Who is the Mavs Most Improved Player this year?

[fifteenth]

Dorian got even better this year, but he was already a quality starter.  He did not make the same leap Brunson did from a responsibility standpoint.

I can't argue against Brunson. 

But a couple of things about DFS. In my mind he was pretty clearly the second most important player, carrying the second most important load this season. Last season some folks were still arguing that he wasn't a real NBA starter. So that's a fairly huge leap. 

Additionally, his offensive game expanded in ways that I don't think anyone expected, and in ways that aren't normally seen for a player of his experience. I suppose, just based on Kidd's encouragement for him to expand his game, he added a variety of skills in attacking close outs. He, of course, added more ball fake, straight drive and dunk to the arsenal. But then he expanded that to include nifty layups in traffic and good passes out to the corner. He's also handled the ball in scoring, passing and initiating situations that don't just include beating close outs. And he added all that to his game while shouldering the heaviest defensive load on the team and leading all non-Luka players in minutes and sharing the lead with Spencer for best 3pt percentage. 

Who had Dorian as second best player on their radar? He was better than that max player, future co-corner stone that we sent packing. But, of course, so was Brunson.