Rockets star Christian Wood finished fourth in voting for the NBA’s 2020-21 Most Improved Player Award. In results that were released Tuesday, the Houston big man finished behind New York’s Julius Randle, Detroit’s Jerami Grant, and Denver’s Michael Porter Jr., in that order.
Out of votes from 100 media members, Wood tallied 10 second-place votes and 14 third-place votes, giving him a total of 44 points.
In his first season as a regular NBA starter, Wood averaged an impressive line of 21.0 points (51.4% FG, 37.4% on 3-pointers) and 9.6 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game. Early in the season, those types of numbers led to the 25-year-old drawing some All-Star consideration.
Yet, Wood fell slightly off the radar for those types of honors due to a serious ankle sprain suffered on Feb. 4 in Memphis. Wood missed 31 of Houston’s 72 games this season, primarily due to that injury.
While that cost him a chance at higher honors in 2020-21, Wood and the Rockets are hopeful that improved health could put him back on that track when the 2021-22 season begins later this year.
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In winning the 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, @J30_RANDLE received 98 of 100 first-place votes from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ekh07sex7K
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 25, 2021