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The surprise Andre Drummond and the disappointment Andrew Wiggins. Confirmation for Brandon Ingram and Trae Young, Kyrie Irving showing muscles. Check out our Top / Flop from this first week in the NBA.
Top 5: Andre Drummond crushes the competition
Back: Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
When he’s at this level, Kyrie Irving is one of the best pointers in the NBA. 26 points in the opening game against the Warriors and 37 points in the Christmas game against the Celtics, all with over 60% success! After a first season marred by injuries, Kyrie Irving has been impressive in those first two games and his duet with Kevin Durant promises to be terrifying for opponents in Brooklyn. Even if they lost against the Hornets with a more discreet Kyrie (25 points), the Nets are positioned as favorites in the Eastern Conference.
Kyrie & KD continue to COOK. ????@KyrieIrving: 37 PTS on 13-21 shooting@KDTrey5: 29 PTS on 9-16 shooting@BrooklynNets | #NBAXmas pic.twitter.com/5C9YEaM6EU
– NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2020
Back: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
Trae Young has a hot hand! Considered one of the best NBA shooters after only two seasons in the league, the Atlanta point guard lived up to his reputation with two games over 35 points. Against Chicago, he was almost perfect with 83% success. More clumsy against Memphis, his heat stroke in the second half allowed his team to win. In the wake of their prodigy, the Hawks won their first two games despite many absences.
Interior: Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers)
We were expecting Domantas Sabonis and the Pacers at the start of the season. So far, they haven’t disappointed with three wins including one against Boston, one of the Eastern Conference underdogs. If Indiana has won all of its matches, it is partly thanks to its Lithuanian interior. After scoring 32 points (career record) against the Knicks, he achieved his fifth career triple-double against the Bulls. Against Boston he was a little less skilful, but he still signed his third double-double of the season with above all the basket of the win at the buzzer! Enough to be elected player of the week in the East. The son of Arvydas is, for now, the best scorer, the best rebounder and the best passer of his team.
BUT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE DOMANTAS SABONIS. ????????????❤️pic.twitter.com/rVnhWbM2n5
— French Pacers (@PacersFRA) December 28, 2020
Interior: Brandon Ingram (New-Orleans Pelicans)
MIP of last season, Brandon Ingram continues his momentum. 26.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists, Zion Williamson’s teammate has not experienced any ignition delay at the start of the season. With their dynamite duo Ingram / Williamson, the Pelicans are placed in the outsider of the Western conference. They started their season well with two wins in three games. While Zion can catch fire at any time, Brandon Ingram appears to be a perhaps less explosive but more consistent player. The proof, he has just been elected Western Conference Player of the Week.
Pivot: Andre Drummond (Cleveland Cavaliers)
The Cavs were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league, they finally started the season with three wins. Obviously Andre Drummond was one of the architects of these three victories. With three double-doubles including a huge game against Detroit, Andre the Giant impressed. Facing his former team, he finished the match with 23 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks and a victory in double overtime! With an ultra-physical racket, Cleveland does not fit in with modernity but for the moment it works.
NBA: A bit of everything from @AndreDrummond as the @cavs move to 3-0! # KiaTipOff20
24 PTS | 14 REB | 3 STL | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/sMWjI1oQrt
— NBA Fans (@nbadailyfans) December 28, 2020
Flop 5: Andrew Wiggins, another false start
Back: Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
A completely missed game for the opening of the season (9 points to 1/9 shooting) against Sacramento, a second game barely better against the Clippers (23 points to 45% shooting), Jamal Murray seems to have remained stuck in the bubble ! Besides not scoring a lot of points, he has only distributed four assists in his first two games. As a result, the Nuggets lost twice to start the season. Nikola Jokic has yet achieved (almost) two triple-doubles to start the year but he absolutely needs his faithful lieutenant to exist in a Western conference which promises to be formidable.
Arrière: Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors)
His Golden State adventure looks like the last chance for number one in the 2014 draft. While it’s hard to judge after just a few games, Andrew Wiggins’ season has started off badly. During the two slaps received by the Warriors to start the season, the winger completely unscrewed the shoot with a horrible 29% success for only 12.5 points average. Against Chicago, the Warriors finally won and Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points at 40% in the shoot. It’s better but still insufficient… With the loss of his splash brother, Steph Curry needs help in attack. For the moment, neither Kelly Oubre, nor Andrew Wiggins are present.
Andrew Wiggins out here hoopin’ pic.twitter.com/fP1Bilnd0V
— ProCity Hoops (@ProCityHoops) December 23, 2020
Interior: Davis Bertans (Washington Wizards)
He is obviously not the star of the Wizards but if the leaders of Washington offered him an 80 million contract over five years, it is above all because he is a reliable shooter. The problem is that the Latvian shooter seems out of order at the start of the season… 15 points per game at 42% to three points last season, and only 9 points average this season with a percentage of barely 35%. In the two games against Orlando, he was completely transparent and could quickly suffer from competition from Deni Avdija, the interior rookie. Although he is not the only one responsible, the Wizards started the season with three losses …
Interior: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
25 points and 13 rebounds on average, the stats are there but the performances of the double MVP are disappointing. During the victory against the Warriors for the Christmas game, he was very clumsy (28% in the shoot) despite the victory of his team. Against New York, he suffered against Julius Randle and the Bucks bow (130-120) at Madison Square Garden. If Khris Middleton made a success of his start to the season with Milwaukee, this is not the case with Giannis Antetokounmpo who still seems to be in the process of breaking in …
Pivot: Tristan Thompson (Boston Celtics)
In search of a dominant big man for several seasons, the Celtics have set their sights on Tristan Thompson in the offseason. For now, the bet is not necessarily successful with three rather timid games from the former Cavaliers player. Less than ten points on average, only eight rebounds per game and two losses in three games for Boston. It is obviously too early to judge, but the Tristan Thompson transplant does not seem obvious in the Celtics collective. This is only our opinion!
Featured Image Credits: CavsNation
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