Best overall MIP bet for 2026: Scoot Henderson. Best for a two-way jump: Ausar Thompson. Best value dark horse: Bilal Coulibaly. Those three names anchor a Most Improved Player race that's wide open heading into the back half of the 2026 NBA season, and none of last year's award conversation carries over cleanly this time.
- Scoot Henderson leads the field of nba most improved player candidates entering 2026 on role expansion alone.
- Ausar Thompson's two-way leap makes him the safest all-around pick for voters tired of empty-stat winners.
- Bilal Coulibaly is the dark horse if Washington keeps feeding him touches through 2026.
- Jalen Duren and Anthony Black round out a five-deep board built on opportunity, not hype.
Why this matters
The Most Improved Player race rewards a specific kind of story: a player who took on more responsibility and didn't blink. Voters have burned themselves before on names who simply played more minutes for a bad team, so the 2026 field gets judged on role change, not just box-score inflation.
Every name below got more offensive responsibility, more defensive assignments, or both, entering this season. That's the filter. Stat-padding on a tanking roster doesn't make this list — actual role growth does.
What makes the best MIP candidate
- Role change, not just opportunity — the player is doing something in 2026 he wasn't asked to do in 2025
- Team relevance — improvement that helps the roster win, not just accumulate numbers on a lottery team
- Efficiency alongside volume — scoring more without the shot quality collapsing
- A clear before/after — a rookie-year role or bench role compared to a starting role now
- Defensive engagement — voters increasingly weight two-way growth over pure scoring bumps
- Health and availability — a breakout only counts if the player's actually on the floor for it
MIP candidates at a glance
| Player | Team | Best for | Standout trait | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoot Henderson | Portland Trail Blazers | Point guard leap | Full command of the offense as lead ball-handler | Turnover-prone under pressure |
| Ausar Thompson | Detroit Pistons | Two-way leap | Defensive versatility paired with a jump shot that's finally falling | Still not a reliable half-court creator |
| Anthony Black | Orlando Magic | Bench-to-starter jump | Feel for the position beyond his experience level | Gets buried in a crowded Magic backcourt some nights |
| Jalen Duren | Detroit Pistons | Frontcourt double-double surge | Rebounding and rim-running that anchors Detroit's frontcourt | Limited range still caps his offensive ceiling |
| Bilal Coulibaly | Washington Wizards | Wing scoring dark horse | Length and shot-making no one projected this early | Consistency night to night is still a question |
1. Scoot Henderson: best NBA Most Improved Player candidate for a point guard leap
Scoot Henderson went No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft and spent his first two seasons figuring out an NBA-caliber jumper while running an offense that had no spacing to speak of. Entering 2026, Portland finally handed him the keys without a rookie-year learning curve attached, and the results show up in command, not just counting stats.
He's initiating pick-and-rolls with real pace now instead of settling, and Portland's offense looks organized around him for stretches of games rather than around him surviving possessions.
Scoot Henderson pros:
- Full-time lead ball-handler role for the first time in his career
- Improved shot selection compared to his rookie seasons
- Explosiveness that still shows up in transition even against set defenses
Scoot Henderson cons:
- Turnovers spike when defenses trap him off ball screens
- Still adjusting to reading drop coverage versus switching
Best for: voters who want the clearest before-and-after story at point guard.
Verdict: Buy. If Portland stays competitive into the second half of 2026, Henderson's role alone makes him hard to leave off ballots.
2. Ausar Thompson: best NBA Most Improved Player candidate for a two-way leap
Ausar Thompson was drafted No. 5 in 2023 as a defensive menace with a broken jumper, and that description doesn't hold anymore. He's still the Pistons' most disruptive perimeter defender, but now he's punishing switches instead of just guarding them.
Detroit's defensive identity in 2026 runs through him, and unlike a lot of MIP candidates, his improvement doesn't come at the expense of winning.
Ausar Thompson pros:
- Elite defensive versatility across multiple positions
- Shot-making growth that opens driving lanes he didn't have before
- Plays winning basketball on a team actually trying to win
Ausar Thompson cons:
- Still not a primary half-court creator when plays break down
- Free-throw shooting remains a soft spot in crunch time
Best for: voters who weight defense as heavily as offense.
Verdict: Buy. He's the safest pick on this board if Detroit stays in the Eastern Conference playoff picture through 2026.
3. Anthony Black: best NBA Most Improved Player candidate for a bench-to-starter jump
Orlando took Anthony Black No. 6 in 2023 knowing the payoff would be slow. It's arriving now. He's gone from a fourth or fifth option in a crowded Magic backcourt to a player Orlando trusts with real defensive matchups and secondary playmaking reps.
The leap here isn't flashy, but it's real: a young guard who couldn't crack the rotation reliably is now a rotation fixture.
