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. Selections are based mostly on the player's stats, but (minus the rookie of the week) their team's record during the week is also taken into consideration. Click here to check out last week's if you missed it. If not, let's get into this.
Point Guard: De'Aaron Fox
As they're on the hunt for their first playoff appearance since 2006, the Sacramento Kings haven't had the best season. Coming into this past week at 17-25, they were well out of playoff contention. This week, however, the Kings were red hot, going a perfect 4-0 and improving their record to 21-25 on the year. While they're still out of the playoff hunt right now, sitting at 11th in the West and a game behind Warriors for the final spot in the play-in tournament. The Kings had two standout performers this week, and the first I'll be talking about is De'Aaron Fox. For the week, Fox averaged 36.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 2 steals per game while shooting 64% from the field and 38% from three-point range. During the week, Fox would have his best performance of the season against the Warriors, putting up a career-high 44 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals.
Honorable Mentions:
Trae Young: 26 PPG, 10.7 APG, 45% FG, 91% FT
Luka Dončić: 26 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4 APG, 54% FG, 56% 3P
Shooting Guard: James Harden
So the Brooklyn Nets have gotten even better, haven't they? Already equipped with Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant, the Nets added Blake Griffin to the squad. While Griffin has been hampered by injuries in recent years, he's still a strong pick-up for the team. And then you add LaMarcus Aldridge to the mix, the chances of winning for other teams drastic go down. An already stacked roster has gotten even more stacked, making the 31-15 Nets even scarier. They're so scary that, despite only having Irving for one game and not having Durant at all, the Nets still went 3-1 this week, keeping them in second in the East and just a game behind the first-place 76ers. It just goes to show how good James Harden has been this season, and especially this week, as the Nets won all three games Harden played in. For the week, Harden averaged 31.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 steals per game while shooting 40% from the field. Harden closed out the week with his best performance of the week, notching his 30th double-double of the year with a season-high 44 points and 14 rebounds against the Pistons.
Honorable Mentions:
Donovan Mitchell: 31.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1 SPG, 60% FG, 67% 3P, 100% FT
Terry Rozier: 25 PPG, 7 APG, 49% FG, 42% 3P
Small Forward: Kawhi Leonard
Just like the Kings, the Los Angeles Clippers are currently on a hot streak, winning their last five games. Unlike the Kings, however, the Clippers have actually been good all season. While their 3rd place spot in the West isn't the most impressive, their 31-16 record is still one of the best in the entire league, and they only find themselves behind the two surprising top teams in the conference in the first place Jazz and the second place Suns. This past week, the Clippers really began their winning streak, going a perfect 4-0, with their best player being Kawhi Leonard. In the three games, he played this week, Leonard averaged 26 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals per game while shooting 61% from the field, 55% from three-point range, and 91% from the free-throw line. Leonard closed out the week with his best scoring performance, putting up 28 points against the 76ers.
Honorable Mentions:
Jayson Tatum: 25.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 49% FG, 42% 3P, 100% FT
Khris Middleton: 23.7 PPG, 8 RPG, 4.7 APG, 54% FG, 67% 3P
Power Forward: Zion Williamson
With a boatload of young prospects, the New Orleans Pelicans look to have a bright future ahead of them. The keyword in that sentence is "future." In the present, the Pelicans are not great. Currently sitting at 20-25 on the season, the Pelicans hold the 12th spot in the Western Conference and are currently out of the play-in tournament. It's not all bad, as they currently some momentum on their side following a 3-1 week, but right now, they're not doing great overall. But like I said, the future looks bright for New Orleans, especially if Zion Williamson keeps playing the way he did this week. For the week, Williamson averaged 33.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 72% from the field. Williamson closed out the week with one of his strongest performances of the season, putting up 38 points in a win over the Mavericks.
Honorable Mentions:
Tobias Harris: 22.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1 SPG, 54% FG, 33% 3P, 90% FT
John Collins: 23.7 PPG, 9 RPG, 66% FG, 57% 3P
Center: Nikola Jokić
With Joel Embiid out with a bone bruise, the competition for the best center of the week has been a one-man race for Nikola Jokić. For the fourth week in a row, Jokić is the clear favorite for this spot, as he has continued his MVP-caliber season over the last month. The Denver Nuggets have continued to somewhat underwhelm, as they're currently the 5th place team in the West with a 27-18 record after a 2-2 performance this week, but Jokić has remained one of the absolute top players in the league, especially this week. For the week, Jokić averaged 28.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 61% from the field, 53% from three, and a perfect 8/8 from the free-throw line. Jokić excelled in the Nuggets' two wins, recording his 12th triple-double of the year with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Magic before closing out the week with a 37 point, 6 rebound, 9 assist performance against the Pelicans.
Honorable Mentions:
Karl-Anthony Towns: 27.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1 BPG, 40% FG, 46% 3P
Kristaps Porziņģis: 24 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 45% FG, 36% 3P
6th Man: Bobby Portis
After going on a big 11-1 run over the last month, the Milwaukee Bucks seem to have mellowed out. After extending that run to 13-1, the Bucks now find themselves on a two-game losing streak, closing out the week with a 2-2 record and now sit at 29-16 on the year, the third-best in the Eastern Conference. Usually when I write about the Bucks, it's almost always about the reigning two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, Antetokounmpo had a really lackluster week. Luckily, the supporting cast came through for the team, one of the best being Bobby Portis. In the two games (both wins) Portis played this week before he was ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols, Portis averaged 19.5 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 63% from the field, 60% from three-point range, and a perfect 3/3 from the free-throw line. Portis' best performance of the week came against the Celtics, where he put up a season-high 21 points.
Honorable Mentions:
Montrezl Harrell: 21.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 65% FG
Malik Monk: 20.7 PPG, 1.3 SPG, 57% FG, 42% 3P, 100% FT
Rookie: Tyrese Haliburton
I started this week's post by saying that the Sacramento Kings are on a hot streak right now, as they've won six of their last seven games and are currently on a four-game win streak. The biggest reason for that success has been De'Aaron Fox, but the contributions of Tyrese Haliburton can't go unnoticed. Already one of the front runners for the Rookie of the Year, a potentially season-ending wrist fracture to fellow front runner LaMelo Ball has opened up the race even more, and this week, Haliburton has continued to make a strong case for the award. For the week, Haliburton averaged 19.8 points and 3 assists per game while shooting 61% from the field, 62% from three-point range, and a perfect 6/6 from the free-throw line. Haliburton opened the week with his best performance, putting up a career-high 28 points against the Cavaliers.
Honorable Mentions:
Jae'Sean Tate: 11.8 PPG, 7 RPG, 3 APG, 1 SPG, 54% FG, 40% 3P
James Wiseman: 11.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 44% FG
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