NBA Most Improved Player Odds: To Victor Go the Spoils
- New odds for who will win the 2018 Kia Most Improved Player Award.
- Can Victor Oladipo continue to play at an All-Star level during the final 20 games of the season?
- Can Aaron Gordon leapfrog the competition and overcome Orlando’s horrendous record?
We first offered odds for the 2017-18 Kia Most Improved Player Award way back in November. It was a simpler, carefree time, when Kristaps Porzingis was still healthy, D’Angelo Russell still had two functional knees, and Rodney Hood still looked like he would be wearing a Jazz jersey in another five months
It turns out there are some things you simply can’t predict. We’ve taken those developments into consideration (along with a few others), and have come up with new and improved odds that reflect the current state of the NBA season. Make sure to view our most trusted sportsbooks later this month to see if these wagers are available.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Victor Oladipo (Pacers) | 3/2 |
| Aaron Gordon (Magic) | 3/1 |
| Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets) | 6/1 |
| Clint Capela (Rockets) | 9/1 |
| Kris Dunn (Bulls) | 15/1 |
| FIELD | 20/1 |
Victor Oladipo (Pacers)
Victor Oladipo is living proof that it can take months to accurately grade a trade. The Pacers, as you may recall, were universally derided in June when they sent Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Oladipo and power forward Domantas Sabonis. Sports Illustrated gave Indiana a D for the deal, and ridiculed the team for getting so little in return for their franchise star.
Fast forward to March, and Indiana is now just one win behind OKC and in sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Oladipo, meanwhile, is leading the league in steals at 2.2 swipes per game, and his 24.2 scoring average is the highest by a Pacer since Danny Granger recorded 25.8 PPG in 2008-09.
As good as Oladipo has been on the court this season, his true value has been most evident when he sits. The Pacers are 36-21 when he plays, and 0-6 when he’s sidelined. Forget about the Most Improved Player Award, those are the kinds of metrics that merit MVP consideration.
Aaron Gordon (Magic)
Put your hand up if you thought the guy who jumped over Stuff the Magic Dragon in the Slam Dunk Contest would become a lights-out three-point shooter. Yeah, we didn’t think so either. Aaron Gordon has cooled off considerably from earlier this season when he was hitting nearly 45-percent of his threes, but the six-foot-nine human jumping bean is still one of the hardest players in the league to guard thanks to his off-the-charts athleticism and vastly improved shooting stroke.
Now it’s up to the Magic to make a similar improvement and surround Gordon with the kind of talent that will allow him to reach the playoffs and make some noise in June.
| Player | PTS | 2016-17 PTS Differential | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Oladipo (Pacers) | 24.2 | 8.3 | 5.4 | 4.2 |
| Aaron Gordon (Magic) | 18.2 | 5.5 | 8.3 | 2.3 |
| Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets) | 13.2 | 5.9 | 3.4 | 6.9 |
| Clint Capela (Rockets) | 14.5 | 1.9 | 11.2 | 1.0 |
| Kris Dunn (Bulls) | 13.5 | 9.7 | 4.5 | 6.0 |
Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets)
Anyone who claims they knew about Spencer Dinwiddie prior to this season is either a huge NBA Draft nerd or an outright liar. The Colorado alum was taken by Detroit with the 38th pick in 2014 draft and languished on the Pistons’ bench for two seasons before signing a partially guaranteed contract with the Nets in 2016. He’d likely still be riding the pine right now were it not for devastating injuries to both Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell earlier this season.
Anyone who claims they knew about Spencer Dinwiddie prior to this season is either a huge NBA Draft nerd or an outright liar.
Dinwiddie immediately stepped into the starting point guard spot and he hasn’t looked back since. The six-foot-six floor general is averaging a career-high 13.3 points and 6.8 assists, and his heady leadership has allowed the Nets to stay afloat and pull out surprising wins over teams like the Thunder, Cavs, and Blazers.
Dinwiddie’s most surprising victory of all came last month, when he captured the Skills Challenge at the NBA All-Star Weekend in his hometown of Los Angeles. The trophy could be the first of many he collects now that his career is back on track.
Clint Capela (Rockets)
Clint Capela was already one of the NBA’s most promising pivots in 2016-17, but he’s taken his game to a new level this season thanks to Houston’s addition of Chris Paul. The veteran point guard has consistently put him in a position to succeed by pulling away defenders on the pick and roll and feeding Capela countless alley oops and pocket passes. The Swiss big man is now getting better looks than ever before and is leading the league in effective field-goal percentage as a result.
Capela has also been a beast on defense, where he’s fifth in the NBA in blocks and eighth in rebounding. His rise from good to great is just one of the reasons why the Rockets have the best record in the league.
Kris Dunn (Bulls)
No player has done more to salvage his reputation this season than Kris Dunn, who was considered one of the biggest busts of the 2016 draft after averaging just 3.8 points in 17 minutes per game with the Wolves. Fortunately, the six-foot-four guard got a shot at redemption in the offseason when he was shipped to the Bulls, and he’s made the most of his second chance.
Dunn has increased his scoring average by 9.7 points and has used his length and physicality to terrorize opposing ballhandlers. He’s currently fourth in the league in steals and has the wingspan, quick hands, and instincts to become a truly elite defender.
Ryan worked as an Editor and resident Lead NBA and MLB Writer for SB from 2017-19. He has authored his own weekly columns for Fox Sports and AskMen, and has created successful campaigns for the WWE, the NHL, and the NFL. Ryan's critically acclaimed stories have been published in 20 books.
