Every NBA team's most improved player from the 2022-23 season

The fourth-year forward averaged the most minutes per game since his rookie season but more impressively, elevated his scoring to a career-best 15.4 points per game. He took nearly two more shots per game than in the past while shooting 46.1% from the field. With Trae Young and DeJounte Murray at the forefront, getting an increase in production from Hunter is exactly what this Atlanta club needs. 

How can one of the game's best be on this list? Tatum took that next step to superstardom this season. This was the first season in which he finished with more than 30 points per game, nearly four more points than his previous high. He also posted career-highs in rebounds and assists per game while becoming a more efficient scorer with a 46.6 field goal percentage, the best he's shot in any season with at least 20 attempts per contest. 

The Suns gave up this budding star in the Kevin Durant package to the benefit of Brooklyn. The improvement can be seen exclusively in his numbers before and after the trade, moving his scoring from 17.2 per game with the Suns to 26.1 with the Nets. He saw this growth, all while maintaining his ancillary numbers. This wasn't a result of more minutes, either, as he actually averaged two more minutes per game with Phoenix. This was him finally getting more opportunities on the floor with five more shots per game than he had in Phoenix this season. 

In his second year in Charlotte, Oubre Jr. finally took the step that was expected of him as a former first-round pick. He finished his first season averaging more than 20 points per game after scoring 15.0 per night in his first campaign with the Hornets. He was far more aggressive this season, taking a career-high 17.1 field goals per game, nearly three more than his prior high. The one knock was that he only appeared in 48 games, the lowest in any of his eight years. 

This is more so a case of natural growth. The third-year big posted a career-best 10.2 points per game while making 85.7% of his foul shots, far better than the 73.2% from the year prior. The Bulls are a top-heavy team with DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, and there was a chance that someone like Ayo Dosunmo would take a big step this season, but that fell short. Williams' growth wasn't major, but it's enough to warrant the recognition. 

The Cavaliers really didn't see a ton of individual growth. The addition of Donovan Mitchell to go with the two top players already there in Darius Garland and Evan Mobley was enough to keep them in contention. Though marginal, Mobley saw natural growth in Year 2.The reigning Rookie of the Year posted career-highs in points (16.2), rebounds (9.0) and assists (2.8). Admittedly this isn't worthy of a Most Improved Player nomination, but Cleveland didn't have many candidates. 

Seeing a 10-minute-per-night bump really allowed Green the chance to show what he's capable of. The third-year man took advantage of that to the tune of 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, all career bests. While that's not the most flattering stat line, there's no denying that Green showed the most improvement on a team spearheaded by two stars that failed to live up to expectations. 

His first year in Denver went phenomenally. The 26-year-old is at the perfect age to take that next step, which is exactly what he did. This was his first season averaging double digits in points (11.5) while appearing in 80 games, prominently coming off the bench for most of those. He's also increased his scoring slightly in the playoffs, tallying 12.2 points per game heading into the NBA Finals. 

An older player for this category, that doesn't mean he can't show improvement. After coming to Detroit from Utah, the 33-year-old averaged the most minutes of his career (32.1) which resulted in a career-high 21.6 points and 2.6 assists per game. 

The 2015 first-round pick had his second straight season playing all 82 games with a career-high 23.9 minutes per game. He'll never be a scoring threat, but he did have a career-best 7.0 points per contest. More impressively, he brought down 9.3 rebounds per game, two more than the prior season. 

The rebuilding Rockets have something in Sengun. Improvement was expected for Sengun, but to see him jump from 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the 2021-22 season to what he did this past campaign is a great sign of things to come. The Turkish center had a career-high 14.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He also added 3.9 assists a night, a full point better than his rookie campaign. 

The star for Haliburton continues to grow bigger in Indiana. Since moving from Sacramento, the Iowa State product has only seen growth in his game. He put up 20.7 points and 10.4 assists per game this season. Each was a career-high for him as he was only one of three players to post double-digit assist totals on the season with James Harden and Trae Young. 

There's a small movement taking place with rising big men in the NBA. Zubac is among that group after his 10.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game season, both career-highs. He just fell short of averaging double-digit rebounds, which would have made him just one of 13 players to do so. 

