One Net a finalist for NBA Most Improved Player

Spencer Dinwiddie’s development hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The Nets guard was named a finalist for NBA Most Improved Player on Wednesday.

Westchester product Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz was also honored as a Rookie of the Year finalist, while recently fired Raptors coach Dwane Casey is an awkward finalist for Coach of the Year. No Knick made the league’s awards list.

Dinwiddie, 25, will be up against Clint Capela of the Rockets and Victor Oladipo of the Pacers for most improved honors. Oladipo is considered the favorite, and though he had a bigger impact on the NBA landscape — the Nets were just 28-54 — Dinwiddie arguably made the larger leap forward.

There are plenty who would have thought Dinwiddie being named for any league-wide award seemed farfetched little more than a year ago.

After injuries and inexperience crippled the Nets at point guard during the 2016-17 season, they plucked Dinwiddie from the G-League midstream. He continuously improved, and when Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell suffered knee injuries, his production this past season doubled from the previous year, averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 assists in 80 games.

“I think my season can best be described as a roller coaster. There are some high points to be proud of. There’s some low points that need to be addressed and worked on,” Dinwiddie said after a season that saw him claim the Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend and the Nets improve by eight games in the win column. “Eight more wins is a lot, so obviously that’s good.

“It shows that [general manager] Sean Marks is doing a great job with management, front office and roster build, and it shows that Kenny [Atkinson] is doing a great job as a coach. We look to carry that into next season and be a contender for the playoffs and continue to improve, most importantly. I know the players certainly believe [we can make the playoffs], so we’ve just got to go out there and do it. I can’t make any predictions or promises, but we all want to be in the playoffs for sure.”

Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon is drawing interest from Detroit to run the Pistons’ basketball operations. Houston’s Gersson Rosas, Memphis’ Ed Stefanski (a former Nets GM) and NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe (a former Knick, and an ex-Nets GM) are also candidates, according to ESPN.