NBA 2020-2021 – In a hectic week with the trade deadline, the NBA has seen many players move from one franchise to another. So who took advantage of this week, who suffered? Here are the tops and flops of the week.
Franchises
Tops
In the Eastern Conference, this week one franchise stood out against the rest. Indeed, the New York Knicks impress this season under the leadership of coach Tom Thibodeau. With 3 wins over the last 3 games, the Knicks are in 4th place in the conference, following Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks, which they also defeated last Saturday by a score of 102 to 96. Everything is going for the better on the side of the New Yorkers both defensively and offensively this season. They are very well placed for the playoffs and are becoming serious candidates. Their level impresses in comparison to past seasons. It will therefore be necessary to pay attention to this team which may surprise more than one at the end of the season!
Unlike last week, the leaders of the Western Conference have taken on color. Whether it be Utah Jazz where the Los Angeles Clippers, these two franchises dominated their topic this week. They both have 5 wins in a row which allows them to confirm their status as leaders of this league. And if for Utah this series confirms a season of domination, for the Clippers, it is more of a relief since they are not as domineering as one might think at the start of the season. It seems that the repetitive rants of Kawhi Leonard have had their effect on the collective of the Clippers. This post-season is already announcing a great show for NBA fans.
Flops
Hard blow for the Miami Heat this week. While they seemed to regain color lately through Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler, the Floridians mark a serious stop in their progress this week. With 6 defeats in a row, Erik Spoelstra’s men fell considerably in the standings. Currently 8th, the Miami Heat is one position qualifying for the Play-in Tournament. Not sure that this is a satisfactory place for the latter who are definitely experiencing a mixed season. Perhaps the arrival of Victor Oladipo in the ranks of Miami will allow to have a circumstantial leader behind Jimmy Butler who keeps missing games here and there every week.
How cruel is this Western conference! While they have a record equal to that of Miami 8th in the Eastern Conference, the Golden State Warriors they find themselves in 10th position in the West. Despite the efforts of Andrew Wiggins who shines in the absence of Stephen Curry (injured coccyx), the franchise struggles to find the path to victory. 4 defeats in 4 games, such is the suffering of Golden State without its leader. This situation is tense for the franchise which is losing ground in the race for the Play-offs and the Play-in Tournament. The return of the star of the Warriors becomes urgent especially as the option of tanking for the Warriors becomes more and more topical as the defeats follow one another.
The players
Tops
If no player has really shone this week, two players have still worn their franchise this week. Indeed, despite a record of 2 wins and 2 losses this week, Jayson Tatum was a real craftsman in the victories of his team. With 27 points against OKC and 34 against Milwaukee, the franchise player from Boston allowed his team to win these two meetings. However, despite his good performance, the results of his franchise remain uneven. The franchise seems fragile as evidenced by this 7th conference place while it has the level to appear in the top 4 of the latter. In any case, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics will be one to watch since they are obviously very unpredictable.
Zion Williamson lights up New Orleans this season. Despite a very complicated rookie season due to injury, his sophomore season is flawless. He tortures the opposing rackets with the defenders who go with them. Despite a still very shy outdoor shoot, Zion Williamson is becoming more and more the real franchise player of the Pelicans. Witness his 38 points (13/20 shoot) against the Mavericks, his 39 points and 10 rebounds (16/19 shoot) against the Nuggets or his 27 points against the Lakers. This player is truly a new star in this league. He will undoubtedly be a contender for the MVP trophy in the years to come if the results of his franchise allow it. This is unfortunately not the case this season because of this 12th place in the Western Conference.
Flops
Among the Hawks, the franchise is well off scoring with players like Trae Young or John Collins to name a few. However, despite this, the others have opportunities to score or assist on the pass or rebound. Tony Snell meanwhile, it struggles to produce statistically good performance. Even if his defensive contribution and his ballless play seem important on the field for his franchise, the former player of the Pistons scores little, takes very few rebounds and gives very few balls. And all this despite his 20 minutes per game. The 29-year-old therefore needs to win, to make himself available to shoot because by scoring only 0 or even 2 points per game, his career will suffer as he has many years to live in the league.
Although its status and importance in the field are indisputable, Draymond Green scores very little with the Warriors. On average, he still takes 6.4 rebounds per game and gives 8.4 assists. But at the same time, the interior of the Warriors only scores 6 points per game on average. If this average can be explained by the omnipresence of Stephen Curry at the shoot, the absence of the latter should be able to allow Green to shine in scoring to help his teammates. However it is not and it is even worse than usual. Zero points against the Hawks with no attempt, only 6 against the Sixers after 7 attempts. Draymond Green’s stats are therefore quite astonishing as the team leaders in Curry’s absence are struggling to make up for the space left by him.
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