Surprisingly, Reaves has become an integral part of the Los Angeles Lakers. In Year 2, he jumped from 7.3 to 13.0 points per game and 1.8 assists to 3.4 assists per contest. The most impressive feat this season was his playoff performance. He raised his game to the tune of 16.9 points and 4.6 assists per game. 

This was a season that fell short of expectations for Memphis. One bright spot was the growth of Bane, who had his first season surpassing 20 points per night with 21.5. He also was more involved in creating offense for others, with 4.4 assists per game. Always a threat from deep, Bane's biggest development was inside the three-point line, as he shot 47.9% from the field. 

Miami knows how to find hidden gems. Martin is among that group, particularly shining during their run to the NBA Finals. Heading into the last round, Martin is posting 14.1 points per game. This is a step up from his regular season, which already saw him finish with a career-best 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The emergence of Martin in the scoring department has given Miami a new dynamic. 

In his first season seeing 20-plus minutes a night, Carter rewarded Milwaukee with a career year. He posted 8.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Carter will never be a major contributor for the Bucks, but he stepped up this season with an expanded role, starting 39 games. His previous high for starts was three. 

Another example of an outstanding player taking that step to stardom. Edwards finished with 24.6 points, 4.4 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game in a career year. The third-year guard may end up on this list next season if he takes a Jayson Tatum-like step in the 2023-24 campaign. 

The No. 17 pick in the 2021 Draft is supposed to develop. That being said, it doesn't always happen. That's not the case for Murphy, who really saw a major jump in Year 2. He went from 5.4 points to 14.5 while shooting 48.4%. 

There was an expectation for Brunson to be a leader on the Knicks after his offseason contract. He still had to prove it, though. The Villanova product didn't waste any time paying off his big salary with a monster career year, averaging 24.0 points and 6.2 assists per game in his first year out of Dallas. 

There are a few guys on the Thunder who showed improvement, but it's hard to look past their star player. While SGA was always meant to be the guy, experts may not have expected him to look this good. His 31.4 points per game was the fourth most in the league, behind the MVP, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Damian Lillard. 

His career started off on a sour note in Philadelphia. In Orlando, though, he's found some footing. The former No. 1 overall pick certainly isn't living up in that regard, but he did just post career-highs in points (14.0), assists (5.7) and rebounds (3.9) in his sixth season. 

The 2021-22 playoff run showed what Maxey could do. He followed that up with 20.3 points per game as the third piece in Philadelphia's top-heavy puzzle. There's reason to believe he still has, even more, to offer as he embarks on his fourth season out of Kentucky. 

Before being traded, Mikal Bridges had this locked down. The Suns parted ways with him and Cam Johnson, their two biggest young stars, which left them with little options in this category. Simply because he saw a bump in scoring, Booker's career-best 27.8 warrants the recognition. 

The 23-year-old finally broke out with 21.1 points, 4.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game this season. He also shot a career-high 44.7% from the field while seeing his minutes go from 29.5 to 35.0 per game. 

Another very good player who saw growth, Fox's rise coincided with the Kings becoming a surprising contender. Fox had his second season averaging 25 points per game, but his biggest development came in his effectiveness, shooting 51.2% from the field en route to his first All-NBA team. 

The Spurs are hoping things turn around quickly now that they have the No. 1 pick. What will also help in that revival is the growth of Vassell. The Florida State alum went from 12.3 points to 18.5 points per game while seeing his assists rise to 3.6. 

The Raptors didn't have much going on this season, which is what led to Nick Nurse being let go. Many of their players either had down years or remained steady. VanVleet actually saw a small dip in his scoring, but it was good to see him step into a bigger leader on the floor with a career-best 7.2 assists per game.

There was no way he wasn't going to be on this list considering he actually won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. His first season in Utah as "the man" went smoothly in a monster season. He finished with 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He also shot 49% from the floor. 

Kuzma has had an interesting career to date, but he's finding himself in Washington. He just had his first season scoring 20 points a night with 21.2 while knocking down 2.5 threes per night. His 35 minutes per game also were the most of his career.