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The start of every NBA season brings forth new questions and storylines that unravel with time, serving as highlights peculiar to a season after its conclusion. The current season is no different.
The 2021-22 season has seen the start of many new plots, despite being in its early stages. While several players and teams have performed to high standards, some have failed to meet the mark.
There have also been a few that have stepped up their performances and turned heads in the opening weeks, beating the odds to produce moments of brilliance. Below are three centers who have overperformed in the early weeks of the new season.
#3 Montrezl Harrell
The center has proven to be one of the transfers of the 2021-22 season, posting career highs despite only starting two of the nine games for the Washington Wizards. Montrezl Harrell announced himself for his new team on the opening night, scoring 22 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and a block off the bench in a 25-minute exciting performance against the Toronto Raptors and has not looked back since.
In his time on the court this season, he has averaged 18.0 points per game while posting a 63% field goal accuracy, netting 6.4-of-10.2. Harrell has also shown an improvement in his shooting from range and free throws, posting career highs in both categories.
He has an 80.4 free-throw percentage and 9.7 rebounds per game, which are by some distance his career highest. He has been crucial to the Wizards' 6-3 record, placing 6th in the NBA Eastern Conference.
#2 Jarrett Allen
The 23-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers center has been in inspiring form since the opening game, scoring 25 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists to begin his campaign. Jarrett Allen's return to the fold has gone better than most had envisioned, starting all 10 games for the 7th placed Eastern Conference franchise while producing back-to-back 24 points games against the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers.
Allen has registered 6.0-of-8.4 field goals per game, with a 71.4 field goal percentage being the highest of his NBA career. He has also shown improvement in his skills from beyond the arc while continuing to prove his efficiency from the rim, posting 11.1 rebounds per game and registering 1.2 steals. Both of which are career-highs.
#1 Richaun Holmes
The Sacramento Kings' season has been looking up and getting better, thanks to performances from several star players, few though are as important to their position in the league as Richaun Holmes. He scored his highest points of the season in the Kings' most recent win against the Hornets, notching 23 points from a 9-of-12 field shooting, in a 33-minute masterclass that saw him register a career-high 20 rebounds in the game.
He currently has a career-high 69.0 field goal percentage, having recorded 6.7-of-9.7 field goals. For a player with a non-existent 3-point shooting, Holmes has shown exciting improvement, notching 0.2 three-pointers per game from 0.3 attempts and posting a career-high 66.3 three-point percentage.
His free throw accuracy has also been excellent this season. The center has registered 2.3 of his 2.7 free throw attempts per game, recording a career-high 87.5% in the process. Holmes has also been a sight to watch under the rim, securing 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him carry this form forward.
