One of the most intriguing awards to track throughout the NBA season is Most Improved Player. We generally come into the year with a good idea of who the league’s best players are, but there’s always one who exceeds expectations and earns his first All-Star nod.
Dyson Daniels achieved that feat in 2024-25, averaging 14.1 points while shooting 49.3% from the field and playing lockdown defense on the perimeter.
This year’s field is filled to the brim with top-tier talent, so let’s take a look at the 2025-26 NBA MIP odds and make a few predictions.
All NBA odds are current as of Monday, Oct. 20, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NBA Most Improved Player Odds
- Amen Thompson (+1100)
- Andrew Nembhard (+1200)
- Bennedict Mathurin (+1500)
- Shaedon Sharpe (+1600)
- Matas Buzelis (+1800)
- Josh Giddey (+1800)
- Deni Avdija (+2000)
- Ausar Thompson (+2000)
- Payton Pritchard (+2800)
- Reed Sheppard (+3000)
All other NBA Most Improved Player candidates have (+4000) odds or longer.
Who Will Win NBA MIP?
Andrew Nembhard (+1200)
Andrew Nembhard is one of the favorites to win Most Improved Player for the 2025-26 NBA season for good reason. This is a 25-year-old guard coming off a year where he averaged 10.0 points per game and 5.0 assists per game in just over 28 minutes.
We saw flashes of Nembhard’s playmaking potential, as he put up 8+ assists on 11 occasions last season. With Tyrese Haliburton out for the season with a torn Achilles, Nembhard becomes the primary distributor in this Pacers offense. That puts him in a terrific position to set new career-highs across the board and makes him an intriguing option in the NBA assists leader odds.
Given the favorable situation with increased usage, I’m riding with Nembhard as my NBA bet of the day.
NBA Most Improved Player Favorites
Amen Thompson (+1100)
Amen Thompson is an excellent defender, as noted by his placement in the NBA steals leader odds, who showed significant improvement as a scorer last year, increasing his points-per-game from 9.5 to 14.1. Now, with Kevin Durant commanding defensive attention, we could see a much more efficient season from Thompson.
If the Rockets are able to gel right away and finish as one of the top teams in the Western Conference, there’s a chance that Thompson will be under serious consideration to take home this award.
This is why Thompson is one of the favorites, but the price is still appealing at (+1100) odds.
NBA Most Improved Player Contenders
Shaedon Sharpe (+1600)
Shaedon Sharpe started to show why he was considered an intriguing pick coming out of the draft, averaging 18.5 points per game on only 31 minutes. With Anfernee Simons now with the Celtics, Sharpe should see an uptick in usage this year, putting 20+ PPG firmly within reach.
There’s a legitimate chance that Sharpe can approach 25+ PPG given the team context with the Blazers leaning on him offensively. If that happens, he’d have a good a chance as any on this list to win this award.
Don’t sleep on Sharpe turning heads this season.
NBA Most Improved Player Sleepers
Deni Avdija (+2000)
Deni Avdija improved from 14.7 PPG to 16.9 PPG last season, knocking down 1.7 threes per game while shooting a rock-solid 47.6% from the field. With the Wizards seemingly in forever rebuilding mode, there should be plenty of opportunities for Avdija to get to 20+ PPG.
That kind of result would go a long way in putting Avdija among the top contenders for Most Improved Player.
At (+2000) odds, you have to like the value on this NBA sleeper.
