Paul Coro

Phoenix

This budding stardom for Goran Dragic was never a sure thing.

He lasted 44 picks in the 2008 draft before the Suns traded into a pick to secure him. His rookie season prompted now Memphis Grizzlies executive and then-ESPN.com writer John Hollinger to call him "arguably the worst player" in the NBA with a surname suggestion of Tragic.

"That sticks in your head," Dragic said, referring to the comment and homeland doubts from Slovenians.

Winning the NBA's Most Improved Player award Wednesday was representative of how he took his game to another level this season but also epitomizes his career, which included being traded by the Suns three years ago after a half-season of struggles.

Dragic's career arc only ascends now after a season that put him on the threshold of being an All-Star. Career-high scoring and sharp improvements in shooting made Dragic the runaway Most Improved Player winner with 65 of 126 first-place votes and more than twice as many voting points (408) as Indiana's Lance Stephenson (158) and New Orleans' Anthony Davis (155)

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"The main thing was just my confidence this year," Dragic said. "I feel like teammates trust me. Coaches trust me that I can play my game. When your confidence is up, then you can shoot the ball better."

Dragic raised his field-goal percentage from 44.3 percent last season to 50.5 percent this season while his 3-point percentage went from 31.9 to 40.8. He averaged a career-high 20.3 points (tied for 17th in the NBA) and a team-high 5.9 assists, playing his best basketball when the Suns needed it most with Eric Bledsoe out hurt for 10 weeks. Dragic re-set his career scoring high three times in February, including a 40-point game, and had three times as many 30-point games this season (nine) as he did in his first five seasons.

Suns coach Jeff Hornacek saw it coming in September when he went to Slovenia to watch Dragic lead his national team in the European Championship. His fearlessness was fortifying.

"We know he's a great player, but we could tell from watching him be in charge of that team that he's taken the next step," Hornacek said. "I think that's the sign of great players when they can take their games to another level."

Dragic used his consistent effort and toughness to play through multiple injuries, setting an example for the league's most improved team. Suns teammates Gerald Green and Markieff Morris finished fourth and 10th, respectively, in Most Improved Player voting with Green garnering 16 first-place votes

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"It was a great fit for me," Dragic said of the Suns system with him and Bledsoe as co-point guards. "Jeff gave me freedom that I can play my game and, of course, I learned a lot from him. He was always there for me. Even after the practice, we were playing shooting games together. If I'm honest, sometimes before the games, I didn't want to shoot with him because he always beat me. My confidence would not be good for the game."

That amiable way is what makes him just as valued. Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver negotiated with Dragic in the arena parking garage for his free agency return in 2012 while the basketball operations staff was hosting Eric Gordon and prioritizing Raymond Felton as its next point guard.

"From my position as owner, he's really everything you'd ask for," Sarver said. "He competes hard every game. All he's focused on is how to win. He's been very loyal to this franchise and done everything we've asked for him. He's improved his game every single year. Last year, he really was our leader and led us to a great turnaround in terms of our season and really put us on the track to get back to that elite status."

Sarver recalled how former Suns executive David Griffin, now Cleveland's interim GM, came to him during the 2008 draft to ask for $500,000 so they could acquire a pick from San Antonio to draft a crafty Slovenian kid. After a circuitous route with rookie struggles, a 2010 playoffs splash, a 2011 trade and a triumphant return, Dragic is an investment that keeps paying dividends because the Suns know his improvement is not done at age 27.

He wants to be a better free-throw shooter, go to his right more, incorporate a floater and make the Suns an elite team.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure," Dragic said. "I'm not scared of pressure. I always like to take any challenge that you guys or the fans or the opponent team is giving me

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Here is how the voting went with each player's points and first-place votes in parentheses: Phoenix's Goran Dragic 408 (65), Indiana's Lance Stephenson 13 (158), New Orleans' Anthony Davis 155 (16), Phoenix's Gerald Green 117 (16), Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan 66 (four), Toronto's Kyle Lowry 43 (two), Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin 39 (six), Toronto's DeMar DeRozan 28 (one), San Antonio's Patty Mills 14, Phoenix's Markieff Morris 13 (one), Sacramento's Isaiah Thomas 13, Brooklyn's Shaun Livingston 11, Chicago's D.J. Augustin 9 (one), Oklahoma City's Reggie Jackson 8, Portland's Robin Lopez 6, Golden State's Klay Thompson 6, Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins 5, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant 5 (one), Charlotte's Al Jefferson 4, Washington's Bradley Beal 3, Memphis' Mike Conley 3, Detroit's Andre Drummond 3, Chicago's Taj Gibson 3, Miami's LeBron James 3, Houston's Terrence Jones 3, Los Angeles Lakers' Jodie Meeks 3, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge 1, Utah's Alec Burks 1, Atlanta's Paul Millsap 1, Houston's Chandler Parsons 1, Washington's John Wall 1.