This year's Most Improved Player award goes to McGrady of the Magic!
McGrady is the strongest Most Improved Player since the league established this award. This is because McGrady's season averages reached an incredible 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. His achievement is unprecedented, and whether anyone will surpass it in the future remains to be seen.
However, He Xi Meng is certain that within the next twenty years, the league will not find another player with this statistical profile to win Most Improved Player. This is because, for McGrady this season, if it weren't for the Magic's dismal team record, he could have contended for the regular season MVP.
His supporters point to the Spurs' defensive rating when He Xi Meng is on the court. Every time He Xi Meng is on the floor, regardless of whether Duncan or David Robinson is playing, the Spurs' defensive rating is consistently kept at a very low level.
This is due to two factors. Firstly, He Xi Meng's low turnover rate provides the opposing team with very few easy scoring opportunities. Objectively speaking, this is not a direct result of his defensive prowess, but in reality, a low turnover rate does help the team concede fewer points. If one doesn't examine closely, they might attribute this to defensive ability, when in fact, it's not.
Secondly, He Xi Meng's defense relies heavily on anticipation. His primary focus is predicting the opponent's offensive tactics: who is their main offensive threat during a given period, what are their offensive schemes, who has the hot hand, and who is most likely to take a shot. By anticipating these factors, he can make pre-emptive moves and disruptions. However, when it comes to one-on-one matchups, for instance against Iverson or Kobe, He Xi Meng's defensive effectiveness significantly diminishes. Against these top-tier scorers, the element of anticipation is greatly reduced. No matter how much he anticipates, they can improvise, find alternative methods, and evade his predictions.
Regardless of the controversy, He Xi Meng's name ultimately appeared on the list for the All-Defensive Second Team, which can be considered a small surprise.