NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2018-19 Most Improved Player award

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9. Julius Randle, New Orleans Pelicans

Julius Randle is in pretty close to the perfect situation with the New Orleans Pelicans. In an up-tempo offense where he’ll either play as a 4 next to Anthony Davis or as a small-ball 5, he’s going to feast on mismatches, using his speed, strength and ball-handling to get to the rim at will.

So why is he so low on this list? Two reasons: 1) He already posted 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last season, so he’d have to make an even bigger leap coming off something of a breakout year and 2) If the Pelicans are smart, they’ll be bringing Randle off the bench.

Starting AD at the 5 and continuing to utilize Nikola Mirotic as a stretch-4 makes the most sense, especially since Randle can’t shoot. Unfortunately, as much as this fit will benefit both parties, it’s far more likely Randle is a contender for Sixth Man of the Year than a serious MIP candidate.