Jokic, Gobert, Giannis named Most Improved Player finalists

Three of the brightest international talents are up for Most Improved Player.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo were revealed as the three finalists for MIP for the 2016-17 season Friday.

After losing his starting job to then-Nuggets big man Jusuf Nurkic earlier in the season, Jokic developed into one of the league's most dominant players during the latter two-thirds of the campaign, turning the Nuggets into one of the league's preeminent offenses.

Gobert was a double-double machine for the Jazz, averaging 14 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.2 assists on 66.2 percent shooting.

Antetokounmpo - the favorite to win - helped carry the Bucks to a 42-40 record, while becoming the first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 in all five major statistical categories.