Philadelphia 76ers: Predicting every NBA Award for the 2018-19 season

Most Improved Player

Last year’s winner was Victor Oladipo.

Christopher Kline — Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

This was a tough one. Fultz was far from perfect in preseason action and might take some time to adjust. Brandon Ingram is going to look really good next to LeBron in L.A., plus the market will play in his favor.

With that said, Fultz is a high-level talent who will contribute to an elite Sixers team. His playmaking chops were evident last season, and now he’s primed to add some reliable perimeter scoring to the mix. I think the comeback storyline will help as well.

Jack Duffy — Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

Markelle Fultz has taken the NBA world by storm in the last 12 months. From his shoulder injury that left him missing 65 games and not being able to shoot a jump shot, to nailing three-pointers and draining pull-up jumpers in pre-season, Fultz is looking worthy of what a No.1 overall pick should look like.

Fultz will average north of 15 points per game along with at least four rebounds per game and 3 assists per game along with over one block and steal per game. Get ready, NBA. Markelle Fultz is coming.

Alex Rosenfeld — Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

This award was made for Markelle Fultz. Judging by how explosive he’s looked in the preseason, I see no reason why he won’t win this award by a landslide due to his feel-good comeback narrative combined with more than deserving play.

AJ Iezzi — Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

Markelle Fultz is in the perfect position to make a huge leap. He’s confident. The coaching staff is thrilled with his progress. His teammates seem to genuinely support him, and above all else he is a high-end talent. Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, Fultz is going to be a dynamic force. He’ll be a reliable game finisher by season’s end.

Harrison Grimm — Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

This may be the inner “Philadelphia fan” in me, but I see Markelle Fultz easily winning this award. Everyone knows of the weird rookie season, in which Fultz basically lost all shooting ability. It was arguably the biggest story of the regular season last year. Fultz’s story being well-known can help him win this award pretty easily.

We’ve seen glimpses of Markelle Fultz’s jump shot return in the early preseason, and he seems like a much more confident player. Fultz put up very low stats, as he wasn’t shooting much or playing many minutes.

This season Fultz will be getting around 30+ minutes a night, which will allow him to put up some really good stats. There’s no doubt that Fultz was at an all-time low last season. If Fultz can come back and be a game changer for a high-seeded Sixers team, expect the award to be his, with little competition.

Joe DiProsperos — Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers

If all goes to plan, and Markelle is in fact truly back to form by the time meaningful NBA games kick off, he should run away with this award. The key is obviously going to be whether or not he will consistently be able to hit not necessarily long-range jumpers, but just jump shots in general. If not, then his case significantly weakens. But if his recent action is any indication, he should be just fine.

Stuart London — Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers 

This is an easy one. Fultz will go from 14 games in which he could not shoot to being a (first-half) starter for one of the top teams in league. You can concentrate on his jump shot (where he can knock them down from mid-range at least) but Fultz also can pass, play defense, rebound and even block shots.

Lucas Johnson — Josh Richardson, Miami Heat

As much as I would like to say Markelle Fultz, Richardson seems like a prime candidate for me. He is a budding two-way player on a roster devoid of a legit score presence from the wing.