With the NCAA Basketball Tournament concluded and the NBA Playoffs on the horizon, attention will shift back to the NBA as multiple teams fight for the remaining playoff spots in either conference. We have been putting together a Dream NBA Team of the Week, judging players based on their performances, their impact on the game and how helpful they were to the team’s results during the past week.
Here's your NBA Dream Team of the Week for this past week:
Center: Karl-Anthony Towns
Week averages: 17.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists
The level of play that this rookie is displaying in Minnesota is simply phenomenal. The question no longer seems to be whether Karl-Anthony Towns will be crowned Rookie of the Year or not, it has rather become whether he would be selected unanimously or not. Towns has registered 48 double-doubles (4th best) this season, including 13 in his last 14 games.
In this week’s four games, Towns recorded double-doubles in all games. but could only propel his team to a solitary win against the Phoenix Suns. His most remarkable game of the week was at the end on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks, where he came one assist shy of his first career triple-double having scored 11 points and grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds.
He displaces Andre Drummond for the center position on this week’s team of the week because of the impact he is able to make on the team despite them losing a handful of encounters. Drummond’s Detroit Pistons went 2-2 this week, depending a lot on Tobias Harris and Reggie Jackson to carry them. However in Minnesota, despite the young talent in Andrew Wiggins, Zach Lavine and Ricky Rubio around him, Towns’ game makes a huge impact on how the team plays and whether they stand a chance to compete or not.
Power Forward: Draymond Green
Week Averages: 16.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2.5 blocks
Stephen Curry might be the Golden State Warriors seem unstoppable but what makes the Warriors tick is the fire and heart of their power forward Draymond Green. It is a well-known fact across the league that Green is the heart and soul of the Warriors.
At 6’7” Green is ideally built for a shooting guard or small forward. However, he plays the power forward and often times the center when Golden State play small. It's his ability to shut down big men at his height that allows the Warriors to be so lethal when they play their small line-up.
It’s not only his defence but also his well-rounded game that puts the Warriors in positions to win. In this week's four games, Green almost averages a triple double. He even recorded one against the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
When the team's home winning streak was snapped against the Boston Celtics, he filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals. The triple-double against Portland was his 13th for the season, only behind Russell Westbrook’s 17.
With the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant around, Draymond Green might not make it to the First team All-NBA but he certainly deserves that honor. There’s a popular saying going around and it’s true that Curry is the league’s MVP and Green is the Warriors’ MVP. Green’s entry was much awaited in the NBA Dream Team of the Week. Prior to him, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a regular at the Power Forward for his versatility at 6’11”.
Highlights from Green’s triple-double against Portland:
Small Forward: LeBron James
Week averages: 28 points, 10.7 assists, 9.3 rebounds and 57.6% FG%
Logging heavy minutes, putting up big numbers and leading his team to victories, looks like the Playoff version of LeBron James has come to Cleveland early this season. Playing only three games this week after sitting out against the Houston Rockets, James has been playing outstanding to say the least.
In the overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, James logged 44 minutes and was only one assist shy of a triple-double having already registered 29 points and 16 rebounds. Against Charlotte on Sunday in a relatively easy win, James notched up 41 minutes of action and once again put up huge numbers of 31 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds.
Given the volume of shots he takes his field goal percentage for the week is one to marvel at.
Somehow there is always some off-court drama surrounding the Cavaliers. This week it was Kyrie Irving’s girlfriend allegedly cheating on him with her ex but both Irving and James made sure it did not affect the on-court performance of the team. Kevin Durant’s a close second at the Small Forward position for the NBA Dream Team of the Week but James has just been playing at another level these past couple of weeks, thus retaining his spot for a second week in a row.
Shooting Guard- Jimmy Butler
Week averages: 22 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 57.6% FG%
The Chicago Bulls finished the week on a 3-1 record, a much need winning week but one too late to make the Playoffs. In the only loss, which came against the Detroit Pistons, Jimmy Butler recorded his first career triple double as he ended the game with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.
The Bulls’ record with and without him shows how important Butler and his game is to the team. He is not only Hoiberg’s primary scorer but also the one tasked to guard the oppostiion’s biggest threat at the perimeter. If it wasn’t for Butler’s injury, the Bulls would have been where they belonged amongst the Playoff contenders.
Although getting your first triple double is a huge deal, the next game a win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday was more efficient for Butler. He played 38 minutes dishing out 8 assists with just two turnovers but more importantly scoring 25 points on 10 of 11 shooting (90.9%). He was the first Bulls’ player to score 25+ and have such a shooting percentage since Scottie Pippen did it in 1991.
A below par scoring week and woeful shooting has forced Klay Thompson off the NBA Dream Team of the Week. Butler was ranked among the top 3 shooting guards in the league and he is proving everybody right.
Point Guard- Russell Westbrook
Week averages: 24.8 points, 9.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds
Reigning MVP Stephen Curry came mighty close to upstaging Russell Westbrook for the point guard spot on the NBA Dream Team this week. However, a rough shooting week and plenty of turnovers from the Warrior’s guard helps Westbrook keep his place. The explosive Thunder guard didn’t do any harm himself as his near triple double average for the week suggests, including the one he recorded in Toronto.
Just like LeBron, Westbrook is a one in a million physical specimen. At 6'3” he is among the fastest to run up and down the court. He not only beats man with an explosive first step, but destroys his confidence with dunks that leaves the rim shaking for some time to come. His build allows him to grab rebounds in traffic, dribble through traffic during a fastbreak while also being able to find the open man for the better shot.
Having said that, Westbrook seems to play well and record these numbers only Durant is around. His dismal showing in Detroit, where he shot 8 of 28 and had 3 turnovers, doesn’t help his case in the race for MVP. Even in the Thunder's disappointing loss at Houston, his nine turnovers were key to the team dropping the game in the fourth quarter. Nonetheless, the efficiency at which he performs when the team wins is paralled by very few and that's what helps Westbrook retian his spot in this week's NBA Dream Team of the Week.
Guess the Lakers players!
