ESPN Forecast: Jimmy Butler for Most Improved Player

This season, our ESPN Forecast panelists found 19 players worthy of mention on their ballots, each and every one a pleasant surprise.

It appears that the one who likely fits the bill this season is a Chicago swingman who made the leap from starter to All-Star.

The voting results:

Jimmy Butler

Chicago Bulls

Should win: 36 percent

Will win: 48 percent

Butler apparently won this award early by becoming Chicago's go-to guy when Derrick Rose had a rocky start to the season. If Butler wins, he'll add to the Bulls' hardware collection -- they have an MVP (Rose), a Rookie of the Year (Rose), Defensive Player of the Year (Joakim Noah), another Most Improved Player (Aaron Brooks, when he played in Houston), a Coach of the Year (Tom Thibodeau) and an Executive of the Year (Gar Forman).

Draymond Green

Golden State Warriors

Should win: 18 percent

Will win: 23 percent

Green has a shot at Most Improved, but to see the award he's more likely to win, check out the Defensive Player of the Year page.

Rudy Gobert

Utah Jazz

Should win: 13 percent

Will win: 6 percent

Another inspirational Rudy story: The rise of the Stifle Tower matches the steady rise of the Jazz. Utah was 5-12 in October and November, 6-9 in both December and January, then 6-5, 10-6 and 5-2 the next three months, with defense at the heart of the team's success.

Hassan Whiteside

Miami Heat

Should win: 11 percent

Will win: 9 percent

Just making an NBA roster again was a sure sign of improvement for Whiteside, but he went far beyond that. In his first few weeks with the Heat, Whiteside put up stats that prompted comparisons to the greatest centers in history -- names like Shaq, Hakeem, Kareem.

Others receiving votes

Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMarre Carroll, Anthony Davis, Ed Davis, Andre Drummond, George Hill, Brandon Knight, Kawhi Leonard, Khris Middleton, Donatas Motiejunas, Shabazz Muhammad, Victor Oladipo, Dennis Schröder, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook.

Click below to see ESPN Forecast's 2014-15 award picks:

• Most Valuable Player
• Rookie of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Most Improved Player
• Sixth Man of the Year