In the 40 years that the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award has been in place, a Brooklyn Nets player has never held the honor. Could one of the four Nets players listed as betting options take home the award this season?

Deni Avdija is the favorite to win Most Improved Player next season, per @BovadaOfficial

Deni Avdija +800
Andrew Nembhard +900
Bennedict Mathurin +1200
Shaedon Sharpe +1400
Jonathan Kuminga +1500
Michael Porter Jr. +1800
Amen Thompson +2000
Jaden Ivey +2000
Scoot Henderson… pic.twitter.com/bDYv85OkWW

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 4, 2025

Among the long list of eligible players, Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, Nic Claxton and Terance Mann are potential recipients.

The award has historically taken less stock in team success and more in statistical improvement from season to season. This bodes well for the Nets’ favorites, who are in a good position to put up improved stats while the team’s record may not reflect personal achievement.

Porter Jr. tops the list of Brooklyn’s candidates with the sixth-best odds among all players. Last season with the Denver Nuggets, He averaged 18.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

He was often the third or even fourth option with the Nuggets, but now he has been placed in a situation with the Nets where he is expected to share most of the touches with Thomas. To win the award, he will likely need to increase his points per game by five, and improving his defense would also be beneficial.

“We need to score some points,” an anonymous Nets executive said. “Porter will help us a ton there. I’m not saying he’ll win the scoring title, but I think it could be close.”

Thomas has the second-best odds among Nets players at +7500. His situation is intriguing due to the ongoing tension between him and the organization regarding contract negotiations this offseason. Additionally, he is coming off the best scoring season of his career.

The scoring spark plug should easily get 15 or more shot attempts per game again this coming season, but it remains to be seen if this free agency drama will affect his play on the court. Thomas averaged 24.0 points and 3.8 assists per game in 25 games last season.

Due to the small sample size, if he can achieve a 25-point-per-game season and increase his assists to 5 per game, Thomas should be a contender for Most Improved Player.

The final two Brooklyn players on the betting odds are at the bottom of the list in Claxton and Mann. Neither player has shown to be a prolific scorer like the previously mentioned options, but the award does not always go to an improved scorer.

Dyson Daniels received the honor last season after averaging 14.1 points per game. Claxton and Mann could both have a shot at the recognition if they have a similar defensive impact to Daniels while putting up scoring numbers in the same range.

– Noah Clowney

– Michael Porter Jr.