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Washington Wizards 2016-17 Individual Player Awards

By Blaise Malley

Apr 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dives into the stands to save a loose ball against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 118-111. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dives into the stands to save a loose ball against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 118-111. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Most Improved Player: Bradley Beal

Washington had a lot of candidates for this award, which is a good problem to have.

Beal and Otto Porter will likely receive consideration for the league-wide honor, although neither of them will contend with the likes of the Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic.

Kelly Oubre Jr. also made major strides in his second year (more on that later), and Wall even has a solid case to win this honor, given that he set career bests virtually across the board.

All of these players made different jumps.

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Oubre, only a sophomore, is expected to be developing. His jump was likely the most predictable, so he’s out of the running.

Wall, on the other end of the spectrum, became a surefire superstar this season. That, too, didn’t come out of nowhere.

Wall was already great, he just became greater. For similar reasons that Stephen Curry didn’t win the Most Improved Player last season, Wall doesn’t get the Washington Wizards version of the award this time around.

That leaves Porter and Beal.

Porter jumped from role player to important starter on a contending team.

Instead of just being the athletic slasher that he was before, Porter became one of the most accurate 3-point marksmen in the NBA. He led the league in the 3-point percentage for a while before finishing fourth. Porter was likely the frontrunner for Wizards’ most improved player until his end of season slump coincided with Beal completing his breakout.

Beal made the most difficult jump, which is also the jump that Wizards fans have been desperately hoping for since he got drafted. Beal made the jump from good to great, rounding out his scoring ability, improving as a passer, and continuing to knock down shots from long range.

Beal finished the season with career best numbers in all offensive categories, tying Wall for the team lead with 23.1 points per game, and doing so on 48% shooting. He is now one of the most complete scorers in the league, and he and Wall combine to form on the league’s deadliest duos.

Apologies to: Otto Porter, John Wall, Kelly Oubre

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