Point guard Goran Dragic was named the NBA's Most Improved Player on Wednesday after leading the upstart Suns to 48 wins.
Goran Dragic wins the 2014 NBA Most Improved Player award
Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic won the MIP award after leading the surprising Suns to 48 wins.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sport
The Slovenian earned 65 of 126 first-place votes and 408 total points. The Indiana Pacers' Lance Stephenson came in a distant second, earning 158 points and 13 first-place votes, while New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis trailed with 155 points and 16 first-place votes.
The 27-year-old Dragic had career-best season thanks in his well-rounded numbers. He averaged 20.3 points and 5.9 assists per game but more impressive was his efficiency. He is the first guard since the late Drazen Petrovic to average more than 20 points per game, shoot better than 50 percent from the floor and hit better than 40 percent from three-point range.
Last season, Dragic averaged 14.7 points and 7.4 assists per game on a lottery-bound Suns team. He shot 44 percent from the floor and 32 percent from three-point range.
The context in Phoenix no doubt played a role in Dragic earning the award in 2013-14. Dragic helped the Suns become one of the best teams in terms of wins to miss the postseason and especially shined when backcourt mate Eric Bledsoe went down with a knee injury.
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