And the Award Goes To … The Indiana Pacers Midseason Awards

Most Improved Player: Solomon Sloan 

O.K, O.K, I can’t combine Solomon Hill and Donald Sloan to have them split the award. It was a tough call, but I’m going give Solomon Hill the edge based on games and minutes played.

Kudos to Donald Sloan for keeping the team competitive when both George Hill and C.J. Watson missed extensive time, but Solo has played in more games than any other Pacers player this year. In fact, he is the only Pacer to play in every game this season (and just one of four who have missed less than 10 games).

He’s also tied for most games started, with 51.

Of course, we couldn’t base the award completely on someone’s ability to stay healthy and show up to work. Wile that’s important, that doesn’t necessarily show improvement.

Last year, Solo showed little inkling of an actual NBA future. He seemed very much like a poor man’s Sam Young, which is saying a lot. Hill hasn’t exactly looked like a star this year, and averaging 9.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game isn’t a ticket to the Hall of Fame. But it’s solid, and the team has desperately needed his defense from both the shooting guard and small forward slots.

His game still has a long way to develop: He’s only shooting 39.4% overall, and 31.6% from behind the arc. But there have been positive signs. He has looked confident from behind the arc in recent games, and has flashed a surprising off the dribble game all season.

Good for you, Solomon Hill.  Here’s hoping his development continues and he can become a solid role player for years to come.

Next: Hulk Award