2 goals Jordan Hawkins must meet to be in 2024-25 Most Improved Player race

The NBA's Most Improved Player award has changed its criteria over the past few years. The honor used to be reserved for a role player or struggling prospect who suddenly has a breakout season. Recently, though, it's been given to players like Tyrese Maxey and Ja Morant, blue-chip talents who were already good in this league but took a small leap in development to become great. The early odds leader for Most Improved for the 2024-25 NBA season is Victor Wembanyama, a generational draft prospect who went first overall and then had a dominant rookie campaign.

Next season, the league and its media coverage will be at a crossroads. Giving the award to Wemby could very well put a permanent shift in the spirit of the honor. It's almost certain that none of the other contenders will have as good a season as Wembanyama next year but that shouldn't stop them from trying. The New Orleans Pelicans have a few different players that could win the award, like Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones.

But, if the league is open to giving the award to a second-year player like Wemby, it opens the door for rookie standout Jordan Hawkins to submit his bid next season. He won't be better than Wembanyama, but, as the former 14th-overall pick and an actual role player from last year, he could take a greater leap than Wemby in terms of development. If Jordan Hawkins can hit these two goals next season, he should find himself at the top of the Most Improved Player race.

Goals for Jordan Hawkins to insert himself into the Most Improved Player race

1. Average over 14 ppg

Last season, Jordan Hawkins had stretches where he looked like one of the most impressive rookies out of an extremely stacked class. Unfortunately, due to a combination of roster needs and his inconsistency as a first-year player, Hawkins mostly fell out of Head Coach Willie Green's rotation towards the end of the year.

This upcoming season, he has a great opportunity to regain Coach Green's trust and carve out a niche for himself as a bench scorer and microwave outside shooter. The Pelicans roster is in desperate need of both shooting and reliable bench play, so, if Hawkins can provide both, he could rise to the top of the rotation as a primary reserve weapon.

Hawkins had four games last season with 25 or more points, two of which had him scoring over 30. He's shown that he has the capabilities to be a nuclear scorer. He'll just have to do it consistently to take his average from just over seven points per game last season to over 14 this year.

2. Improve efficiency

Hawkins showed last season that he was one of the most lethal scorers in his class, capable of hitting tough shots and generating offense in a pinch, especially from beyond the arc. While he proved his mettle as a tough shot taker and a tough shot maker, his efficiency was less than ideal at 38 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep.

Part of that was because nearly 65 percent of his attempts were from beyond the arc, but he wasn't lighting it up from two-point range either, as he hit just 41 percent of his twos. In his sophomore campaign, he'll have to show that he added the bulk and touch necessary to be an efficient scorer in the paint and inside the arc. Improving his marksmanship from all three levels will go a long way towards upping his scoring output and putting him in the Most Improved Player discussion. Voters like to see notable development in specific areas of a player's game when deciding the MIP; Hawkins's should try to make his big advancement as a slasher.