Most Improved Player Pick:

Jalen Green/Houston Rockets (+3,000)

A late-season leap could be a strong indicator of success in this market next season (see Morant, Jaa), and Jalen Green picked up this season at midfield on March 15. He averaged 20.8 points and 28.2 points in nearly 62 percent of the shooting in five games in April.

Of course, it was on the Houston Rockets, so few people noticed. This season he’s coming back with a summer of practice to grasp the NBA season better and replace former player Christian Wood with a higher dose of playmaker center Alperen Sengun.

Houston will be terrible again this year, with little incentive to do anything other than feed Green’s rep and test his ceiling as the team’s core.

Jalen Green is still not necessarily a favorite to win this award, but his price should be much lower than that.