Kardashian Effect could make Kris Humphries most improved player

Kris Humphries is having a breakout season with the Nets.

He shot 44.1 percent last season and never higher than 47 percent until this season when he shot 52.7 percent. The reason is he took fewer jumpers and started taking more shots at the rim (1.3 more per game) and he finished them much better (67.1 percent this season to 55.8 percent last season). His percentage of rebounds grabbed jumped from 18 percent to 22 percent. He went from being an average player using PER to a solid starter at 17.95. (Stats via Hoopdata.)

Joke all you want about how that is because he is dating Kim Kardashian — the supposed “ Kardashian Effect” — but he told CBS New York there is something to that (via The Basketball Jones).

“You know, it’s interesting. Just being around her, seeing how hard she works, and everyone in her family and what they do, it’s motivating for me,” Humphries said. “I want to be the best that I can be. I wouldn’t say it’s the only reason I’ve had a great year, but it definitely factors into that.”

When you think about Lamar Odom about to win the Sixth Man of the Year award after marrying Khloe Kardashian, maybe there is something to this effect. Frightening as that is to the rational mind.

Now the Nets want to ride the Kardashian Effect to a most improved player award. Not sure he’s going to win it, but since this award often goes to players who didn’t really improve as opposed to just got more minutes and kept up the level of production they had before, there could be worse choices.

The Nets released a video — Kris Humphries as “The Incredible Hump” — to sell you on what he can do. You can thank me later for getting The Humpty Hump stuck in your head all day.