Cavs: 3 competitors of Darius Garland for Most Improved

Cavs: 3 competitors of Darius Garland for Most Improved – Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets

The candidacy of Michael Porter Jr. comes close to violating the “already broke out” rule, but he has never averaged that round “20 points per game” number, and so many other factors are in his favor to make him a top candidate for the award.

Last season he averaged 19 points per game, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and a sizzling 44.5 percent from 3-point range. Porter is one of the best shooters in the league, and he is on a team where Nikola Jokic is an elite setup man. That doesn’t mean Porter can’t create his own shot, either, as he is deadly with the ball in his hands, especially when exploiting smaller players.

Jamal Murray is out for most, if not all of the season, but the Denver Nuggets still project as a playoff team. That will keep Porter in the national narrative, but also give him as many touches as he can handle filling the void.

If Porter is up to the challenge, his combination of talent and opportunity could easily see him average 25 points per game. That would be a six-points-per-game improvement, and given his efficiency, rebounding (7.3 per-game last season) and the narrative of replacing Murray, MPJ has a great shot at winning the award this season.