Desmond Bane

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, but he surprised a teammate with the trophy. Watch the awesome gesture here.

The 2020 second-round pick upped his points per game average from 9.2 as a rookie last year to 18.2 this year, one of the largest leaps in the entire league. Regardless, it's still an awesome gesture from the face of the Grizzlies franchise. Bane has continued his impressive sophomore campaign in the first round of the playoffs, leading the Grizz in points per game (23.3) while shooting 48.4% from the field and 48.7% from 3.

Superstar guard Ja Morant became the first player in Grizzlies history to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, the league announced Monday, ...

The 6-1 point guard is in his third NBA season and has emerged as one of the top playmakers in the league. Garland played at Vanderbilt under former Valparaiso University coach Bryce Drew and was drafted fifth overall by Cleveland in 2019. 3.1) and assists (2.7 to 1.7) while maintaining his elite 3-point shooting (43.6% to 43.2%) on significantly higher attempts (6.9 to 4.0). Bane also nearly doubled his scoring average (9.2 to 18.2), and increased his rebounds (4.4 vs. Garland, Murray and Morant were first-time All-Stars this season. Superstar guard Ja Morant became the first player in Grizzlies history to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, the league announced Monday, and he gave it to his teammate Desmond Bane, who finished fifth in the voting.

The Grizzlies star gave the trophy to the sharpshooter guard in recognition of his sensational second season.

Morant beat out Spurs guard Dejounte Murray and Cavaliers guard Darius Garland to take home the award—even if it ends up residing in Bane’s trophy case. After starting in 17 of his 68 appearances as a rookie, Bane played and started in 76 games, and averaged 18.2 points—a nine-point increase from last season—on 46/44/90 splits. The 6’6’’ guard has been sensational in his second season, and was an instrumental piece on both ends of the floor throughout the Grizzlies’ 56–26 campaign.

As it turns out, Grizzlies star Ja Morant's Most Improved Player of the Year award wouldn't be heading to his trophy case.

The Grizzlies superstar shared how the recognition is a testament to his hard work and dedication to improve on a daily basis. On his IG story, Morant mentioned Bane and said that he left the award in his kitchen. Despite his win, though, Morant previously shared his belief that Bane should have made it to the Top 3 and win the recognition. Bane averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the regular season, all while recording 46.1/43.6/90.3 shooting splits. As it turns out, Ja Morant’s Most Improved Player of the Year award wouldn’t be heading to his trophy case. While he believes his teammate deserves it more and gave the award to him, he took to Twitter to show his appreciation to those who voted for him.

Desmond Bane is a deserving candidate for this year's Most Improved Player, that's why Ja Morant gave him the recognition he also deserves.

In comparison to his rookie year wherein he had 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, Bane definitely made a huge stride in his basketball statistics. Shortly after being named as this season’s MIP on Monday, Morant gave Bane the award he received. Desmond Bane is a deserving candidate for this year’s Most Improved Player, that’s why Ja Morant gave him the recognition he also deserves.

On Monday night, the Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant officially took home the NBA's 2021-22 Most Improved Player award.

Morant – who averaged 27.4 points per game with 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds – came off as a somewhat surprising pick. — Ja Morant (@JaMorant)April 26, 2022 Ja Morant Won Most Improved Player … And Quickly Gave the Trophy to Teammate Desmond Bane

Ja had made it clear back in December who he felt was deserving of the Most Improved award: Desmond Bane. After winning MIP, Ja gave it to his teammate.

Bane has improved across the stat sheet in his second year and is averaging 18.2 points and 4.4 rebounds. Ja Morant put the League on notice when he won Rookie of the Year in 2019-20. When Morant was out with a tweaked knee last month, he stepped up and averaged around 25.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in three games.

The Most Improved Player award generally goes to players that show massive improvements in their game. A lot of the time, the award goes to a player that.

Most recently, it was revealed that Ja Morant gave his MIP award to teammate Desmond Bane, claiming that Bane deserves it. Desmond Bane ended up finishing 5th in the voting on the award. There is no doubt that this was a good gesture from Ja Morant, which showed his support for Desmond Bane. The Most Improved Player award generally goes to players that show massive improvements in their game. Desmond Bane later posted a video of his reaction to receiving the award, claiming that Ja Morant giving up the award just shows what kind of teammate he is. A lot of the time, the award goes to a player that comes out of nowhere to become a star.

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