With another week of the NBA season in the books, in the pocket, and out of sight, it's time to take a look at the best players of the last week. If you missed last week's, click here. If not, let's get into it, these are the 10 best players of the week.
Bradley Beal
Fresh off his first career all-star selection and the loss of John Wall to a knee injury, Bradley Beal was set out to prove that he could be a leader for the Washington Wizards. And he succeeded...for this week, at least. Under Beal's leadership, this past week saw the Wizards go a perfect 3-0, helping them boost their record to 30-22 on the season, just half a game behind the 3rd seed Cleveland Cavaliers. Needless to say, Beal had a strong showing as the top guy in Washington for the week. For the week, Beal averaged 22 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.3 steals, and a block a game while shooting 46% from the field and 33% from three-point range.
Nikola Jokic
Unlike Beal, however, one player who didn't earn his first all-star selection that probably could have been in contention was Nikola Jokic. The 22-year old is having a strong showing in his third season but didn't get the selection to head to Los Angeles in a few weeks. Needless to say, Jokic was out to prove everyone wrong, and this week he did just that. Despite the Denver Nuggets only going 2-2 on the week, Jokic had a strong showing for himself as he put up big numbers across the board. For the week, Jokic averaged 21.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game while shooting 52% from the field and 47% from three-point range. During the week, Jokic also notched his third triple-double of the season in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and a career-high 14 assists.
Joel Embiid
The Process seems to only work on a bi-weekly basis. One week there doing great for themselves and winning games, and the next they're losing more than they're winning. This past week was the latter, as they went 1-4 on the week and dropped to a 25-25 record on the season, only half a game ahead of the 9th seed Detroit Pistons and barely holding on to a playoff spot. However, Joel Embiid managed to have a great week for himself ahead of making his first all-star appearance. For the week, Embiid averaged 24.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 48% from the field.
Donovan Mitchell
One of the leading the candidates for the Rookie of the Year this season, Donovan Mitchell has been having a great rookie season so far, as he currently leads all rookies this season in scoring and ranks second in steals. This past week, however, Mitchell turned it up to 11 and lead the Utah Jazz to victory in two of their three games this past week. Those wins helped boost the Jazz's record to 24-28 on the season as they try to make a run at the 8th seed in the Western Conference, and they can thank Donovan Mitchell for that. For the week, Mitchell averaged 30 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals per game while shooting 61% from the field, 64% from three-point range, and a perfect 7/7 from the free throw line. Mitchell's best performance came in a blowout win over the Phoenix Suns when he put up 40 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting 14/19 (74%) from the field and 7/9 (78%) from three-point range.
Kemba Walker
After a below average showing so far during the season, the Charlotte Hornets had a decent little week, going 2-1 and helping to improve their record to 23-29 on the year. They're a bit of a way out of playoff contention right now (three games behind the 8th seed Philadelphia 76ers) but things are looking up for them right about now. Leading the way for the Hornets was Kemba Walker, who was looking to make a statement following an all-star snub and in the midst of trade rumors. For the week, Walker averaged 34 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 53% from the field and 57% from three-point range
Andre Drummond
The Detroit Pistons are in the middle of a hotly contested battle for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, finding themselves only half a game behind the 76ers. The recent addition of Blake Griffin could be the push they need to pass up Philadelphia in the standings, but for now, they're going to have to fight for that 8th seed, and after a 3-1 week they seem to be on the right track. While Griffin had strong showings in his first week with the Pistons, it was the two-time all-star Andre Drummond continuing to lead the team this week. For the week, Drummond averaged 18.8 points, 17 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 61% from the field. Drummond had two separate occasions this week where he put up over 20 points and 20 rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
As the Milwaukee Bucks continue to succeed in the post-Jason Kidd era, they also continue to try to fight for a top seed in the Eastern Conference. Currently sitting in the 5th seed in the East with a 29-23 record, they certainly improved that recording following a 3-1 outing during the last week and now find themselves only one game behind the 4th seed Washington Wizards. Leading the way for the Bucks was, of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo. For the week, Antetokounmpo averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5.5 assists, a steal and a block per game while shooting 49% from the field
Russell Westbrook
While the Oklahoma City Thunder had been absolutely killing it over the last two months, they found themselves hitting a bit of a rough spot as they went 1-3 over the last week. That drops them down to a 30-24 record on the season, putting them in the 5th seed in the Western Conference, three games behind the 4th seed Minnesota Timberwolves and only half a game ahead of the 6th seed Portland Trail Blazers. Despite the struggles, Russell Westbrook has continued to put up MVP-caliber numbers, and this week was no exception. For the week, Westbrook averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 14.8 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. During the week, Westbrook also notched a season-high 21 assists in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, also recording 20 points and 9 rebounds along the way.
Anthony Davis
With DeMarcus Cousins out for the rest of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans should consider themselves very lucky that they have Anthony Davis on their team. Without him, they would've completely collapsed by now. While the week didn't go well whatsoever for the Pelicans (1-3 on the week, dropping them to a 28-24 record on the season), Anthony Davis was able to have a fantastic week as the main scoring option for the Pelicans, who now find themselves only half a game ahead of the 8th seed Denver Nuggets. For the week, Davis averaged 32.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 49% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Davis' best performance of the week came in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder when he recorded 43 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals.
James Harden
And rounding out my list is my pick for the Player of the Week, James Harden. Following an injury that caused him to miss seven games, Harden was able to put up solid numbers, but not the MVP-caliber numbers we've become used to seeing from him. This week, however, Harden returned to form, and in the process had possibly the best game of his entire career, along with some other great performances along the way as he led the Houston Rockets to a perfect 4-0 week. That puts the Rockets at a 38-13 record for the season and only two games behind the 1st seed Golden State Warriors. Back to Harden, he averaged 32.8 points, 7 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 2.3 steals and a block per game for the week while shooting 48% from the field. Harden's best game of the week was, obviously, his historic outing in a win over the Orlando Magic. Harden recorded a career-high 60 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for his third triple-double of the year. Harden not only broke Houston's single-game scoring record set by Calvin Murphy in 1978, but he also became the first player to score 60 points as part of a triple-double. With accolades like that, I think he's more than deserving of being named the player of the week.
Thanks for reading!
Oh, and by the way...FLY EAGLES FLY!
Oh, and by the way...FLY EAGLES FLY!
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