NBA award predictions — Most Improved Player
- OG Anunoby
- Derrick White
- Jordan Poole
OG Anunoby is set to take on expanded offensive duties in lieu of Kyle Lowry, and his ascent will only be expedited by Pascal Siakam’s early-season absence. Anunoby has been one of the NBA’s best wing defenders for a couple years now, and the offensive flashes have been plenty. That said, this feels like the season for a full-on breakout.
At 6-foot-7, Anunoby has the size and shooting potential to score from a variety of spots on the floor. The Kawhi Leonard comparisons are lazy and inevitably fruitless, but he does carry himself in a similar manner, and both have a sort of rigid-but-automatic aesthetic to their game.
The Raptors will lean heavily on Anunoby on both sides of the ball. There’s a non-zero chance he ends the season as a top-40 or 50 player in the NBA, and he even has an outside chance of earning All-Star consideration in the East, dependent on Toronto’s success.
Derrick White will be stepping into the lead offensive role in San Antonio, and he too carries special upside defensively. The Spurs are on the verge of a rebuild, but we have seen rebuilds start with sudden flourishes from previously unsung heroes (see: Jerami Grant last season).
Jordan Poole will once again help fill the shoes of Klay Thompson until the latter’s return, only Poole seems primed for much more than 20 minutes per game this season. He has been electric in preseason and has the shot-making upside to make a lot of noise on a top-shelf offensive team.
Do the Sixers have any Most Improved Player candidates?
Not really. Again, there’s a chance Tyrese Maxey takes a significant step forward in his second year, either becoming one of the NBA’s premier sixth men or earning a spot in Doc Rivers’ starting five. Either way, however, it’s generally rare for second-year players to win Most Improved. The same can be said for Isaiah Joe, who is primed for his own second-season leap.
Another fringe fringe candidate would be Seth Curry, who simply elevated to a higher plain in the postseason. If he can carry some of that shot-making juice we saw in the Hawks series over to the new season, then he could post the best numbers of his career. Even then, the 31-year-old Curry does not stand much of a chance.