MVP Preview: Who's Improved Most?

There's an eclectic bunch of players who have won the NBL's Most Improved Award.

From players like Chris Anstey, CJ Bruton and Shane Heal who turned into genuine stars of the competition, to the likes of Todd Blanchfield, Matt Burston or Liam Rush who became genuninely important role players, there's no award in the basketball annals that's as subjective as the Most Improved.

The three nominees this season each follow one school of thought for what the Most Improved Award should represent. Tasmania's Sean Macdonald has increased his importance and impact on his side exponentially as the season has gone on, New Zealand's Will McDowell-White offered strong improvement in almost every aspect of his game, while Keanu Pinder has made the leap from good player to great.

NBL Media runs through the history of the award, and why each nominee can take home the trophy.

Watch the NBL MVP Awards, presented by Hungry Jack's, live on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel from 8.30pm AEDT on Tuesday, February 7. 

Last five winners

NBL22 – Keanu Pinder (Cairns Taipans)
NBL21 – Sam Froling (Illawarra Hawks)
NBL20 – Will Magnay (Brisbane Bullets)
NBL19 – Reuben Te Rangi (Brisbane Bullets)
NBL18 – Shea Ili (New Zealand Breakers)

Will Magnay's Most Improved NBL20 led him to be awarded an NBA opportunity with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The nominees
Sean Macdonald (Tasmania JackJumpers), Will McDowell-White (New Zealand Breakers), Keanu Pinder (Cairns Taipans).

Sean Macdonald – His credentials

The stats: 6.1PPG, 42FG%, 1.9REB, 1.4AST

Why he wins: If the process of voting for the most improved player in the competition was purely down to a year on year increase in numbers, Sean Macdonald would have this award sewn up.

The JackJumpers development player has become an integral part of Tasmania’s rotation this season, and has not only ably covered for injured teammates like Matt Kenyon or Sam McDaniel during the season. There have even been periods where he has been preferred to floor general Josh Magette in the final moments of tight games.

In the NBL22 regular season, Macdonald appeared in just seven games and scored a total of four points for the entire season. He made two of seven field goal attempts, missed all his threes and turned the ball over twice in a grand total of 28 minutes.

For comparisons sake, he dropped 11 points in his first half of action in NBL23.

Every season there’s one or two players who appear from nowhere to take the competition by storm. For NBL23, it’s an easy argument to make that that player was Sean Macdonald.

Why he doesn’t: While Macdonald came on in leaps and bounds this season, his role was never clearly defined – so as JackJumpers players returned from injury or found form, his minutes dipped.

His minutes per game levelled out towards the end of the season, but for much of the early campaign he was plugging gaps and filling holes until his more established counterparts returned – and that inconsistency in his role meant inconsistency in his play.

His cold, hard numbers also don’t stack up against the production of his competitors in Pinder and McDowell-White, and while the Most Improved Player award is the most subjective of all major honours at the end of the season, it can be hard to argue with pure numbers.

The expert says: "Sean Macdonald has kind of come into his first year, but he’s a development player that’s taken an opportunity through injury. He was playing limited minutes at the start and is now one of the first off the bench. He’s one of the most reliable three-point shooters Scott Roth has, he’s so consistent and just knowing how hard he works he’s now got himself a two-year contract. Just the productivity and the way he shoots the ball from the three-point line I think is where he’s shone this year." - Two-time NBL champion and 2009 Defensive Player of the Year winner Adam Gibson.

Sean Macdonald has become an integral part of Tasmania's guard rotation in NBL23.

Will McDowell-White – His credentials

The stats: 10.4PPG, 41.7FG%, 3.8REB, 4.6AST

Why he wins: Will McDowell-White represents the new era of point guard play. While there is obviously still a seat at the table for the more traditional, smaller floor generals, McDowell-White follows the vein of the new guard – the taller jack of all trades who can do absolutely everything.

At his best, McDowell-White is one of the most intriguing triple-double threats in the competition, and he came into his own when fellow guards Izayah Le'Afa and Barry Brown went down with injury. In fact, it’s due to his ability to step up in those big moments that still has the Breakers in with a shout of finishing the season in second place.

While he increased his scoring average by almost four points per game this season, the most impressive improvement was his assist numbers – they rose from 3.7 per game in NBL22 to 6.1 per game in NBL23.

His turnover numbers also rose, but by less than one a game despite his massive increase in ball usage.

McDowell-White has threatened to become one of the best point guards in the NBL for almost his entire career, but we could look back on NBL23 as the season he really slammed home his credentials.

Why he doesn’t: Recency bias is a definite factor when it comes to voting for awards, and that might play into the hands of McDowell-White – because he seriously struggled for a period at the start of the season.

While he’s levelled out as the season has progressed, there was a stage where the Breakers guard would either be the best player on the court or almost completely anonymous.

He followed up a nine-point, seven-assist, 13-rebound performance against Melbourne by not even hitting the scoreboard against Tasmania. He was four assists from a triple-double against Illawarra, then shot a mere 18 per cent from the field against South East Melbourne.

He registered a massive double-double against the reigning champion Sydney Kings, then lost his shot – once again against Tasmania.

McDowell-White has been imperious for the Breakers during the latter half of the season, but a few early season blips may come back to bite him.

The expert says: "I think Will McDowell-White has just elevated himself to one of the best point guards in the league. He’s always been a highly talented player, I think this year with the injuries to Barry Brown Jr and Izayah Le'Afa he’s had games where he’s been the sole point guard and he’s put up huge numbers. I think if he was on a different team with fewer guards his numbers would be through the roof – and he’d be one of the guards that was in the conversation for first or second team All-NBL." - Adam Gibson.

Will McDowell-White stepped up massively in the injury-enforced absences of Izayah Le'Afa and Barry Brown Jr.

Keanu Pinder – His credentials

The stats: 16.9PPG, 50FG%, 9.3REB, 2.4AST

Why he wins: Much like how if the Most Improved Award was judged on pure increase in numbers the winner would be Sean Macdonald, if it was judged on whoever has the highest numbers, Keanu Pinder would win in a landslide.

Pinder is looking to become the first ever player to be named the league’s most improved twice, having taken home the gong in NBL22. Just to earn a second consecutive nomination is alone enough to recognise how far he’s come under Adam Forde.

While the Taipans were surprising everyone with their early season run, Pinder emerged as a genuine MVP candidate. If it wasn’t for the ankle and facial injuries he suffered in the latter half of the season he could well have been the second player in a row to be nominated for both awards – following on from Melbourne’s Jo-Lual Acuil last season.

Pinder is one of the box office players in the league, and although injury has curtailed the back end of his season, his quality and influence should be rewarded in some way.

Why he doesn’t: Simply, injury. By the time the winner of this award is named, Pinder will have missed eight of his side’s final 10 games of the season.

While the influence he has on proceedings is clear, the fact the Taipans have managed to win six games in a row without their star centre throws a mark against his name in any award calculations. No player is irreplaceable, even if they’re as good as Pinder.

Will the star centre’s body of work be enough to show why he deserves to win this honour two years running?

The expert says: "The fact Keanu Pinder has got back-to-back nominations – the numbers obviously speak for themselves. He’s grown in all areas again and if he didn’t get injured I think he’d be in line for MVP. A reason the Taipans are in the position they are is just his growth. Another year on, to have his numbers and percentages increase from what they were last year just shows his improvement." - Two-time NBL champion and 2009 Defensive Player of the Year winner Adam Gibson.

Keanu Pinder was in MVP-level form before being struck down with injury.