland finished in third place with 178 points (11 first-place votes). 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.
In addition to an 8.3-point increase in scoring and 4.3 percent improvement in field goal percentage from the 2020-21 season, Morant established career-high averages in minutes, rebounds, steals (1.16 spg), free throws made (5.5), free throws attempted (7.3) and three-pointers made (1.5). He also recorded a career high in three-point field goal percentage (34.4).
Morant posted six games with at least 40 points after having one 40-point game over his first two regular seasons. He set the Grizzlies’ single-game regular-season scoring record in back-to-back games, first with 46 points against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 26 and then with a career-high 52 points against the Spurs on Feb. 28. As part of his success as a scorer this season, the 6-3 Morant led the NBA in points in the paint per game (16.6).
His honors this season included earning a starting spot in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. Morant also was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week in consecutive weeks (Jan. 3 and Jan. 10), the first two such honors of his career. He became the first player in Grizzlies history to win the award in back-to-back weeks.
Behind Morant, the Grizzlies (56-26) finished with the second-best record in the NBA, matched the franchise’s single-season record for victories and secured their highest playoff seed ever (No. 2 in the Western Conference). Morant was one of three Memphis players to earn votes for the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, along with guard Desmond Bane (who finished in fifth place) and forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr. (who received one second-place vote).
Morant, the 2019-20 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, was selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He entered the 2021-22 season with career averages of 18.4 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds across his first two seasons.
Morant will be presented with a special edition 75th Anniversary commemorative trophy today in celebration of the honor, gifted in addition to the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award trophy, which he will receive later. The commemorative trophy, composed of a solid crystal basketball, features the NBA 75 logo 3D laser etched and suspended within its center.
| VOTING RESULTS: 2021-22 KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD | |||||||||
| Player (Team) | 1st Place Votes (5 Points) | 2nd Place Votes (3 Points) | 3rd Place Votes (1 Point) | Total Points | |||||
| Ja Morant (Memphis) | 38 | 9 | 4 | 221 | |||||
| Dejounte Murray (San Antonio) | 20 | 20 | 23 | 183 | |||||
| Darius Garland (Cleveland) | 11 | 36 | 15 | 178 | |||||
| Jordan Poole (Golden State) | 15 | 12 | 20 | 131 | |||||
| Desmond Bane (Memphis) | 7 | 10 | 9 | 74 | |||||
| Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia) | 6 | 5 | 7 | 52 | |||||
| Miles Bridges (Charlotte) | 3 | 4 | 11 | 38 | |||||
| Anfernee Simons (Portland) | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | |||||
| Robert Williams III (Boston) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |||||
| Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |||||
| Jalen Brunson (Dallas) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Max Strus (Miami) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Below is the all-time list of winners of the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award.
| KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD WINNERS | ||||
| 1985-86 – Alvin Robertson, San Antonio1986-87 – Dale Ellis, Seattle1987-88 – Kevin Duckworth, Portland1988-89 – Kevin Johnson, Phoenix1989-90 – Rony Seikaly, Miami1990-91 – Scott Skiles, Orlando1991-92 – Pervis Ellison, Washington1992-93 – Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Denver1993-94 – Don MacLean, Washington1994-95 – Dana Barros, Philadelphia1995-96 – Gheorghe Muresan, Washington1996-97 – Isaac Austin, Miami1997-98 – Alan Henderson, Atlanta | 1998-99 – Darrell Armstrong, Orlando 1999-00 – Jalen Rose, Indiana2000-01 – Tracy McGrady, Orlando2001-02 – Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana2002-03 – Gilbert Arenas, Golden State2003-04 – Zach Randolph, Portland2004-05 – Bobby Simmons, LA Clippers2005-06 – Boris Diaw, Phoenix2006-07 – Monta Ellis, Golden State2007-08 – Hedo Türkoğlu, Orlando2008-09 – Danny Granger, Indiana2009-10 – Aaron Brooks, Houston2010-11 – Kevin Love, Minnesota | 2011-12 – Ryan Anderson, Orlando2012-13 – Paul George, Indiana2013-14 – Goran Dragić, Phoenix2014-15 – Jimmy Butler, Chicago2015-16 – CJ McCollum, Portland2016-17 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee2017-18 – Victor Oladipo, Indiana2018-19 – Pascal Siakam, Toronto2019-20 – Brandon Ingram, New Orleans2020-21 – Julius Randle, New York2021-22 – Ja Morant, Memphis |
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