NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2017-18 Most Improved Player of the Year Award

As the 2017-18 NBA season draws closer, it’s time to take a look at the top 10 candidates for the league’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

The NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award is kind of like that old saying about pornography: It can be hard to clearly define, but you know it when you see it.

This individual award can be hard to reach a consensus on because there are so many acceptable interpretations of what it means to be “most improved.”

Does it refer to a player who put up crappy numbers the year before and therefore made the biggest leap? Is it reserved for players who progressed from “pretty good” to “undeniable star”? How much does team success factor in? Is it about who made the biggest jump, or who rose to a higher level of prominence after barely being on the radar?

Luckily, the last few seasons have been easier to peg, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, C.J. McCollum, Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Paul George making the voters’ jobs pretty simple. At this point, the award seems to go to good players on the rise who make the leap with breakout years and establish themselves as current stars.

Heading into the 2017-18 season, there are plenty of young players on the cusp of their coming out parties, which means this could be a loaded race for MIP. To sort it all out, here’s a look at the top 10 candidates for the 2017-18 Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

Honorable Mentions:  Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Clint Capela, Julius Randle, Nerlens Noel, Rudy Gobert, Marcus Smart, Norman Powell, Willie Cauley-Stein, Cody Zeller, T.J. Warren, Kris Dunn, Stanley Johnson, Patrick McCaw, Otto Porter Jr.