Latest news with #MostImprovedPlayer
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"My career is over if I go there" - Paul George on why he'd never sign with the Hornets despite liking the city
"My career is over if I go there" - Paul George on why he'd never sign with the Hornets despite liking the city originally appeared on Basketball Network. Paul George is tied to the Philadelphia 76ers for the next few years on a contract that has sparked plenty of debate. Still, looking beyond that commitment, he recently gave a hypothetical glimpse into his future plans. On a recent episode of his show, George made clear that joining the Charlotte Hornets is — and will remain — off his radar. Charlotte's culture fails to impress PG-13 George was picked 10th overall out of Fresno State and has now spent 15 years in the league. Over that time, the 6'8" swingman has grown into a superstar and one of the NBA's elite two-way players, loaded with individual honors. He boasts nine All-Star selections, two NBA All-Defensive First Team nods, the 2013 Most Improved Player award, and led the league in steals in 2019. It's safe to say the California native has the clout to choose almost any team — if he were to hit free agency right now. But like every athlete facing a major decision, the choice is rarely simple. PG-13 himself pointed to two key factors that carry real weight: the city and the culture surrounding the team. On both fronts, the Hornets present a tough call — one George said he'd rather stay away from. "Listen, if I'm in free agency, I'm not picking Charlotte just because there's no winning culture there," the 76er emphasized. "Charlotte is an amazing city. Would love to play for it, because of the city — like, I can see myself living there. But in terms of a basketball standpoint, I'm not going. My career is over if I go there." Great city but not popular with vets Paul's comment casually hinted at two separate things: Charlotte as a city, and the Hornets as a franchise. And yes — there's a clear gap between the two. City consistently ranks well as a place to live. slotted it at No. 44 on its 2025 list, factoring in safety, schools, and job prospects. The Hornets, meanwhile, sit near the bottom of any hypothetical list of destinations for top-tier talent. In fact, a recent anonymous player poll by The Athletic ranked Charlotte dead last among all NBA franchises. While we can only guess how PG-13 voted, his comment reflected what most players already believe. After all, the team's track record — or lack thereof — speaks for itself. Since joining the league in 1988, the Hornets — once owned by the legendary Michael Jordan — have made the playoffs only ten times and never advanced past the second round. Over the last two seasons, they posted dismal 21-61 and 19-63 records. Ultimately, the numbers don't lie — and neither did George, who likely didn't intend to bash the Hornets but simply stated the facts. There's more than one way to respond to such realities. A smart approach is to use them as motivation to improve. Maybe that's the mindset LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and the rest of the Hornets will bring when the regular season tips off on October story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
2025 NBA Most Improved Player Odds: Deni Avdija, Amen Thompson Favored
The confetti is still fresh on the court from the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrating their NBA title, but sportsbooks and fans are already turning their attention to next year's NBA betting markets. One market that's getting some action is Most Improved Player. Atlanta's Dyson Daniels won the honor at the end of the 2024-25 season. From 2023 to last year, Daniels improved his scoring by 8.3 points and rebounding by two boards per game to average 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds. So which NBA player will take home the hardware at the end of next season? Let's take a look at the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 10. NBA Most Improved Player 2025-26 Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)Amen Thompson, Rockets: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)Andrew Nembhard, Pacers: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Ausar Thompson, Pistons: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)Trey Murphy III, Pelicans: +2200 (bet $10 to win $210 total)Jalen Johnson, Hawks: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)Max Christie, Mavericks: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total) The first player on this board is Portland's Deni Avdija at +1000. The 2024 season was his first as a Trail Blazer, and in it, he saw the number of games that he started drop from the previous year. For the Wizards in 2023, he started 75 games; in 2024 he started 54. He did, however, average more points in 2024 (16.9) than in 2023 (14.7). Also at +1000 is the second player on the board, Houston's Amen Thompson. Thompson is entering his third year in the league, and while his stats did improve from Year 1 to Year 2, there's still room for improvement. In 2024, he averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Rockets. A longer shot for this award is Terance Mann at +14000. Once a pivotal part of the Clippers' rotation, as a Hawk for half of last season, Mann only started one game. However, he shot better from 3 in the second half of the season in Atlanta and averaged more points (9.8 with the Hawks compared to 6.0 with the Clippers). Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 NBA MVP Odds: Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Early Favorites
