NEW YORK – Fort Wayne Mad Ants forward DeQuan Jones has been named the 2017-18 NBA G League Most Improved Player.  Voted on by the league’s 26 head coaches and general managers, the award honors the player who demonstrated the most significant improvement during the 2017-18 season.

In his second NBA G League season and first with the Mad Ants, Jones (6-8, 221, Miami) averaged 18.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.6 minutes in 49 games (48 starts).  He also shot 50.8 percent from the field and ranked ninth in the NBA G League in three-point field goal percentage at 43.3.

Jones began the season by averaging 12.7 points and shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from three-point range over nine games in November.  He produced a breakout month in February, averaging 26.5 points and shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from beyond the arc in eight games to earn NBA G League Player of the Month honors.

His strong play continued in March, when he averaged 24.2 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field and 48.1 percent from long distance in nine games.  Jones helped Fort Wayne (29-21) clinch the second seed in the NBA G League’s Eastern Conference.

The 2018 NBA G League Slam Dunk winner at NBA All-Star in Los Angeles, Jones will be presented with the Most Improved Player award before the Mad Ants play host to the third-seeded Erie BayHawks tonight in the Eastern Conference Semifinals (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

Guard Trey Davis of the Maine Red Claws and guard Josh Gray of the Northern Arizona Suns finished second and third in the Most Improved Player voting, respectively.

All-Time NBA G League Most Improved Player Award Winners:
2017-18: DeQuan Jones (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
2016-17: Devondrick Walker (Delaware 87ers)
2015-16: Axel Toupane (Raptors 905)
2014-15: Joe Jackson (Bakersfield Jam)
2013-14: Frank Gaines (Maine Red Claws)
2012-13: Cameron Jones (Santa Cruz Warriors)
2011-12: Kenny Hayes (Maine Red Claws)
2010-11: Dar Tucker (New Mexico Thunderbirds)
2009-10: Mildon Ambres (Idaho Stampede)

About the NBA G League
The NBA’s official minor league, the NBA G League prepares players, coaches, officials, trainers and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory.  Featuring 26 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2017-18 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.  An all-time-high 44 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2016-17 season boasted NBA G League experience.  In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA Cares programs.  NBA G League games are available on ESPN’s family of networks, Twitch, Eleven Sports and NBA TV.