Pelicans: Zion Williamson’s Most Improved Player odds are a joke

Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans entered the league with as much hype as any player since LeBron James and has somehow exceeded it.

The second-year forward is changing the game of basketball before our eyes, evolving into a point forward who looks like a combination of LeBron, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’ Neal while dominating games as few 20-year-olds ever have.

Zion has taken a huge leap as a player, becoming an unstoppable force in the lane while setting up teammates and being the primary ball handler.

I wrote last week that Zion Williamson should be in the running for Most Improved Player and I stand by it, as he has gone from star to superstar faster than just about any player in history.

It won’t be long before Zion Williamson is in the conversation for league MVP, which is why his current Most Improved Player award odds are so baffling.

Pelicans: What are Zion Williamson’s odds for Most Improved Player?

According to WynnBET, Zion Williamson has the 5th-highest odds to take home the Most Improved Player Award, but they are giving him +1500 odds to do it.

If you are not a gambler, that is what is known as a “long shot.”

He is behind frontrunner Julius Randle (-425), Jerami Grant (-108), Christian Wood (+850) and Michael Porter Jr. (+1300) to win the award.

In my opinion, only Julius Randle and possibly Jerami Grant should be ahead of Zion Williamson.

Christian Wood is having a nice season but the Rockets are absolutely horrible and he has only played 31 games. How in the world is he ahead of Zion Williamson?

Michael Porter Jr. has been a big part of a good team in Denver, but his stats basically went up because he is playing double the amount of minutes that he did last season.

I would say the same for Jerami Grant, who has had a fantastic season but is on one of the NBA’s worst teams and has an insane usage rate.

That leaves only Julius Randle. Like Zion Williamson, Randle has improved every facet of his game this season but unlike Zion, Randle’s Knicks are currently in the playoffs.

However, the Knicks have only won three more games than the Pelicans and are in the god-awful Eastern Conference, so let’s not act like the Knicks are title contenders or anything.

Zion Williamson should at least be second behind Randle and the award should to the player whose team ends up with a better season. If the New Orleans Pelicans find a way into the playoffs in the much-tougher Western Conference, then Zion should be awarded.