Long Island Nets star Craig Randall II named NBA G League Most Improved Player

The NBA G League announced today that Long Island Nets guard Craig Randall II has been named the 2021-22 NBA G League Most Improved Player.

According to the league, the award “honors the player who demonstrates the most significant improvement during the season.” Randall II is the first player in Nets history to earn the award. The award is based on a vote of the head coaches and general managers of the NBA’s development league.

Randall II, a 6’4” combo guard out of Tennesse-Martin, also finished second in voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award, which was announced on Saturday. Mac McClung, a South Bay Lakers guard won the RoY.

In 27 regular-season games with Long Island this season, Randall II scored 26.7 points per game, while also adding 5.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 40.8 minutes per contest. His shooting splits were shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3-point range, and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line. He led the NBA G League in 3-pointers made (132) and ranked second in the league in points per game.

Unlike in the NBA, the G League’s Most Improved Player awards honors a player that improved during the season, instead of from one season to the next. Randall II is a G League rookie.

The award is apt for Randall II, who averaged only 11.0 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 28.1 minutes per game over the first 14 games with Long Island during the 2021 NBA G League Showcase Cup.

Once the regular season started, he immediately improved his output, scoring 40 points against College Park on January 5 and 44 points against Greensboro on January 7, becoming the first player in franchise history to score 40 or more points in consecutive games. Randall earned NBA G League Player of the Week for that week.

The 25-year-old was originally acquired by the Nets after participating in the team’s annual local player tryouts and was named the NBA G League Player of the Month for games played in February, becoming the first local tryout player in the NBA G League to receive the honor and the first in franchise history.

Randall’s best game came on March 12 when he scored 48 points. Randall shot 19-of-31 overall and 8-of-15 from deep, coming close to the franchise record of 52 set by Isaiah Whitehead In February 2018. Randall missed four of the Nets last five games due to personal reasons.

He recently tweeted that he’s headed to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this July but hasn’t said which team he’ll play for.

• Long Island Nets’ Craig Randall II Named 2021-22 NBA G League Most Improved Player - G League