The 2018 NBA Awards are still nearly three weeks away, but there's little mystery surrounding one award. Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo has been the prohibitive favorite to win Most Improved Player since the start of the season and barring a major surprise, should take home the hardware over fellow finalists Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Rockets center Clint Capela on June 25.
Oladipo took a star turn in his fifth NBA season and his first in Indiana, emerging as a go-to scorer and locker room leader for the Blue & Gold. Assuming he takes home Most Improved Player honors, Oladipo will become the fifth Pacers player to win the award, joining Jalen Rose (1999-2000), Jermaine O'Neal (2001-02), Danny Granger (2008-09), and Paul George (2012-13).