Every year, there are a handful of players who take a huge leap forward in their development. Oftentimes, those improvements come as a result of better opportunities.
Last season, Tyrese Maxey won the Most Improved Player award after being thrust more into the spotlight with the departure of James Harden. Coby White finished a close runner-up after injuries to Chicago's roster allowed him to take on a more primary scorer role.
Who will the Coby White and Tyrese Maxey of the 2024-25 season be? Here are three under-the-radar young players who have a chance to shine in new roles. They may not be household names yet, but all three could develop into solid starters by the end of the year.
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Best Most Improved Player candidates for 2024-25 NBA season
Gradey Dick, Raptors
Most people only remember Dick's rookie season from the terrible struggles that he had at its outset. He hit just 11 of his first 44 3-pointers attempted before Jan. 1 and looked completely overmatched in averaging just 3.5 points per game during that stretch.
Dick went to the G League for more seasoning and seemed to figure some stuff out.
After the New Year, Dick was a completely different player. He started 16 games for the Raptors, shot 39.1 percent from 3 and scored a very solid 10.8 points per game. The slow start prevented him from coming even close to sniffing All-Rookie honors, but he will get some attention if he continues his play from the second half of the year.
| Date | G | PPG | 3PT% |
| Before Jan. 1, 2024 | 19 | 3.5 | 25.0 |
| After Jan. 1, 2024 | 41 | 10.8 | 39.1 |
Dick's improved shooting wasn't simply good — it was nothing short of elite. Raptors Republic's Samson Folk found that his 45 percent shooting on movement 3s in the last 40 games of the year was one of the best of any player. Those came off some difficult looks, sprinting off screens, stepping back, receiving handoffs, relocating, you name it. Dick was drafted for his NBA-ready shooting, and he proved that he could bring it with the best of them.
Dick's shooting is always going to be valuable. He does even more than that, though, bringing some secondary playmaking chops and good size at 6-6. He's going to get a ton of opportunity on a young team and has a good chance to break into the starting lineup with the departure of so many players from the start of last season, including starter Gary Trent Jr.
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Trey Murphy III, Pelicans
Murphy's breakout was supposed to come last season, but injuries stalled that development. A knee injury kept him out of the lineup until Dec. 1. When he did play, he was solid, averaging 14.8 points per game and starting a little less than half of his games.
The Pelicans have a tough situation to manage given that Murphy and Herb Jones are both starting-caliber wings. They could end up playing both of them, sending CJ McCollum to a bench role and starting only one true guard in Dejounte Murray. Murphy may be good enough to force that scenario to happen.
Murphy needs to play a lot because he's one of the most electric shooters in the league. He has deep range on his 3s and hit a solid 38.0 percent on those looks.
Murphy is more than just a shooting threat, recording 38 dunks last season. He's a good athlete who has the potential to be a big-time scorer with his combination of shooting and playmaking. He's even improved his defense, going from a net negative to a slight positive last season.
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Dyson Daniels, Hawks
The Hawks were reportedly high on Daniels, making him one of the centerpieces in the Murray trade with the Pelicans. New Orleans has been one of the deeper teams in the league over Daniels' career, and he hasn't shown everything that he's capable of.
That will change on a retooled Hawks team where Daniels should be the first guard off the bench to begin the year.
Daniels is already one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, which makes him a great pairing with Atlanta's offense-first guard combination of Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic. He has tremendous tools at 6-7 with a 6-10 wingspan, and his technique is textbook. He moves his feet and positions his body as well as anyone in the league. He's capable of excelling in different types of assignments, as he showed in blanketing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the Olympics.
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Daniels also has great court vision. At his size, he can become an elite passer — he recorded eight assists for Australia in its summer win against Greece. The one swing skill for him will be his shot. He hit only 31.2 percent of his 3s through his first two years in the league.
There's some hope that Daniels' 3-pointer could improve. His form looks good, and he did hit 38.5 percent of his triples in Paris. He had good range and a quick release on those shots.
At only 21 years old, Daniels is far from a finished product. His defense is going to earn him a ton of minutes, and his scoring could catch up next season.