Victor Oladipo was a relatively unknown player last season when he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in the blockbuster deal that sent Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Immediately following the trade, Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard was ridiculed for getting too little in return for one of the league's premier two-way stars.

To say that those critics ate their words when everything was said and done would be an understatement.

Indiana finished the season with 48 wins and pushed LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Oladipo made the All-Star game and is now viewed as one of the top up-and-coming stars in the NBA.

Oladipo ended up averaging 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in his first year with the Pacers. He also shot 47.7 percent from the field overall and knocked down 37.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Looking ahead to the 2018-19 NBA season, Oladipo has even bigger goals. The MVP award may not be on his mind, but there are quite a few reasons to believe that he could force his way into the conversation.

Nate McMillan and the Pacers are a much more talked-about team heading into this season. That alone will draw more national attention to the team and Oladipo. Indiana will play 12 nationally-televised games this season as opposed to the measly one game that they were nationally watched in 2017-18.

Why is Oladipo going to be a serious candidate at the end of the year for the NBA MVP award?

Fans may remember at the end of last season when the Pacers were eliminated by the Cavaliers. Some players would have been disappointed and taken some personal time to recover from the long season. Oladipo, however, was already talking about how soon he could get back into the gym for workouts just minutes after the Pacers' loss.

Oladipo took his body and game to a new level with hard work in the last offseason and it sounds like he's done so once again this year. Reports even stated Oladipo's form back in July was even better than last season's.

Via Bleacher Report's Tom Haberstroh:

“If you thought he was explosive last year, this year he’s going to be f**king scary. He’s turning into a mini-LeBron.”

Indiana's star shooting guard won the Most Improved Player award last season. He was arguably the most important player on his team, as the Pacers went 0-7 without the face of their franchise on the floor.

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Looking at the case from a numbers perspective, Oladipo is hoping to take his stats to a new level as well this season. He has more than enough talent to improve his 23.1 points per game average to around 25.0. Oladipo is also a creator for his teammates and can improve his assist numbers from 4.3 per contest.

If Oladipo can average a line of 25 points, six assists, and five rebounds, while leading the Pacers to 50 wins, he will make a strong case for himself. That line is more than reasonable with another offseason of big improvements to his game.

Beating out talents like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Davis is not going to be easy. That being said, Oladipo bringing the Pacers back to serious contention and putting up massive numbers will force him into that conversation.

Oladipo made his name one that every NBA fan now recognizes and respects. There are very few who dislike him, especially due to his character off the court.

There is a good chance that Oladipo will be passed over for the award when everything is said and done. Even with that being the way that it is, Oladipo is going to force his name into the conversation and become one of the NBA's elite this season.