Welcome to the final Team of the Week of the 2020-21 NBA season. Normally, I write these on Sunday and then post them on Monday, but given the fact that the season officially ended this past Sunday, I thought it was best to just wait a day so the standings are officially set. This week will just look at the past week and Sunday's games won't count in this. Now then, onto the Team of the Week. 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: Damian Lillard
It came down to the wire, but the Portland Trail Blazers have locked in a playoff spot. Tied with the Lakers heading into the last day of the season and holding the advantage in the tiebreaker, the Blazers needed to win their final game against the Nuggets, and they pulled it off. They'll enter the playoffs as the 6th seed in the West with a 42-40 record, facing the Nuggets once again in the first round. Portland will need some to keep that same energy they had on Sunday if they want to advance, and if Damian Lillard keeps playing the way he did this past week, they'll have a good chance at pulling that off. For the week, Lillard averaged 35 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 59% from the field, 42% from three, and 91% from the free-throw line. Lillard opened the week by dropping 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in a win over the Rockets.
Honorable Mentions:
Russell Westbrook: 27.7 PPG, 10 RPG, 17.7 APG, 2 SPG, 43% FG, 38% 3P
Trae Young: 29 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 8.3 APG, 49% FG, 100% FT
Shooting Guard: Zach LaVine
Just like the Trail Blazers, the Chicago Bulls were another team whose spot in the postseason was up in the air until the very end of the season. Unfortunately, when it was all said and done, the Bulls fell short of the play-in tournament, ending the year in 11th in the East with a 31-41 record and two games behind the 10th place Hornets. While this will be the fourth straight season the Bulls will be missing the postseason, there are positives to take away from this year. This season was a vast improvement over the few years, and if Zach LaVine continues to build off the all-star season he had this year, they could make it to the postseason in the near future. This past week, LaVine was electric, averaging 31.7 points while shooting 57% from the field and 52% from three. LaVine would open the week with a 30 point, 6 assist performance in a win over the Pistons.
Honorable Mentions:
Jordan Clarkson: 29.3 PPG, 5 RPG, 50% FG, 35% 3P
CJ McCollum: 27 PPG, 5.7 APG, 53% FG, 52% 3P
Small Forward: Dillon Brooks
Like the Bulls, the Memphis Grizzlies were another team looking for their first playoff appearance after an extended absence heading into this season. While they didn't lock down a playoff spot, they managed to finish the 9th seed in the West with a 38-34 record, putting them in the play-in tournament against the Spurs in the first round. After struggling as the Grit and Grind era came to an end, the Grizzlies have a chance to make their first playoff appearance since 2017. If they want to advance to the playoffs, they'll need strong performances from the entire team. One of the players on the Grizzlies who went above and beyond this past week was Dillon Brooks, a solid role player who stood above some of the best small forwards in the league this week. For the week, Brooks averaged 25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 44% from the field. Brooks' best performance of the week came in a win over the Kings, where he put up 30 points and 6 rebounds.
Honorable Mentions:
Jayson Tatum: 29.3 PPG, 8 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 50% FG, 39% 3P
Kawhi Leonard: 21.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 44% FG, 43% 3P, 95% FT
Power Forward: Anthony Davis
Injuries are a bitch, and no team would know that more this season than the Los Angeles Lakers. Early favorites to repeat as NBA champions, extended absences for LeBron James and Anthony Davis devastated the Lakers. The team went from defending champions to fending for a spot in the playoffs, a spot that they ended up not even getting. On the final day of the season, the Lakers both needed to win their last game and needed the Trail Blazers to lose their last game. The Lakers won, but so did the Blazers, who took the 6th seed thanks to the tiebreaker. The Lakers will now have to compete in the play-in tournament against the Warriors if they want a chance to repeat as champions, and they'll need Anthony Davis to keep playing the way he did this past week. For the week, Davis averaged 30 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2 steals, and a block per game while shooting 44% from the field. Davis opened the week with his best performance of the season, putting up a season-high 42 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks in a win over the Suns.
Honorable Mentions:
Julius Randle: 25.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 8 APG, 41% FG, 33% 3P
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 27.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1 SPG, 66% FG
Center: Nikola Jokić
Whereas most teams in the league were still trying to cement their spot in the playoffs late in the season, the Denver Nuggets were one of the few teams that had their spot locked down early on. Ending the season with a 47-25 record, the Nuggets get the tiebreaker advantage over the Clippers and enter the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the West. The Nuggets will be looking to capture their first NBA Championship in franchise history, and they'll look to the front-runner for the MVP in Nikola Jokić to lead them to the promised land. This past week, Jokić definitely strengthened his case for the award, as he averaged 27 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 7 assists per game while shooting 58% from the field and 93% from the free-throw line. Jokić would close out the week by notching triple-double #16 on the season, putting up 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Honorable Mentions:
Karl-Anthony Towns: 24.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1 SPG, 47% FG, 33% 3P
Jonas Valančiūnas: 22 PPG, 12 RPG, 3 BPG, 77% FG, 100% FT
6th Man: Alec Burks
Holy shit, the New York Knicks are in the playoffs. And they didn't just make the play-in tournament, they've locked down a guaranteed spot in the postseason. Having not made the playoffs since 2014, the Knicks heavily exceeded expectations this season and finished the year 41-31, giving them the 4th seed in the East after getting the edge in a tiebreaker over the Hawks, who they'll be playing in the first round as well. The Knicks will need strong performances from the entire team if they want to win their first NBA Championship since 1973, and that includes the bench. One of the Knicks' reserves who stole the show this week was Alec Burks. For the week, Burks averaged 22 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 50% from the field, 41% from three, and a perfect 5/5 from the free-throw line. After missing the last three games, Burks returned to the court this week and stole the show in his first game back, putting up a season-high 30 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in a win over the Spurs.
Honorable Mentions:
Devonte' Graham: 20.3 PPG, 3 RPG, 6 APG, 42% FG, 41% 3P, 100% FT
Armoni Brooks: 19 PPG, 4 RPG, 55% FG, 48% 3P
Rookie: Anthony Edwards
I've talked a lot about teams that were either competing for a spot in the playoffs or had already locked down their spot, let's close out with the exact opposite of that. Despite improving significantly over the last two months of the season (they even managed to both finish outside the bottom five in the league and no longer hold the worst winning percentage of any active franchise in American sports), this season has to be seen as an absolute failure for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They've ended the season 23-49 and never really escaped the bottom of the league. It is important to look at the positives, however few there were, and one of them was the huge turnaround from Anthony Edwards in the second half of the season. Struggling with his shot early on, Edwards rebounded in a big way and ended the year as a legit Rookie of the Year contender. Edwards' continued his strong play this past week, averaging 22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 49% from the field and 30% from three. Edwards' best performance of the week came in a loss to the Nuggets, where he put up 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Honorable Mentions:
Kenyon Martin Jr: 16 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 55% FG, 43% 3P
Malachi Flynn: 17.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 40% FG, 30% 3P
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