Granger Grabs ‘Most Improved’

The lone bright spot for the Indiana Pacers this season was the play of Danny Granger. In his third year in the NBA out of the University of New Mexico, Granger won the league’s Most Improved Player award.

He was on vacation in Italy when he was made aware of the news. During a press conference after receiving the award Granger stated, “I can honestly say it really did come as a surprise.”

Other top candidates for the award were Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite missing the playoffs again this year, Granger was able to compete at a high level. He averaged 25.8 points a game, fifth highest in the NBA, and five rebounds. Granger was also invited to participate in his first All-Star game this season. Team president Larry Bird spoke very highly of Granger. According to an Associated Press article he was quoted saying, “He is the face of our franchise, and he handles himself well on the court and off.”

Granger began to show his ability to lead the Pacers in late game situations with clutch shooting this year. In a January 7th game against the Suns, Granger nailed a game-winning jumper over Steve Nash. He also turned in clutch performances against the Pistons and the Hornets that same month.

Many people around the league are beginning to recognize Granger’s talent. He was recently invited to the USA Basketball training camp which takes place this summer. Being invited to the camp is one of the first steps in being considered eligible to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Granger recognizes that it will take more to elevate his game to the next level. He spoke about the importance of defense during the press conference. "I don't just want to be a better defender, I want to be an elite defender. I really modeled my defensive game after [Houston forward] Ron Artest when he was here. He was a phenomenal defensive player when he was here. I probably got away from that the past two years. Next year, that will be my big focus."

Granger is the third Indiana Pacer to receive the Most Improved Player award since its introduction into the NBA in 1985. The first two were Jalen Rose in 1999 and Jermaine O’Neal in 2001.