Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks

2025 NBA Most Improved Player Betting Odds: Hawks' Daniels Now Heavy Favorite Over Cunningham

The surge for Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks to steal 2025 NBA Most Improved Player honors may be complete, as the 22-year-old guard has skyrocketed to the top of the betting odds leaderboard at -1200 as of April 8, well past Detroit Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham (+400)

Here's a look at the updated odds for all contenders vying for the George Mikan trophy and how the rest of the field looks behind Daniels and Cunningham.

2025 NBA Most Improved Player Odds 

PlayerTeamOdds
Dyson DanielsAtlanta Hawks-1200
Cade CunninghamDetroit Pistons+400
Christian BraunDenver Nuggets+15000
Ivica ZubacLos Angeles Clippers+15000
Evan MobleyCleveland Cavaliers+25000
Tyler HerroMiami Heat+25000

Odds as of April 8, 2025 at BetMGM

NBA Most Improved Player Favorite: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks (-1200)

Daniels more so fits the criteria of what this hardware is trying to acknowledge, as he's blossomed following his first two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans to become "The Great Barrier Thief" with Atlanta and lead all players across the Association at three steals per game. To put that number in perspective, two players are tied for second place in that category at 1.8. 

The Hawks were willing to part with someone like De'Andre Hunter for depth pieces because the 21-year-old Australia native had developed so quickly and perhaps surprisingly. Daniels is averaging just over 14 points per game and is likely going to double his total points from his first two years combined. That's a level of improvement which was unforeseen when compared to what Cunningham has done in the Motor City.

NBA Most Improved Player Favorite: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (+400)

Whether or not Cunningham actually wins Most Improved Player will likely come down to voter's interpretation of the criteria and if they believe being an All-Star and former No. 1 overall pick should be automatic disqualifiers. Should the hardware go to someone who emerged from obscurity to put themselves on the map, or has Cunningham done enough for the surprise Pistons this season to overlook his past draft position? 

It's through no fault of his own, of course, but entering the league after getting selected first comes with certain expectations. Cunningham was also averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists last season which are all incredible numbers for a third-year player, but that production has jumped to 25.9 points (ninth in NBA), 6.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists (fourth in NBA), and that's a noteworthy jump no matter which way you slice it. The Pistons are also 43-36 and the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, which guarantees at least the first .500 season for the franchise since 2019 and is also 12 more victories than the last two years combined (31). 

Past 10 NBA Most Improved Player Winners

YearPlayerTeamOpening Odds
2024Tyrese MaxeyPhiladelphia 76ers+1050
2023Lauri MarkkanenUtah JazzN/A
2022Ja MorantMemphis Grizzlies+3000
2021Julius RandleNew York Knicks+2000
2020Brandon IngramNew Orleans Pelicans+4000
2019Pascal SiakamToronto RaptorsN/A
2018Victor OladipoIndiana Pacers+2500
2017Giannis AntetokounmpoMilwaukee BucksN/A
2016CJ McCollumPortland Trail BlazersN/A
2015Jimmy ButlerChicago BullsN/A

Most Improved Player winners tend to come out of nowhere, and the opening odds never lean heavily in favor of one player because it's such a crapshoot in the end.

As seen here with winners from the last decade, Tyrese Maxey in 2024 was the only player to win after opening with odds greater than 11-to-1.

NBA Most Improved Player Winners By Team

AwardsTeamYearsMost Recent
5Indiana Pacers2000, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2018Victor Oladipo (2018)
5Orlando Magic1991, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2012Ryan Anderson (2012)
3Washington Wizards1992, 1994, 1996Gheorghe Muresan (1996)
3Phoenix Suns1989, 2006, 2014Goran Dragic (2014)
3Portland Trail Blazers1988, 2004, 2016CJ McCollum (2016)
2Miami Heat1990, 1997Isaac Austin (1997)
2Golden State Warriors2003, 2007Monta Ellis (2007)
2Philadelphia 76ers1995, 2024Tyrese Maxey (2024)

The Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic currently share the record for the most winners of this honor at five apiece, although neither franchise has won since 2018.

NBA Most Improved Player Winners By Position

PositionMIP Wins
Power Forward10
Point Guard9
Shooting Guard8
Small Forward7
Center5

There's no massive gap between any two positions as far as which has had more winners of Most Improved Player, with power forward leading the way at 10 players and point guard right behind at nine.

NBA Teams With Zero Most Improved Player Winners

The following teams have never had an NBA Most Improved Player winner: Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and Sacramento Kings.

How To Read NBA Most Improved Player Odds

When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2024-25 NBA Most Improved Player odds laid out like this:

  • Jonathan Kuminga +1000
  • Evan Mobley +1100

It's like a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+). In this scenario, Jonathan Kuminga is favored despite being at plus money. If you were to bet $100 on Kuminga in the NBA Most Improved Player betting odds and it hits, you would win $1100 – your $100 is returned and you would get $1000 in profit.

If you were to bet on which player will be named Most Improved Player, you would make a futures bet.

What Is A Futures Bet?

This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s Most Improved Player. To make a futures bet, you would first use the handicapping info on this page to make your decision. Our Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the Most Improved Player odds and the amount of money you bet.

2025 NBA Awards Betting Odds

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