The Atlanta Hawks have already done something no other NBA team had managed before: win the Most Improved Player Award in back-to-back seasons. Now they get a shot at making it three straight.
That kind of streak doesn’t happen by accident. The award has been around since the 1985-86 season, and while a few teams have landed two winners within three years, nobody had ever gone back-to-back before Atlanta pulled it off at the end of the 2026 season. Now the Hawks enter the next year with a fresh group of players who could be in line for another leap.
The formula for Most Improved Player is usually pretty specific. It’s not just about getting more minutes.
It’s about a real statistical jump, the kind that shows a player’s role and production have both changed. And for Atlanta, the offseason brought in several guys who fit that mold.
Jock Landale looks like the cleanest candidate.
When the Hawks picked him up at the trade deadline, it barely registered. Memphis had dealt him to Utah just days earlier, and Utah was simply moving salary when it sent him to Atlanta. Then Landale turned into a useful bench piece right away, stepping in for Onyeka Okongwu and holding things down well enough to matter.
Atlanta brought him back for the 26-27 season, and he should again be the main backup for Okongwu. There’s also a path to more time alongside Big O, which could push his numbers even higher.
Before his injury, Landale logged 19.4 minutes per game for the Hawks and finished the season at 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. If he stays in that reserve big role and gets a little more runway, those totals can climb.
Atlanta may also be looking for more rebounding, which only strengthens his case.
Lu Dort is another name to watch.
He arrives in Atlanta after a down season with OKC, but the Hawks may be giving him exactly what he needs: a bigger offensive responsibility. Dort is projected to be one of the first two players off the bench, and that should put him in position to match or even top the 26.8 minutes per game he played last season.
For the Thunder, Dort wasn’t really asked to be a scoring threat. That changes in Atlanta.
The bench unit doesn’t have a clear go-to scorer, so if the 6'4'' wing is the one taking on that job, the numbers should follow. He’s already established as a strong defender, and there’s a clear parallel to Dyson Daniels, who took off after coming to the Hawks and getting more trust on offense.
If Dort gets the same kind of runway, he could blow past the 9.8 points and 1.4 assists he has averaged over the last three seasons.
Then there’s Devin Carter, the youngest-looking swing for Atlanta and maybe the most intriguing one if everything clicks.
Carter was a lottery pick just two years ago, but his time with Sacramento never really got off the ground. Injuries limited him to 74 games across two seasons, and the Kings eventually moved on.
Atlanta is taking the gamble, and it could pay off. He’s a primary ball handler, which is a spot the Hawks needed to address, and that opens a real path for the Providence College product to carve out a role.
He’ll have a chance to win the backup point guard job early, with Kingston Flemings standing in the way. If Carter wins that battle and earns steady minutes, his production should jump from last season’s line of 2.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. Even without a major minutes spike, Atlanta’s offense could help him add points and especially assists.
The bench context matters here. The Hawks’ projected starting five has multiple playmakers, but the second unit does not.
With Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort, and Jock Landale in that group, the player handling the ball most often is going to rack up assists. That gives Carter a very real path to the kind of statistical rise that wins this award.
Atlanta has already set the standard. Now the question is whether one of these three can keep the streak alive.
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Buddy Hield's Hawks Future May Hinge On A Bigger Plan
The Hawks are down to 16 players after waiving Devin Carter, which means one more move is coming soon to get to the 15-man limit. That has put a spotlight on Buddy Hield, whose place on the roster remains unsettled as Atlanta sorts through the final steps of its summer roster build.
Hields value may have less to do with what he does on the floor right now and more to do with what his deal could do later. His contract gives Atlanta another lever if the front office decides to chase a star to put alongside Jalen Johnson, and for the moment the Hawks have not settled on whether Hield is part of the long-term plan or a strategic piece to hold onto. [Read more 🡒]