After re-signing with the OKC Thunder Jerami Grant immediately began work to grow his game. Can his improvement result in 2019 Most Improved Player honors?

Jerami Grant has come a long way since he was selected 39th overall of the 2014 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Grant spent two full seasons with the tanking 76ers before he was acquired by the OKC Thunder on November 1, 2016. On July 7, 2018, Grant cashed in on his success with the OKC Thunder, re-signing a three-year 27-million dollar contract.

During Grant’s time with the Thunder, his stats improved across the board in each of his two season’s with the franchise. With Carmelo Anthony gone, a starting position has opened, when asked about who would start Sam Presti said the decision is Billy Donovan’s choice. Presti added he knows Coach Donovan will make the right decision between starting Grant or Patrick Patterson, and the organization is high on both players.

From the outside looking in Grant appears to be better served as a running mate for Dennis Schröder and spark plug off the bench. However, in order for Grant to win Most Improved Player (MIP) being named the starter would help his cause.

Over the last 15 years, only two MIP winners started less than 98 percent of the games they appeared in. Monta Ellis started 53 of 77 games during his 2006-07 MIP campaign. Boris Diaw started 70 of 81 games during his 2005-06 MIP campaign. All other MIP winners since the 2003-04 season started a combined 972 of 976 games played.

Therefore, the fate of Grant having a realistic chance of winning MIP rests in Donovan’s hands. With that, let’s review some more recent MIP winners:

Scoring Uptick Signals Trend in Past MIP Winners

Among the previous five MIP winners, one reoccurring theme is a large increase in points per game (PPG).

Dating back to the 2013-14 season the MIP’s average scoring increase in PPG is eight points when compared to the season prior to winning MIP.

An eight-point scoring increase may not seem like a lot, but in an NBA game, every point can be vital. Take the OKC Thunder last season, for example, Oklahoma City lost 22 games during the 2017-18 season by eight points or less. Hence, if Grant were to increase his PPG by eight points or more, it would be a tremendous positive for the Thunder.

One hurdle Grant may have trouble clearing is each of the previous five winners brought their scoring average up to 20 PPG or higher.

If Grant were to become a 20 PPG scorer, it would require him to increase his average from last season by roughly 12 points.

A scoring increase of 12 points is unlikely, but not impossible, CJ McCollum did as much when he won MIP during the 2015-16 season.

Grant’s Defensive argument to become MIP

Two-way players and do it all guys are the most coveted players in the entire Association, behind super stars, and in rare instances super stars can possess one or both of the former qualities.

Grant is not and likely will not ever become a super star, but what can stop Grant from becoming the next Jimmy Butler? Grant is not the defender, nor the scorer Butler is today, but comparing Butler and Grant at age 23 reveals just how closely the two players resemble one another.

In fact, by using per 36 minutes statistics, some of Grant’s numbers are better than Butler’s.

*When both players were 23 years of age

Per 36 Minutes Table Rk Player Age G MP FG% 3P% 2P% FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 1 Jimmy Butler 23 82 2134 .467 .381 .489 .803 2.3 3.2 5.5 1.9 1.3 0.5 1.0 1.6 11.9 2 Jerami Grant 23 81 1647 .535 .291 .613 .675 1.9 5.1 7.0 1.2 0.7 1.7 1.2 3.4 14.9 View Original Table

Generated 9/23/2018. Provided by Basketball-Reference.com Generated 9/23/2018.

One category Grant was superior to Butler in was Blocks per 36 minutes, at 1.7. During the 2017-18 season, Grant’s 1.7 blocks per 36 ranked 24th among 259 qualified players. Amid the 24 players ahead of Grant, only eight were 24 years of age or younger, placing Grant in a pool of elite young NBA talents.

*Minimum 58 games played.

In closing, a lot must go right in order for Grant, to earn MIP honors, but the task may not be as daunting as it sounds. Ultimately, If Donovan starts Grant, he could flourish and become the front-runner for the award. However, if Donovan does not start Grant, he will be facing an uphill battle to win MIP.

All in all, Grant has improved in each of his first two seasons in Oklahoma City. As a result, Grant is in position to take another leap and compete for the Most Improved Player award.