(NOTE: If you're wondering where guys like Anthony Davis & James Harden are, they only played one game this past week, and I only include people who played at least two games during the week, so they weren't eligible for the list. The same goes for players like LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this week's edition of the 10 Best Players of the Week!)
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.
Devin Booker
Unless you've been living under a rock since October, you'd know that things have been going about as bad as possible for the Phoenix Suns. Currently holding an 18-43 record on the season, the Suns find themselves at the bottom of both the Western Conference and the entire NBA, and also had to deal with drama early in the season surrounding Eric Bledsoe. They're all but officially out of playoff contention so, at this point, the only thing they're really playing for at this point is a better spot in the lottery. Following a winless 0-2 week, they've improved their odds at the #1 pick. While things are grim for the Suns right now, Devin Booker has continued to play some great basketball, especially this week. For the week, Booker averaged 28.5 points, 5 rebounds and a block per game while shooting 37% from three-point range.
Bradley Beal
Some might have expected the Washington Wizards to fall into a slump following John Wall's knee injury. However, they've managed to hold their own without their star player, going 7-2 since Wall went down with his injury. While they only went 1-1 on the week, the Wizards still find themselves with a 34-25 record on the season, currently holding the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. A big reason for their success in Wall's absence has been due to Bradley Beal, who continued to lead the Wizards behind his strong play this week. For the week, Beal averaged 25.5 points, 4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, a steal and a block per game while shooting 48% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
Lou Williams
After years and years of being a reliable role player capable of putting up 15 points a game, Lou Williams is having a breakout season at the age of 31, putting up career highs in points & assists as he became the defacto leader of the Los Angeles Clippers following Blake Griffin's injury. Following the trade that sent Griffin to the Detroit Pistons, Williams has continued to be the leading scorer for the Clippers as they fight for a playoff spot. This past week, the Clippers went 1-1, putting their record at 31-27, just one game behind the 8th seed New Orleans Pelicans. With Williams leading the way, however, there's a good chance they pass up the Pelicans and slide into the playoffs, especially if he keeps playing the way he did this past week. For the week, Williams averaged 28 points, 8 assists and a steal per game while shooting 51% from the field, 36% from three-point range, and 93% from the free throw line.
Ben Simmons
Following an explosive start to the season where he was putting up some of the best numbers in the entire league, Ben Simmons had cooled down a bit since his first month in the league. However, this past week saw Simmons recapture the way he played during the first month of the season as he was able to extend the Philadelphia 76ers winning streak to 7 following a perfect 2-0 week. This improves the 76ers' record to 32-25 giving them the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, and it was Simmons who led them to that success this week. For the week, Simmons averaged 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 9 assists and a steal per game while shooting 69% from the field. Simmons' best performance of the week came in a win over the Chicago Bulls when he put up a career-high 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Russell Westbrook
Let me just start this by saying this: Russell Westbrook's shooting this past week was absolutely abysmal, as he shot below 30% from the field and below 20% from three-point range. However, Westbrook is so good in every other area of basketball that, even without being able to score at an efficient rate, he's still putting up some of the best numbers out of anyone in the entire league. Following a week where the Thunder went 1-1, putting their record at 34-27 on the year (7th in the Western Conference), Westbrook made up for his poor shooting performances with strong showings across other categories in the box score. For the week, Westbrook averaged 16 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals per game. Westbrook also recorded his 18th triple-double of the season, putting up 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists in a win over the Sacremento Kings.
Tobias Harris
As I mentioned before, the Los Angeles Clippers are currently in a battle for a playoff spot, just one game behind the 8th seed New Orleans Pelicans. While they only went 1-1 on the week, they still had strong showings from several of their players, and one of them was Tobias Harris. Harris has been a member of the Clippers for less than a month following his move from the Detroit Pistons to the team, but has quickly found his place on the roster and has improved the team, as the Clippers have gone 7-2 since the trade. This week saw Harris put up some of the best numbers out of anyone during the week. For the week, Harris averaged 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, a steal and a block per game while shooting 65% from the field, 70% from three-point range, and 92% from the free throw line.
Damian Lillard
Following last week's fantastic outings by him, Damian Lillard showed no signs of slowing down as he continued his strong play this past week. The Portland Trail Blazers managed to go 2-0 this past week, improving their record their record to 34-26 on the year, giving them the 5th seed in the Western Conference, and it was Damian Lillard who led the way for the team behind his strong play this past week. For the week, Lillard averaged 32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal per game while shooting 44% from the field. Lillard's best performance of the week came in a win over the Phoenix Suns when he put up 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
LeBron James
Following their big roster shift at the trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been having a decent amount of success, but they've still got a bit a climb to catch up to the Boston Celtics & the Toronto Raptors. Since the trades, the Cavaliers have gone 4-1, but they're still five and a half games behind the Boston Celtics and six games behind the Toronto Raptors. Following a 1-1 week, the Cavaliers now found themselves with a 35-23 record, so they'll need to do better than that if they want to move up in the standings. With LeBron James leading the way, however, that's incredibly possible, especially if this week is any indication. For the week, James averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 59% from the field. James also recorded his 11th triple-double of the season in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies with 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Joel Embiid
With their spot in the playoffs still very much up for grabs, the Philadelphia 76ers have certainly been making a strong case for why they deserve to be in the playoffs in February. Since the start of the month, the 76ers have gone 8-1 and are currently on a 7-game win streak. This past week, the 76ers went 2-0 and improved their record to 32-25 on the year, putting them in the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. Leading the way for the 76ers this past week were two players. One of which was Ben Simmons. The other was Joel Embiid, who put up some fantastic numbers following his first All-Star appearance. For the week, Embiid averaged 29 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game.
Stephen Curry
And rounding my list is my pick for the player of the week, Stephen Curry. Much to my surprise, this is the first time this season that the two-time MVP has been my pick for player of the week, but this week there was no denying it for me; no one in the entire league was better than Curry over the last seven days. The Golden State Warriors have continued the fantastic they've been known for over the last four years, as they currently hold the second-best record in the league with 46-14. While the Houston Rockets have overtaken them as the top team in the league this season, counting them out when talking about potential NBA Champions this season would just be foolish. This week, the Warriors went 2-0 as they looked to reclaim their spot at the top of the NBA, and leading the way for them was Stephen Curry. For the week, Curry averaged 32.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 58% from the field, 57% from three-point range, and a perfect 8/8 from the free throw line. Curry's best performance of the week came in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers when he put up 44 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 74% from the field and 73% from three-point range. Like I said, just because they don't have the best record in the NBA anymore doesn't mean the Warriors aren't easy candidates for their third championship in four years.
Thanks for reading!
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