Most Improved Player – Dewayne Dedmon
After the Dwight Howard trade, signing Dewayne Dedmon to a 2-year, $14 million deal was the splashiest offseason move for the Atlanta Hawks. Dedmon performed admirably off the bench for the Spurs last season, anchoring a typically stellar Spurs defense and serving as a strong rim-runner and finisher in the paint.
This season, Dedmon has the highest usage of his career with 18.2% and was one of the Hawks best players before suffering a stress reaction in late November, which will force him out for 3-6 weeks.
Before the injury, Dedmon was supremely efficient and consistent –averaging 11.1 points (6th on the team) and 7.8 rebounds per game. His 60.1 percent field goal percentage ranks 5th overall in the NBA, in illustrious company such as Deandre Jordan, Steven Adams and Lebron James.
Dewayne is also shooting 48.3 percent from three-point territory (14 of 29), which is a new career-high in attempts – beating his previous career highs of -ahem- zero three-point makes on one three-point attempt. Dedmon’s outside shooting has been a revelation for a team that expects most of its players to be able to spot up for three-pointers, even players who have shown no range throughout their entire career like Dedmon.
As the Hawks’ opening day starting center, Dedmon is the Hawks’ Most Improved Player and has outperformed relative to expectations. This has been Dedmon’s first starting gig, and he had been playing beautifully before suffering that leg injury.