In April this year, Dyson Daniels became the first Australian player to be crowned the NBA's Most Improved Player in the award's four-decade history.
This impressive feat might not remain an anomaly for long however, with fellow countryman Josh Giddey currently emerging as the early favourite for the award, after a stellar start to the 2025-26 season with the Chicago Bulls.
Giddey has taken his game to new heights to begin the season, averaging 23.1 points, 10 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, all while guiding his Bulls to an impressive 6-1 record - currently good enough for best in the Eastern Conference.
It's a noticeable jump for the former sixth overall pick. Last season - his first in Chicago after being dealt by OKC - Giddey averaged just 14.6 points and 7.2 assists as he acclimated to his new surroundings.
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However, this season the 23-year-old has looked far more comfortable scoring the ball, a big reason why the Bulls have smashed pre-season expectations early on in the young NBA season.
His play is even beginning to flirt with the aura of arguably the greatest of all-time, Michael Jordan, as on Wednesday he became the first Bull since 'MJ' in 35 years to record back-to-back triple-doubles.
For what it's worth, most bookmakers seem to have him as the favourite right now by some distance. That being said, he still has some stiff competition.
Who are the favourites for Most Improved Player?
Ryan Rollins has gone from relatively unknown to becoming Milwaukee's second-leading scorer behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, no small feat on a Bucks team that is expected to make the playoffs.
Out in Portland, Deni Avdija is averaging more than 24 points per night for the Blazers, who have also started the season surprisingly strong at 4-3.
Then there's perhaps the NBA's true anomaly, Victor Wembanyama. He is currently looking impossible to gameplan for, as he's anchored the San Antonio Spurs to a surprisingly good start at 5-1, on his way to averaging 26.7 points and 4.7 blocks per game. His play arguably has him at the front of the MVP queue.
While the former first overall pick may be the more glamorous pick among voters, Wembanyama's improvement seems far more linear in contrast to someone like Giddey, when compared to his previous averages. In his first two seasons in the league, the Frenchman averaged 22.5 points and 3.7 blocks per game, while finishing second for Defensive Player of the Year in just his rookie season.
On the other hand, Giddey has gone from an unreliable go-to scorer at best, to an ultra-efficient (currently at 59.4 per cent true shooting) first option seemingly overnight.
Ironically, last year's winner, Daniels, has been unable to pick up where he left off early into the new campaign. After averaging a career-high 14.1 points per game and being named to the All-Defensive First Team in his award-winning season, Daniels has been slow out of the games in the opening weeks of the 2025-26 season, averaging just 10.1 points per game and hitting just two three in total through eight games so far.
Fortunately, there is still plenty of time for the 22-year-old to turn things around, which his Atlanta Hawks will be hoping he can do, as their all-star point guard, Trae Young, faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines.
As for how long Giddey can keep us his elite level of play remains to be seen. But if he can, the Most Improved Player award is his to lose.