Boston Celtics: 3 winnable individual player awards and Cs who could win them

Boston Celtics SG/SF Jaylen Brown is a dark horse for the MIP award

If you look at the history of the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, you will see a list of players that elevated their game to a definitive All-Star level. Names like Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, Paschal Siakam, Victor Oladipo, and Giannis Antetokounmpo make up the past five years of winners.

The Cs have one player who seems capable of making the All-Star leap this year, and that would be the aforementioned Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Robert Williams. The ‘Time Lord’ is averaging nearly 11 points and nine rebounds per game and could be in line for his first All-Star appearance if he can bump those numbers slightly.

The thing is, though, is that his defense will likely determine any massive jump in notoriety. The MIP is an award that favors offense.

That’s why Jaylen Brown–who currently has the best betting odds of any Celtic–is the best bet from Boston to win the award.

Brown is already an All-Star, having amassed averages of 24.7 points, six rebounds, 3.4 assists, and a steal per game in 2020-21 en route to his first ASG. If he can reach that next level and up those numbers even higher, continuing to serve as the 1A to Jayson Tatum’s #1 option, Brown can win the 2021-22 MIP award.