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NBA Team of the Week (1/3/21-1/9/21)

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: Luka Dončić

After an underwhelming start to the year where they went 2-3, the Dallas Mavericks have rebounded in a big way this past week, going 3-1 and improving to 5-4 on the year. This bounce-back can be attributed to strong performances by the supporting cast, specifically Tim Hardaway Jr, but the clear leader for this team this past week was Luka Dončić. In the three games he played this week, the Mavericks went undefeated while Dončić averaged a triple-double 30.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 11.3 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 31% from three-point range and adding two steals a game. During the week, Dončić recorded two triple-doubles, the best of which came in the win over the Rockets when he recorded 33 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Honorable Mentions:

Stephen Curry: 35.8 PPG, 5 RPG, 7 APG, 50% FG, 48% 3P, 91% FT
Kyrie Irving: 29.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, 2.5 SPG, 56% FG, 50% 3P, 100% FT

Shooting Guard: Zach LaVine

The Chicago Bulls season hasn't gone great so far, as to be expected. Following their 2-2 outing this past week, the Bulls now sit at 12th in the conference with a 4-7 record. Still, a .500 week is fairly good for this team, and they can bounce back, especially if Zach LaVine keeps playing the way he played this past week. For the week, LaVine averaged 31.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 53% from the field and 35% from three-point range. LaVine started off the week with a top-notch performance against the Mavericks, where he dropped 39 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

Honorable Mentions:

Bradley Beal: 42.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 51% FG, 54% 3P
Fred VanVleet: 27.3 PPG, 5 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 57% FG, 57% 3P

Small Forward: LeBron James

Coming off their championship-winning season, the Los Angeles Lakers have picked up right where they left off, currently sitting at a league-best 8-3 record on the season after a 3-1 outing this past week. The obvious stars of the team, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, led the team to success this week, per usual, with James going above and beyond. For the week, James averaged 25.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 54% from the field and 36% from three-point range. James would drop three double-doubles, two of which came in wins over the Grizzlies. The first saw James drop 22 points and 13 rebounds against Memphis, only to drop 26 points and 12 rebounds two days later against the same team.

Honorable Mentions:

Jayson Tatum: 30.8 PPG, 6 RPG, 5 APG, 51% FG, 52% 3P, 100% FT
Brandon Ingram: 24 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 42% FG, 95% FT

Power Forward: Julius Randle

The New York Knicks are...decent? It's shocking, I know. After seven straight seasons without a playoff appearance, the Knicks have had a nice start to the year, currently sitting at 5-4 on the year after a 2-1 performance this week. A huge reason for the recent success of the Knicks has been the fantastic play of Julius Randle. Randle is playing some of the best basketball he's ever played this year, and this week, he went above and beyond. For the week, Randle averaged 25.3 points, 15 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field. Randle recorded a double-double in all three games this week, with his best performance coming in a win over the Hawks when he dropped 28 points and 17 rebounds.

Honorable Mentions:

Giannis Antetokounmpo: 34.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4 APG, 61% FG, 31% 3P
Pascal Siakam: 23.7 PPG, 8 RPG, 6 APG, 53% FG, 36% 3P

Center: Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokić has been the best center in the league this year. If I were going just off stats for these posts, he'd have been the center on Team of the Week every week so far. However, the Nuggets had a rough start to the year, so I passed on giving him the spot (and yes, that's the reason Bradley Beal isn't the shooting guard of the week this week.) This week, on the other hand, the Nuggets went 3-1 and improved to 4-5 on the year, so nothing is holding Jokić back from taking his rightful spot. While his stat line this week wasn't as strong as previous ones, Jokić still shined, averaging 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 56% from the field and 42% from three-point range. Jokić started off the week with a 19 point, 12 rebound, 12 assist triple-double against the Timberwolves before dropping 35 points and 15 rebounds in a rematch two days later.

Honorable Mentions:

Joel Embiid: 24 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 4 APG, 1.7 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 50% FG, 56% 3P
Andre Drummond: 19.3 PPG, 16.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 47% FG

Sixth Man: Jordan Clarkson

The Utah Jazz have been one of those sleeper teams for the past four years, and early in this season, things don't look too different. While this past week's 2-2 record isn't great, their 5-4 record on the year still has them among the top teams in the Western Conference. Along with the strong play of Donovan Mitchell, a big reason for the Jazz's success is the strong depth of their supporting cast, with their top bench player being Jordan Clarkson. For the week, Clarkson averaged 18.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 52% from the field, 43% from three-point range, and a perfect 3/3 from the free-throw line. Clarkson capped off the week with his best performance of the week, scoring 26 points and adding 6 rebounds in the win over the Bucks.

Honorable Mentions:

Justin Holiday: 15.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 54% FG, 53% 3P
Eric Gordon: 15 PPG, 44% FG, 100% FT

Rookie: LaMelo Ball

So...I was wrong about LaMelo Ball. When I did my offseason recap, I expressed my doubts about how Ball's playstyle would translate to the NBA. Well, three weeks and one history-making performance later, it's safe to say that I am eating my words right now. The Hornets have bounced back from their poor 2-4 start and currently sit at 5-5 on the season. The return to form of Gordon Hayward and the random spurts of greatness from Terry Rozier has been a big part of that, but LaMelo Ball's strong play off the bench has been a big part of that. In this past week, Ball averaged 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 45% from the field. Obviously, Ball's best performance came in the win over the Hawks, where he dropped 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double in the process.

Honorable Mentions:

Tyrese Haliburton: 14.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2 SPG, 52% FG, 50
Tyrese Maxey: 17 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 54% FG, 47% 3P, 100% FT

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