Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Tyler Herro’s Teammate Makes Bold Awards Claim

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jack Meyer | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 7:18 PM ET

As the NBA regular season comes to a close, the buzz around end-of-season awards has continued to heat up - and Miami Heat All-Star guard Tyler Herro has been touted as a potential candidate for this year's Most Improved Player award. However, numerous other breakthrough players have been listed ahead of him in this season's pecking order, drawing the ire of one of Herro's teammates.

Miami veteran forward Kyle Anderson recently expressed his frustration at Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham being listed ahead of Herro in recent predictions and odds for this year's MIP award.

"Cade Cunningham? Stop giving it to No. 1 and No. 2 picks," Anderson said. "They're doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Cunningham is listed as the second-favorite to win the award according to DraftKings, while Herro sits at number five. Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is currently the heavy favorite to win the award, while Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun round out the top five.

Both Cunningham and Herro made the first All-Star appearances of their respective careers in 2025. Cunningham has led a Detroit revival that has the Pistons set to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019, while Herro has kept Miami afloat since franchise cornerstone Jimmy Butler was traded away last February.

Daniels, on the other hand, has made perhaps the most significant statistical jump from the 2023-24 campaign. After being traded from New Orleans last July, the Australian native has nearly tripled his points per game average from 5.8 to 14.3, all while leading the league with 3.0 steals per game. For context, Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic currently has the league's second-best SPG mark at 1.8.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: