?Houston Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks was named the NBA's most improved player on Thursday.

The 1.83-meter Brooks set career highs in points (19.6 per game) , assists (5.3) and rebounds (2.6). His scoring average went up 8. 4 points from 2008-09, the highest increase of any player.

The Rockets missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Brooks started all 82 games while the roster went through several changes during the season, caused by injuries or trades.

Brooks, the Rockets' first-round draft pick in 2007, set a team record for 3-pointers made (209) and became the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 200 3-pointers and 400 assists.

Brooks earned 403 of a possible 615 points, including 62 first- place votes, from a panel of 123 sports writers and broadcasters.