NBA Awards Watch – Paul George For MVP; Coach Doc Rivers Believes Pacers’ Star Is Worthy Of Highest Award After Winning Most Improved Last Season

The game between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Clippers was touted as a possible NBA Finals preview. Both teams had MVP candidates, but Doc Rivers could not hide his respect for the other side's main man.

Paul George was last year's Most Improved Player (MIP) Awardee. He seemed to like that accolade as he probably wants to win it again. No player has ever won the Most Improved Player twice in a row. It's like an unwritted rule. But what if he's the one who really took the biggest leap forward?

In Michael Jordan's legendary career, there was a season when he was the reigning MVP yet his numbers vastly improved. Some analysts commented: "If he wins the Most Improved award, why don't we all just quit?"

For Paul George, he took a significant leap from back-up to starter and eventually, his team's go-to-guy. That was deserving of an MIP award.

But what if you make the leap from your team's go-to-guy to the best player in the entire league? Wouldn't that merit an MIP?

That's what Doc Rivers was asking. After their loss to the Indiana Pacers (league best 16-1), he was all praises for Paul George. Speaking to the Indianapolis Star: "I don't think anyone knew he'd be this good. He's good. The old-school thought on Indiana was that they were a really good basketball team but they didn't have an outlier. They didn't have that one guy that took guys over. Now they do, and now they're great."

He proceeds to his question: "Can you win Most Improved and Most Valuable Player? Has that ever been done? It could be done. He won't win Most Improved because he's done it before, but to me, the jump that he's made from last year to this year ... is the Most Improved Player in the league, and the Most Valuable Player right now."

Rivers is sincere and believable in this comment, but as a master strategist and motivator, one might guess at his motives for announcing this. Perhaps it is to motivate his own MVP candidate Chris Paul. Whatever it is, there is no denying that Paul George is the main reason his team is on top of the heap. 

Tags
NBA Awards
MVP
Paul George
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics