D'Angelo Russell went from a fringe starter getting benched in fourth quarters to an All-Star that led his team to the playoffs.
He's now getting acknowledged for the stark turnaround in his play, as the former Ohio State guard was named a finalist for the NBA's Most Improved Player award on Friday evening.
The three finalists for #KiaMIP... @swipathefox, @Dloading, and @pskills43!
— NBA (@NBA) May 17, 2019
The 2019 #NBAAwards air 6/24, 9:00pm/et on TNT! pic.twitter.com/oE4ahe191C
Last season, Russell averaged just 15.5 points and 5.2 assists per game. He turned his production around completely, averaging 21.1 points and seven assists per contest for the Brooklyn Nets this year, with three 40-point games.
The other finalists are Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox and Toronto's Pascal Siakam. The winner will be announced on June 24 at 9 p.m.
