Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges and center Nic Claxton finished inside of the top five in the voting for the Most Improved Player of the Year award, according to a recent announcement by the NBA earlier this week. Utah’s Lauri Markkanen ultimately won the award, but Bridges and Claxton got their just due in the eyes of the voters.
Bridges came to the Nets via the Kevin Durant trade and despite the former 10th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft having to learn new teammates and a new role on the fly, he did remarkably well considering the circumstances. Bridges showed that he could be more than what he was in Phoenix as a fourth or fifth scoring option.
Claxton made leaps and bounds with his game on both ends of the floor. The former Georgia Bulldog was always a solid defender, but this season, he took his defensive prowess to a new level as he was getting touted as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Also, Claxton showed how he has worked on his offensive game as he displayed touch around the rim and improved ball-handling skills.
Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton of the #Nets finished fourth and fifth for #NBA Most Improved Player. #Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was third. #nyk 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/TL0rtS24zC
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) April 24, 2023
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