Anthony Black pros:
- Feel for the game and decision-making beyond his experience level
- Defensive versatility that fits Orlando's switch-everything scheme
- Improved shooting confidence off the catch
Anthony Black cons:
- Minutes still fluctuate in a deep Magic backcourt rotation
- Not yet a primary shot-creator when the offense stalls
Best for: voters who reward a player climbing out of a crowded depth chart.
Verdict: Hold. He needs a stretch of consistent 30-plus-minute nights in 2026 to separate from the pack.
4. Jalen Duren: best NBA Most Improved Player candidate for a frontcourt double-double surge
Jalen Duren landed in Detroit on draft night in 2022 and has quietly become one of the more reliable interior anchors in the East. His growth in 2026 isn't about a new skill so much as a new level of consistency — the rebounding and rim pressure that used to show up in flashes now shows up every night.
Pistons games look different with him on the floor, particularly on the offensive glass and in transition finishing.
Jalen Duren pros:
- Elite rebounding presence on both ends
- Rim-running that punishes drop coverage
- Improved screen-setting that unlocks Detroit's guards
Jalen Duren cons:
- Limited shooting range still caps his offensive ceiling
- Foul trouble remains a recurring issue against physical fours
Best for: voters who reward interior consistency over perimeter flash.
Verdict: Hold. He's a real name in the conversation, but the ceiling on his role likely caps his final vote count.
5. Bilal Coulibaly: best NBA Most Improved Player candidate as a wing scoring dark horse
Washington selected Bilal Coulibaly No. 7 in the 2023 draft, and on a rebuilding roster, he's had the runway most young wings never get. Heading into 2026, the shot-making is arriving ahead of schedule, and his length is finally translating into shots he can actually create for himself off the dribble.
He's the name furthest from the mainstream conversation right now, which is exactly what makes him a dark horse worth tracking.
Bilal Coulibaly pros:
- Length and versatility that project well long-term
- Shot-making growth that wasn't part of his pre-draft profile
- Usage rate climbing on a roster with no one else to feed
Bilal Coulibaly cons:
- Night-to-night scoring consistency is still shaky
- Plays for a team with little national spotlight, which hurts voter visibility
Best for: bettors looking for MIP futures value before the field catches up.
Verdict: Wait. Track his scoring nights through the middle of 2026 before backing him at long odds.
How we ranked these candidates
Each name here cleared the role-change bar first — bigger minutes, bigger responsibility, or a bigger defensive assignment compared to last season. From there, team context and efficiency separated the top three from the back half of the board. A stat jump on a tanking roster never outranks a real role change on a team trying to win.
“A stat jump on a tanking roster never outranks a real role change on a team trying to win.”
Which NBA Most Improved Player candidate should you back?
For the reader who wants one answer: Scoot Henderson is the pick right now, because Portland has handed him full command of the offense and the role change is the clearest story on this board heading into the rest of 2026. If you want the safer two-way profile, Ausar Thompson is the alternative. If you're chasing value at long odds, Bilal Coulibaly is the name to watch before the market adjusts.
Check the best NBA players right now for casual fans breakdown to see how these names stack up against the league's established stars, or pair this race with the NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates since Ausar Thompson shows up on both boards.
Build your NBA prop card
Turn this MIP board into a lineup with the SportsOrca DFS guide.
FAQ
Who is the favorite for NBA Most Improved Player in 2026?
Scoot Henderson is the favorite among the current nba most improved player candidates for 2026 because Portland has fully handed him the offense after two seasons of a limited role.
Is Ausar Thompson a real MIP candidate for 2026?
Yes, Ausar Thompson's two-way growth in 2026 makes him one of the safer picks on the board since his defensive value never dipped while his scoring improved.
What separates an MIP candidate from a player just scoring more?
A real MIP case requires a role change, not just more minutes on a bad team. Voters weight players who took on new responsibility over players padding stats on tanking rosters.
Does team success matter for MIP voting?
It matters more than most fans assume. A candidate improving stats while helping his team win in 2026 generally beats a candidate posting bigger numbers for a losing roster.
Is Bilal Coulibaly a legitimate dark horse for MIP in 2026?
Bilal Coulibaly qualifies as a dark horse because his usage and shot-making are climbing ahead of his pre-draft projection, though his team's low national visibility could hurt his final vote count.
How often does a former lottery pick win Most Improved Player?
Recent MIP winners have often been former lottery picks who needed multiple seasons to find a full-time role, which is exactly the profile several 2026 candidates fit.
Why isn't a star player like Jalen Williams on this MIP list?
MIP voters typically favor players making a jump from a limited role to a larger one rather than already-established stars posting continued gains, which keeps this list focused on names with a clearer before-and-after.
One last thing
The name to watch closest through the rest of 2026 isn't Scoot Henderson — it's whether Anthony Black gets a sustained run of 30-plus minutes in Orlando. If that happens, he jumps from fourth on this board to a real threat to win the whole thing, because his per-minute impact already outpaces his current role.
