It's Monday, you know what that means! It's time to take a look back at the past week and see who the best players were around the league. Click here to check out last week's if you missed it. If not, let's get into this.
Point Guard: Trae Young
After a strong start to the season, the Atlanta Hawks have mellowed out significantly since the start of 2021, currently sitting at 8-8 on the year after starting the season 4-1. This past week, however, the team has looked as good as they did to start the year, going a perfect 3-0 behind the excellent play of Trae Young. Young, who had also been on a slump after a strong start to the year, broke his cold streak and put up one of the best stat lines in the entire league. For the week, Young averaged 33.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 59% from three-point range. Young would score a season-high 38 points against the Pistons this week, only to top that two days later, dropping 43 against the Timberwolves on 8/12 (67%) three-point shooting.
Honorable Mentions:
Luka Dončić: 25.2 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 11 APG, 43% FG, 31% 3P
De'Aaron Fox: 30 PPG, 9 APG, 2 SPG, 52% FG, 40% 3P
Shooting Guard: Collin Sexton
As I said last week, the Cavaliers have been exceeding expectations this year. While they're only 8-8 on the year, the Cavs are holding on to a win percentage that is far better than the ones they've put up the last two years. This week, the team only had two games, but both were huge wins for Cleveland, and the big reason they won those games was because of Collin Sexton. Sexton has quietly become one of the league's best scorers in his third year, and this past week saw some of his best performances. For the week, Sexton averaged 33.5 points, 7 assists, and a steal per game while shooting 50% from the field and 38% from three-point range. Sexton shined in the first of the Cavaliers' upset wins over the Nets, where he dropped a career-high 42 points, 20 of which came in double-overtime.
Honorable Mentions:
Jaylen Brown: 31 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 49% FG, 41% 3P
Donovan Mitchell: 26.3 PPG, 6 RPG, 5.5 APG, 50% 43% 3P, 95% FT
Small Forward: Kawhi Leonard
The Western Conference standings are neck and neck early in the season, with the top three teams all within half a game of each other. Among those three are the Los Angeles Clippers, who find themselves with a 13-4 record, currently on a seven-game win streak, and tied for first with the team they share L.A. with in the Lakers. After their lackluster end to the previous season, the Clippers have come out guns blazing, and this week was no different, as the team went a perfect 3-0. Leading the way for the Clippers was Kawhi Leonard, who has continued to play very well this week as he has the whole season. For the week, Leonard averaged 26.7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals per game while shooting 55% from the field, 36% from three-point range, and a perfect 13/13 from the free-throw line. Leonard ended the week with two of his strongest scoring performances of the year so far, as he scored 32 points against the Kings, adding an impressive 6 steals, before dropping 31 points against the Thunder two days later.
Honorable Mentions:
LeBron James: 23.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 44% FG, 42% 3P
Paul George: 22.7 PPG, 7 RPG, 7 APG, 1 SPG, 57% FG, 41% 3P, 92% FT
Power Forward: Kevin Durant
While the James Harden deal has certainly made the Nets a serious offensive threat for any team in the league, we haven't seen the immediate effects of that. The team went 2-2 on the week, keeping their record at a solid but unremarkable 10-8 on the year. While they were only able to field their Big Three in two out of the four games this week, they still posted just a .500 record when all three played. Still, a 2-2 record for the week isn't bad, and Kevin Durant has continued to play at an elite level for the second week in a row. For the week, Durant averaged 33 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field and 45% from three-point range in the three games he played in. Durant opened the week with a 30 point, 9 rebound, 6 assist performance in a win over the Bucks, where he hit the go-ahead three in the last minute of the game, before closing the week with a 31 point performance in a win over the Heat.
Honorable Mentions
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 29.5 PPG, 12 RPG, 5 APG, 1 SPG, 56% FG, 33% 3P
Anthony Davis: 24 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 2 BPG, 51% FG, 40% 3P
Center: Nikola Jokić
In a reverse of the Hawks, the Denver Nuggets have rebounded well from their rough start to the season, as they currently sit at 9-7 on the year after starting the season 1-4. The Nuggets have had a hot start to 2021, and this past week was no different, as they went 3-1. Leading the way for the team was Nikola Jokić, who dominated his competition in both scoring and rebounding for the entire week. For the week, Jokić averaged 30.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 54% from the field and 31% from three-point range. Jokić's best performance of the week came at the very end when he scored 29 points and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in a double-overtime win over the Suns.
Honorable Mentions:
Joel Embiid: 37.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1 SPG, 1 BPG, 61% FG, 44% 3P
Clint Capela: 21 PPG, 20 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 6 BPG, 56% FG
6th Man: Kendrick Nunn
After their shocking run to the NBA Finals the previous seasons, expectations were high for the Miami Heat heading into the 2020-21 season. However, early in the year, they've underwhelmed significantly, as they currently sit at 6-9 on the year. This past week wasn't great for the Heat, but not bad either, as they went 2-2 for an even .500. A big reason for their decent performance this week was thanks to the bench play of Kendrick Nunn. Following his out-of-nowhere strong rookie season that saw him make the All-Rookie 1st Team, Nunn's sophomore effort has been disappointing so far, but this past week saw him return to form. For the week, Nunn averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 56% from the field and 44% from three-point range. Nunn's best performance of the week came in a win over the Raptors, where he scored a season-high 28 points and grabbed a career-high 8 rebounds.
Honorable Mentions:
Jarrett Allen: 15.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2 BPG, 68% FG
Rudy Gay: 16 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 49% FG, 57% 3P
Rookie: James Wiseman
The Golden State Warriors season has been full of ups and downs. The injury to Klay Thompson in the offseason certainly hurt their playoff hopes and, while they're nowhere near as bad as they were last year, an 8-8 record so far isn't ideal. Continuing to play .500 basketball isn't going to get them into the playoffs, and this past week's 2-2 outing isn't great by any means. Still, sometimes you just have to look at the positives, and so far, James Wiseman has been among the top players of this year's rookie class, and this past week he was the best of the bunch. For the week, Wiseman averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field. Wiseman's had his best performance of the season so far in the Warrior's blow out win over the Kings, when he dropped a season-high 20 points and shot 8/11 (73%) on the night.
Honorable Mentions:
Tyrese Haliburton: 9.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG, 2 BPG, 44% FG, 31% 3P
Jae'Sean Tate: 9.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1 BPG, 63% FG, 50% 3P
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