Darius Garland receives three votes in Most Improved Player voting

Cavs guard Darius Garland didn’t win the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award on Tuesday — that honor rightly went to Knicks forward Julius Randle. However, Garland did some love on the ballot.

Per the NBA’s official vote tally, Garland received three third-place votes, putting him tied for 10th place in voting. That placed him even with the likes of Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort and Atlanta’s Clint Capela.

Garland has a promising second season with his numbers going up across the board. After a really tough rookie year, Garland blossomed in year two, most notably as a passer. The Cavs clearly having something to build with in Garland at point guard. That was not the clear after his rookie year.

Going forward, Garland could very will make a leap and be in real contention for this award in future seasons. Come year three or year four — and if it comes with the Cavs taking a leap in the standings — this is an award Garland could absolutely win. Isaac Okoro and Collin Sexton could play themselves into the running too.