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A history of the Pacers and the Most Improved Player Award

ByTony East|
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 05: Danny Granger #33 of the Indiana Pacers watches free throws during action against the Chicago Bulls on October 5, 2013 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Chicago defeated Indiana 82-76. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 05: Danny Granger #33 of the Indiana Pacers watches free throws during action against the Chicago Bulls on October 5, 2013 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Chicago defeated Indiana 82-76. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

With Victor Oladipo the favorite to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, let’s look back at all the award recipients in Pacers history.

It’s kind of crazy we still don’t know who the NBA award recipients are. The Indiana Pacers haven’t played a basketball game in almost two months and we still don’t know who the leagues Most Valuable Player is, among other trophies.

Thankfully, we should find out soon. The NBA awards show is coming soon, and as we all know, Victor Oladipo is a finalist for the associations Most Improved Player Award. Oladipo, Clint Capela from the Houston Rockets, and Spencer Dinwiddie from the Brooklyn Nets are the three nominees for the award. Looking at that list, Oladipo looks like he has a great chance to be the winner.

That wouldn’t be the first time that a Pacers player has earned the Most Improved Player trophy. If Oladipo pulls in the trophy, it would actually be the fifth one in Pacers history. Given that the award has only existed since 1986, winning 5/32 is incredibly impressive.

The other four carry quite the pedigree.

The first of the bunch was now-TV-Analyst Jalen Rose. Across his first three seasons in Indiana, Rose amassed just seven starts and averaged a hair over 9 points per game. But come 1999-2000, Rose became the starter and his legendary career took off.

He supplanted Chris Mullin in the starting five, and he gelled right away. He increased his shooting percentage by 6.8 percent and his three-point percentage by 13.1 percent. Naturally, his scoring average went up from 11.1 points to 18.2 in just one year. Add in solid rebounding and passing numbers with a trip to the finals, and it is clear how Rose’s improvements impacted that Pacers team.

Jalen Rose Indiana Pacers
19 Jun 2000: Jalen Rose #5 of the Indiana Pacers with the ball as Glen Rice #41 of the Los Angeles Lakers gaurds him during the NBA Finals Game 6 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers defeated the Pacers in 116-111. Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport

Just two seasons after Rose won the award, the Pacers player development staff flexed again. This time, Jermaine O’Neal was the award recipient.

Jermaine O’Neal led the entire NBA in blocks in 2000-01′, so the fact that he was able to be the leagues most improved player the following season is a testament to the leap he made on offense. He jumped his scoring average from 12.9 points to 19, and he dominated both ends of the floor on his way to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Perhaps most impressive fact is that he led a team with Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, and the dominant (at the time) Brad Miller in scoring. He was outstanding that season and cemented his presence as one of the best players in the league for the next half-decade thanks to his improvements.

The next, and perhaps most fun, MIP for the Pacers was Danny Granger. He won the award in 2008-09, and he improved so much that season it was almost unbelievable. Granger was pretty good the year before, but in 08-09, Granger was simply unstoppable. He scored 25.8 points per game, which is still the third most in Pacers franchise history, and he led a team that started Rasho Nesterovic 19 times to 36 wins. He could take over games in a way Pacers fans hadn’t seen since Reggie Miller.

Danny Granger made his lone all-star team this season, and he made his historic rise to stardom at the same age Victor Oladipo did: 25. Granger’s MIP was my personal favorite. He was so entertaining to watch at the time. It’s a shame multiple injuries derailed his career.

Danny Granger Indiana Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS – FEBRUARY 7: Danny Granger #33 of the Indiana Pacers looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 7, 2014, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

The most recent Pacers player to win the award was Paul Geroge in 2012-13′. That was the season PG really took off and captured the hears of fans. He proved he could score from everywhere, but he made his mark more as a defender. He led the league in defensive win shares and combined with Roy Hibbert to form a tough-as-nails defensive combo.

PG continued to get better throughout his remaining years in Indiana before being traded away last summer. His MIP season set his foundation for the Pacers to make two consecutive runs to the Eastern Conference finals, and he was an important part of the revival for the popularity of Pacers basketball in the state.

Next: Pacers plan on retaining Bojan Bogdanovic

Could Victor Oladipo join this group tonight? Probably. His improvement was unmatched by any other player in the league this season. Pretty soon, we can add him to the list of Pacers Most Improved Player award winners.

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