![Tasmania JackJumpers' Sean Macdonald was awarded the NBL's most improved player. Picture by Rod Thompson Tasmania JackJumpers' Sean Macdonald was awarded the NBL's most improved player. Picture by Rod Thompson](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/brian.allen/8ab8ef01-54fb-430e-add8-72c613b682bc.jpg/r0_484_4493_3399_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The JackJumpers' Sean Macdonald was a pleasantly surprised winner of the NBL's most improved player award on Monday night.
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The gritty guard received 48 votes, finishing ahead of Sydney Kings' Jaylin Galloway (40) and Brisbane's Tyrell Harrison (36).
The 23-year-old development player (DP), who was also a finalist last year, got a big cheer from his teammates when his name was called.
"I'm definitely surprised, I thought Jaylin had a hell of a year and I thought he was going to win it for sure and Tyrell had an unbelievable year too," he said in his acceptance speech.
He thanked his teammates and the Tassie fans as well as coach Scott Roth for putting great trust in him to play his own game.
Macdonald was a DP in the JackJumpers' inaugural squad, playing seven games in the 2021-22 season before boosting his game time in the past two campaigns.
He has averaged more than seven points per game this season with solid shooting percentages from the field and beyond the arc.
He also just missed out on the best sixth man award which is for the best player in the competition to have largely come off the bench across the season.
Melbourne United's Ian Clark, with 73 votes, pipped Macdonald (28) and fellow JackJumper Will Magnay who received 29 votes.
Magnay was also runner-up for the Damian Martin Best Defensive Player award which went to Melbourne United's Shea Ili.
Meanwhile, the JackJumpers' Jack McVeigh and Milton Doyle made the All-NBL second team with 26 and 21 votes respectively.
It was McVeigh's first nod in an All-NBL team while Doyle made the All-NBL first team last year.
Perth Wildcats' Bryce Cotton won the league MVP award for a fourth time.