It's never too early to dive into next season's NBA betting markets, and that's why fans are wagering on spots like championship futures, Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player. Fans are also beginning to put cash on players they think have a shot at winning MVP at the end of the 2025-26 season. Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home the award at the end of the 2024 season as the team made its championship run. Who will win the league's most coveted individual regular-season honor next year? Let's take a look at the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 17. Regular Season MVP 2025-26 Nikola Jokić, Nuggets: +200 (bet $10 to win $30 total) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: +250 (bet $10 to win $35 total) Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total) Luka Dončić, Lakers: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total) Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total) Victor Wembanyama, Spurs: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total) Cade Cunningham, Pistons: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total) Jalen Brunson, Knicks: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total) Joel Embiid, 76ers: +7000 (bet $10 to win $710 total) Kevin Durant, Rockets: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total) Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total) Paolo Banchero, Magic: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total) Jaylen Brown, Celtics: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total) Anthony Davis, Mavericks: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total) Ja Morant, Grizzlies: +12000 (bet $10 to win $1,210 total) LeBron James, Lakers: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total) Denver's Nikola Jokić is first on the board at +200. The three-time MVP finished the regular season averaging 29.6 points (third in the NBA), 12.7 rebounds (third) and 10.2 assists (second). He finished second in MVP voting behind Gilgeous-Alexander. Speaking of the Thunder's superstar guard, SGA is a close second on the board at +250. The reigning MVP received 71 first-place votes after a regular season in which his 32.7 points per game led the league in scoring. He became the third player in the franchise's history to win MVP. Kevin Durant (2013-14) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17) are the other two Thunder players to take home this hardware. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo rounds out the top three at +700. He didn't receive any first- or second-place votes in last season's voting but did rack up 88 third-place votes. His 30.4 ppg ranked second in the NBA in scoring last year. Further down the list is L.A.'s LeBron James at +15000. King James is a four-time MVP and is preparing to enter his 23rd year in the NBA. It's still uncertain, though, if that 23rd year will be as a Laker or with another team. LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game last season. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Utah Jazz reportedly not looking to trade Lauri Markkanen
John Collins? Traded. Collin Sexton? Traded. Jordan Clarkson? Bought out. Lauri Markkanen? It looks like the veteran forward is staying in Utah and will not be traded, Tim MacMahon reports at ESPN. [Trading Markkanen] is not Utah's intention, sources told ESPN. It would be too much to describe Markkanen as untouchable, but the Jazz still project the All-Star forward as a key player in their future core. Advertisement While this is what a front office says when trying to gain leverage and drive up the price tag on a potential trade, in this case, there are reasons to believe Utah means it. For one thing, even if Markkanen bounces back to the form of his first season in Utah — when he was an All-Star and won the Most Improved Player award — it's not going to disrupt the clear plan for next season, which is to, how should we put this, end up with excellent lottery odds. Secondly, his massive salary — his four-year, $195.9 million contract extension kicks in this season, starting at $46.4 million — makes finding a workable trade difficult. Finally, and tied to that contract, Markkanen struggled through an injury-plagued last season, averaging 19 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but his shooting efficiency was down across the board, including 34.6% from 3-point range. Teams are going to want to see the 28-year-old regain his form. Which is to say, the Jazz are going to wait, play Markannen with their young stars like the just-drafted Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski (who has looked fantastic at Summer League) and Walker Kessler, and see how things shake out. At the deadline, maybe the Jazz and another team out there will feel differently, maybe not, but for now expect Markkanen to stay in Utah. Where he has wanted to be.
NBC Sports
15-07-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Utah Jazz reportedly not looking to trade Lauri Markkanen
John Collins? Traded. Collin Sexton? Traded. Jordan Clarkson? Bought out. Lauri Markkanen? It looks like the veteran forward is staying in Utah and will not be traded, Tim MacMahon reports at ESPN. [Trading Markkanen] is not Utah's intention, sources told ESPN. It would be too much to describe Markkanen as untouchable, but the Jazz still project the All-Star forward as a key player in their future core. While this is what a front office says when trying to gain leverage and drive up the price tag on a potential trade, in this case, there are reasons to believe Utah means it. For one thing, even if Markkanen bounces back to the form of his first season in Utah — when he was an All-Star and won the Most Improved Player award — it's not going to disrupt the clear plan for next season, which is to, how should we put this, end up with excellent lottery odds. Secondly, his massive salary — his four-year, $195.9 million contract extension kicks in this season, starting at $46.4 million — makes finding a workable trade difficult. Finally, and tied to that contract, Markkanen struggled through an injury-plagued last season, averaging 19 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but his shooting efficiency was down across the board, including 34.6% from 3-point range. Teams are going to want to see the 28-year-old regain his form. Which is to say, the Jazz are going to wait, play Markannen with their young stars like the just-drafted Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski (who has looked fantastic at Summer League) and Walker Kessler, and see how things shake out. At the deadline, maybe the Jazz and another team out there will feel differently, maybe not, but for now expect Markkanen to stay in Utah. Where he has wanted to be.
