Following his breakout season, Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant was a finalist for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. While he received significant support, he didn’t end up winning it.
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle was named Most Improved, the NBA announced on Tuesday. Grant finished in second place with 140 total points, receiving two first-place votes, 33 second-place votes and 31 third-place votes. Randle received the remaining 98 first-place votes and one second-place vote for 493 points, while Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. placed third with 138 total votes.
More: How Jerami Grant plans to take the next step for Detroit Pistons: An All-Star berth
After leaving the Denver Nuggets last fall for a larger role with the Pistons, Grant thrived by averaging a career-high 22.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.
Randle also had a breakout season, averaging a career-high 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and six assists for a 41-win Knicks team that made the Eastern Conference playoffs as the fourth overall seed.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Pistons content. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.