Philadelphia 76ers Guard Sergio Rodriguez A Real Candidate For Most Improved Player?
Philadelphia 76ers guard Sergio Rodriguez has been an important addition to the offense, but is he a real candidate for Most Improved Player?
The answer is yes. The Philadelphia 76ers won’t be bringing in any team awards anytime soon, but individual performances have been shining through these first handful of games. Joel Embiid‘s restrained terror on the NBA puts him as the favorite for Rookie of The Year, and Dario Saric may not be too far behind.
The one award that’s the most difficult to predict is the Most Improved Player award, given to the player who made the biggest jump from one season to the other. The winners of the award have ranged from obscure players like Bobby Simmons and Aaron Brooks to stars like Tracy McGrady and Jimmy Butler.
Sergio Rodriguez may fall victim to many factors. One may be inefficiency, as he will continue to put up a lot of shots at this rate until at least January. He also may see his numbers flatline with the expected debut of main facilitator Ben Simmons on the horizon. The biggest factor, although the most reprehensible and unnecessary one, is the fact that his most recent NBA season prior to the current one was the 2009-10 season.
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A quick look at the numbers of previous winners doesn’t place Rodriguez as the leader in the award race, but if his current performance continues he should be amongst some of the final few candidates C.J. McCollum, who won the award last season, saw a 14.0 increase in points per game and a 3.0 assist increase as well. McGrady, Butler, Brooks, Bobby Simmons, and Alan Henderson all saw at least a 7.0 ppg increase as well as a +5.0 assist/rebound bump on their way to winning the award.
Most Improved Player is often debated. Should the award be called “breakout player of the year” maybe Sergio Rodriguez has more of a chance assuming a comfortable position as a finalist. If Rodriguez maintained this stat line throughout the season it would be a 6.0+ ppg increase and a 4.0+ assist increase. Add in an increase of 2.0 rebounds just for kicks.
Rodriguez’s usage rate hasn’t increased from that 09-10 season, but he is benefiting from a 10 minute per game increase. The transformation of his game has been beautiful to watch thus far. Rodriguez’s confidence as well as his shooting stroke surpassed every expectation.
The tenure with Real Madrid, who are somewhat of a cavalier in terms basketball offense, has prepared him to come in and produce in the NBA, something that failed him when he was first drafted. He turned from being a one-dimensional backup guard to versatile bench scorer. The aesthetic of his game alone should put him in contention for the award, but that’s not how the voters think.
Stats rule the world, and with Ben Simmons expected to take over the offense Rodriguez’s role is destined to see a sharp decline. He’s still a long shot from being a finalist for this award, but his play through four games signal major improvement. Rodriguez can turn himself as the team’s most dangerous catch and shoot threat beyond the arc, as Robert Covington‘s struggles have had the team searching for perimeter help.
The question is, will voters view Rodriguez’s improvement from this season to his last NBA season, or look at how he played last year in Spain? By definition, the clear answer is his NBA season in 2009-10, in which he played for two different teams, should be compared to this current one.
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It seems premature to be talking about awards, but it is a testament to how impactful “El Chacho” has been to the Philadelphia 76ers offense. If he can stay at 12.0 ppg 5-6 apg, he could find himself in the mix of finalists for the award. He’ll be a dark horse in the race, but at the least his name will be in it.