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: Stephen Curry
As I said last week, the Golden State Warriors have been going through a rough patch the last few years. While they're not nearly as bad as they were last season, injuries have kept the Warriors well below where they were just two years. Currently 25-28 on the year after a 2-2 week, the Warriors find themselves in 10th in the West, holding onto the final spot in the play-in tournament by just a game and a half. The Warriors are holding on by a thread, and it's been Stephen Curry who's been keeping them afloat this year. For the week, Curry averaged 37 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 56% from the field and 43% from three-point range, earning him the best point guard spot for the second week in a row. Curry's best performance this week came in a win over the Bucks, where he put up 41 points and 6 rebounds.
Honorable Mentions:
Luka Dončić: 27 PPG, 9 RPG, 7.3 APG, 43% FG, 36% 3P
De'Aaron Fox: 28 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 8 APG, 2 SPG, 49% FG, 38% 3P
Shooting Guard: Zach LaVine
The competition for the shooting guard spot this week was close. So close that Zach LaVine and Donovan Mitchell were neck and neck for this spot. However, when it comes to both their teams' records this week and their efficiency, LaVine takes the cake. The Chicago Bulls are another team who have had a rough season, but unlike the Warriors, that was to be expected. However, despite an initial losing streak following the Nikola Vučević trade, the Bulls are currently hot right now, going 3-1 this week and improving their record to 22-29, putting them at 10th in the East and in the play-in tournament. While part of that success has been Vučević finding his footing, it's clear that the Bulls are still LaVine's team. For the week, LaVine averaged 29 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 49% from the field and 38% from three-point range. LaVine's career-high 50-point performance, unfortunately, came in a loss to the Hawks. His best performance in a win saw him notch his third double-double of the season, where he put up 22 points and a season-high 13 assists against the Raptors.
Honorable Mentions:
Donovan Mitchell: 34 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 42% FG
Devin Booker: 30.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1 SPG, 47% FG, 38% 3P
Small Forward: Jayson Tatum
After making it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, hopes were high for the Boston Celtics. However, it's hard to argue that the Celtics haven't been disappointing this season. While they haven't been bad, as they still have a winning record at 27-26 and are currently 7th in the East, but you'd expect more from a team that was just two games away from the NBA Finals last year and has two all-stars on their roster. That being said, the Celtics had a strong week, going 3-1, and it was Jayson Tatum who propelled them to that success. For the week, Tatum averaged 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 53% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 92% from the free-throw line. Tatum closed out the week with a career performance, putting up a career-high 53 points and 10 rebounds against the Timberwolves.
Honorable Mentions:
Kawhi Leonard: 26.5 PPG, 8 RPG, 7 APG, 53% FG, 47% 3P, 91% FT
Jimmy Butler: 28 PPG, 5 RPG, 5 APG, 2.5 SPG, 70% FG, 50% 3P
Power Forward: Kevin Durant
So...the power forward pool for this week was not good. The regular winner of this spot Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the entire week, while the majority of the power forwards who did really well this week did it for teams that performed poorly. I had to go deep for this pick, so I'm going with Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets have been dominant ever since the James Harden trade, but this week was not their best work. They're still the best team in the East with a 36-17 record (holding joint first with the 76ers), but this week, they only managed to go 2-2 as Harden was out with a hamstring strain. Durant only saw the court in two of those four games this week, with the team going 1-1 in those games, but he did play well in those few games. For the week, Durant averaged 19.5 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block per game while shooting 59% from the field, 50% from three-point range, and a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line. Durant would put up 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, and shot a perfect 5-5 from the field against the Pelicans in the one win he played in this week.
Honorable Mentions:
Zion Williamson: 29 PPG, 8 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1 SPG, 53% FG, 50% 3P
Pascal Siakam: 25.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 50% FG
Center: Nikola Jokić
And order has been restored at the center position. After a week off, Nikola Jokić has reclaimed his spot as the best center in the league for the week. After an underwhelming first half of the season, the Denver Nuggets have been red hot over the last month and a half, as they've gone 16-3 over their last 19 games and are currently on an 8-game winning streak. They now sit at 34-18 on the season and hold 4th place in the West, and it was Jokić who led the way for the Nuggets in a week where they went a perfect 4-0. For the week, Jokić averaged 23.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 12.8 assists, and a steal per game while shooting 61% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Jokić would close out the week with his 13th triple-double of the season, recording 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists against the Spurs.
Honorable Mentions:
Karl-Anthony Towns: 28.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 6 APG, 1 SPG, 53% FG, 44% 3P, 90% FT
Nikola Vučević: 25.3 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 1 SPG, 52% FG, 50% 3P
6th Man: Danilo Gallinari
The Atlanta Hawks were one of the best teams in the league...through the first week of the season. Months later, they're one of the more inconsistent teams in the league. They haven't been bad, but they haven't been very good, as they're currently 28-25 on the season and sit at 5th in the Eastern Conference. If they hadn't started the season strong, they'd be even closer to.500 than they are right now. Things have been looking good for the Hawks lately, however, as they've won five of their last six games and went 3-1 this week. This week featured strong performances from Atlanta's core, especially from Danilo Gallinari off the bench. After an underwhelming start to the year with a few strong performances sprinkled in, Gallinari has stepped up over the last month, and this week, he was the best bench player in the league. Playing in all three of the Hawks' wins this week, Gallinari averaged 19.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46% from the field, 50% from three-point range, and 90% from the free-throw line. Gallinari opened the week with his second double-double of the season, putting up 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Warriors.
Honorable Mentions:
D'Angelo Russell: 22.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 42% FG, 39% 3P
Terrence Ross: 22.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 53% FG
Rookie: Anthony Edwards
The Anthony Edwards we saw in the first half of the season and the Anthony Edwards we're seeing in the second half are very different. Not only is he putting up better numbers on a more consistent basis, but he's corrected his bad shooting efficiency to the point where he's shooting 40% from the field. That's still not great, but it's a lot better than he was shooting earlier in the year. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a dumpster fire this season, as they're currently 13-40 on the year, and the best thing that has happened to them this year is Glen Taylor selling the team, but they've had some bright spots, and Edwards is looking like the brightest of the bunch. In a week where the Timberwolves went 1-2, Edwards continued to shine, averaging 23.3 points, 6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Edwards' best performance of the week came in a loss to the Pacers, where he put up 27 points and 5 rebounds.
Honorable Mentions:
Malachi Flynn: 14 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, 2.5 SPG, 1 BPG, 43% FG, 50% 3P
Theo Maledon: 15.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 40% FG
Comments
Post a Comment