Portland Trail Blazers: Season Awards

Most Improved Player

This one was a toss up. Both Jake Layman and Jusuf Nurkic have taken huge leaps on the court this season, but it came down to who took the biggest leap compared to last season. In my opinion, that was Layman.

Here are Layman’s stat lines from the past two seasons:

2017-18: 35 G, 1 GS, 1 PPG, 0.5 REB, 29.8% FG, 20% 3PT

2018-19: 69 G, 32 GS, 7.6 PPG, 3.1 REB, 51.6% FG, 32.4% 3PT

It is remarkable that Layman did not only earn consistent minutes, but he drastically increased his efficiency, as well. Layman went from being a nonfactor without a regular spot in the rotation to a valuable contributor who started 32 games. His breakout season had many highlights including scoring 20 points in a single quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans and several transition dunks.

Layman’s energy in transition and on the defensive end always gives the team a boost.

He was outstanding in January and February averaging over 11 points per game. Although he has cooled off as of late, Layman’s game has still taken a huge leap forward this season.

After all, Terry Stotts refused to play Layman in late November, and now he is starting him over Rodney Hood.

At age 25 and with only one true year of NBA experience, Layman can still get even better. Hopefully, the front office can hang on to him in the offseason.

Honorable mention: Jusuf Nurkic