Zach LaVine
Let's be honest; nobody expected anything out of the Chicago Bulls this season. Officially going into rebuild mode following the Jimmy Butler trade and the Dwyane Wade buyout, the Bulls find themselves with a young roster that has potential to be great in the future, but not right now, and their 19-36 record on the season right now shows that. But as I said, things are looking good for the Bulls in the future, as several players have shown promise this season. And one player who just started showing promise was Zach LaVine. After missing the first three months of the season while recovering from a torn ACL, LaVine returned in January and this past week proved why the Bulls would give up their best player for him in a trade. For the week, LaVine averaged 31 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field, 36% from three-point range, and 94% from the free throw line. LaVine's best performance of the week came in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves when he put up 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Damian Lillard
The Portland Trail Blazers find themselves in the 5th seed of the Western Conference currently with a 31-25 record, but they are by no means in the clear. Only 2 games ahead of the 9th seed Los Angeles Clippers, the Trail Blazers are going to have to keep up the hard work if they want to stay in the playoffs. And if Damian Lillard keeps playing the way he did this past week, they should be fine. While the Trail Blazers only went 2-2 on the week, Lillard had a strong week for himself. For the week, Lillard averaged 27.3 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field, 37% from three-point range, and 96% from the free throw line. Lillard's best performance of the week came in a win over the Sacramento Kings when he scored a season-high 50 points, adding 6 assists and 3 steals along the way.
Anthony Davis
Ever since DeMarcus Cousins went down with a season-ending torn Achilles, people have been wondering how the New Orleans Pelicans would be able to adjust to the loss of arguably their best player. And so far...it's not been good. Going 2-3 since Cousins got injured, the Pelicans now sit with a 29-36 record in the 8th seed, just half a game ahead of the 9th seed Clippers. This week didn't help, as they went 1-2 on the week. But hey, Anthony Davis had a solid week...so there's that. For the week, Davis averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 2 blocks per game while shooting 40% from the field and 30% from three-point range. Davis' best performance of the week came in a win over the Brooklyn Nets when he recorded 44 points, 17 rebounds, a season-high 6 steals, and 3 blocks.
Andre Drummond
Some people might think that the Detroit Pistons gave up too much when they acquired Blake Griffin two weeks ago in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. They're record since the trade says otherwise. Since making the deal, the Pistons have gone 5-1, with their first loss since the trade coming just this last week. However, they still went 2-1 on the week and improved their record to 27-27 on the year, just a game and a half behind the 8th seed Philidelphia 76ers. While Griffin was a big part of their recent success, it was Andre Drummond who led the way for the Pistons this past week. For the week, Drummond averaged 15.3 points, an insane 20.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting an impressive (for him, at least) 71% from the free throw line. Drummond never grabbed less than 17 rebounds in each of the three games he played this week and grabbed a season-high 27 rebounds in a win over the Brooklyn Nets, adding 17 points, 3 steals, and 2 blocks along the way.
Paul George
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been having a rough time as of late, as they've gone 1-5 in their last six games. A 1-2 outing this past week also hurt them and dropped them down to a 31-25 record, but they're still in the 6th seed in the Western Conference. They're far from locked for a playoff spot, but right now they're sitting in a good spot. This week, the Thunder had two players who went above and beyond all week long, and the first one I'm going to talk about is Paul George. For the week, George averaged 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.3 steals while shooting 48% from the field and 48% from three-point range.
Joel Embiid
Still fighting to stay in playoff contention, the Philidelphia 76ers managed to win all three of their games this past week and pushed themselves up to a 28-25 record on the year, giving them a one and a half-game lead over the Detroit Pistons. If they keep playing like that, they should be safe. Leading the way for the 76ers this past week was, of course, their all-star center in Joel Embiid. For the week Embiid averaged 26.7 points, 15 rebounds, a steal, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 48% from the field and 35% from three-point range. Presumably, the 76ers will now lose all their games next week, as they seem to only do good every other week.
James Harden
Fresh off the best game of his career last week, James Harden was ready to continue his hot streak and show everyone that he deserves to be in the discussion for the MVP this season. And after leading the Houston Rockets to a perfect 3-0 week, Harden has been making his case very convincingly. Now sitting with a 41-13 record, just one game behind the league-best Golden State Warriors in the standings, the Rockets are looking like potential NBA champions right now, and they can mostly thank Harden for that, especially after this past week. For the week, Harden averaged 35 points, 5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and a steal per game while shooting 48% from the field and 42% from three-point range. Harden's best performance of the week came in a win over the Miami Heat when he put up 41 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals.
Jimmy Butler
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a bad week, to say the least. Losing both of their games this past week, they fell to a 34-24 record on the season. While still holding the 4th seed in the Western Conference, they're lead over the 5th seed Portland Trail Blazers has shrunk to just two games, and they're also only four games ahead of the 9th seed Los Angeles Clippers. Barring a complete & total implosion, they should be fine, but that possibility is still there. Looking on the bright side, however, Jimmy Butler had a great week for himself. For the week, Butler averaged 36.5 points, 6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 3 steals per game while shooting 53% from the field and 50% from three-point range.
Russell Westbrook
As I said earlier, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been having a tough time getting wins over the last few weeks, going 1-5 over their last six games and going 1-2 over the last week. However, they did have two players who went above and beyond this past week. The first of those was Paul George, and the second of them was Russell Westbrook. Westbrook only played 2 games this week, but he was exceptional in both of those games he played. For the week, Westbrook averaged 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists per game while shooting 55% from the field.
LeBron James
And rounding out my list is my choice for the player of the week is none other than the King himself, LeBron James. Anyone who's been following the Cleveland Cavaliers this season has been able to see that the chemistry in Cleveland has been absolutely toxic, with lots of infighting going on between the players and even the staff. That toxic environment showed through their record and play, as they currently sit with a 32-22 record, made much worse after going 9-14 over their last 23 games. That is not the record of a team that won the NBA Championship just two years ago. A big roster change at the trade deadline could be just what the Cavs needed, but we'll just have to wait and see. Still, with the all the struggles the Cavaliers have faced, LeBron James has not slowed down in his pursuit to lead Cleveland to it's second NBA Championship victory. This week, the Cavs went 2-1, but LeBron James had a fantastic week for himself. For the week, James averaged a triple-double with 28 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 13 assists per game while shooting 58% from the field and 50% from three-point range. James recorded over 15 assists in two games this past week and managed to record a career-high 19 assists in a win over the Atlanta Hawks, adding 22 points and 12 rebounds along the way.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
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