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NBA: Slovenian guard Dragic named Most Improved Player

Phoenix guard Goran Dragic, whose career-high 20.3 points a game helped the Suns win 23 more games this season than last, was named the NBA's Most Improved Player on Wednesday. The 27-year-old backcourt standout received 408 of 1,134 possible votes in a North American media poll. Indiana's Lance Stephenson was a distant second with 158 points, three more than Anthony Davis of New Orleans. The Slovenian international who averaged only 9.5 points before this season, added 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game as well as sinking a career-best 50.5 percent of his shots from the floor. His stats included 40.8 percent scoring from 3-point range -- making him the only NBA player with 50 percent overall accuracy and 40-percent success from beyond the arc. The Suns went 48-34 but missed the playoffs, finishing one game behind Dallas for the last berth in the Western Conference. Dragic started 75 games, helping ease the loss of point guard Eric Bledsoe, who made only 43 appearances this season due to a left shin injury.