NBA Team of the Week (Jan. 1 - Jan. 7)

What a week for the NBA.

Cleveland got the New Year treat of Isaiah Thomas returning, no less showing up with no sign of rust. We got the first returns of the All-Star voting, and it was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was leading the voting.(I guess people have finally learned how to spell him). Also from Stephen Curry's game-winner to Rondae Hollis Jefferson's point-blank miss to send a game to overtime, the week was action packed!

In all the events, there were few players who stood out of the crowd with their performances! Now with that being said, let's announce our team of the New Yea.

#6th man- Delon Wright

#55 Delon Wright

Team Record: 3-0

Player Stats in the Week: 15 ppg, 4.7 apg, 5.3 rpg on 62% shooting, 50% from threes.

This was the toughest decision this week to make. There were at least 3-4 players contending for this position, and the weightage of stats vs team record made it tougher.

We went with the Delon Wright of the Toronto Raptors, for whom it was a breakthrough week. He had his career night against the Chicago Bulls and apart from it also had good contributions in the rest of the two matches. With such decent contributions off the bench, the Raptors can make the East even more interesting than it already is.

Other Contenders for this position this week:

Trey Lyles (2-1, 20.3 ppg, 9 rpg on 56.4% shooting, 50% from threes)

Manu Ginobili (2-1, 19.7 ppg on 62.5% shooting, 68.7% from threes, 40 years old)

Wayne Ellington (3-0, 15.0 ppg on 42.1% shooting, 37.5% from threes)

Also shout outs to Lou Williams, Gerald Green, Jeremy Lamb and Marcus Smart

#Point Guard- Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry

Team Record: 3-0

Player Stats in the Week: 35.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.3 apg on 53.3% shooting, 46.2% from threes

Curry is officially back. What a week for Curry, completely on fire from downtown leading his team to 3-0 in the week. Now the Golden State Warriors are at their rightful place in the Western Conference Standings with a decent gap over the second-placed Houston Rockets. With James Harden out, it is safe to say that the gap will probably increase.

If Curry keeps on playing on this level for the whole year, he might force his way into the top tier of the MVP conversation.

Other Contenders for this position this week:

Russell Westbrook (2-1, 25 ppg, 11.3 apg, 9.3 rpg on 51.6% shooting, 100% from threes)

John Wall (2-1, 22 ppg, 11.3 apg on 41.5% shooting, 50% from threes)

Goran Dragic (3-0, 19.7 ppg, 8.3 apg on 41.8% shooting, 36.8% from threes)

#Shooting Guard- DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan

Team Record: 3-0

Player Stats in the Week: 35.7 ppg, 6.0 apg on 55.7% shooting, 55% from threes

Our back-to-back Shooting guard of the week!

Easily the "Eastern Conference Player of the Week", DeMar DeRozan has been still raising his standards, getting better in playmaking and deep shooting. DeRozan was supposed to be "sacrificing" his stats for the team, but instead, his stats are getting better along with the team. In the upcoming week, we will get to know how eligible is the threat of Toronto in the Eastern Conference is when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers this week.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Bradley Beal (2-1, 27.0 ppg on 52.9% shooting, 38.0% from threes)

CJ McCollum (3-1, 24.0 ppg, 6.3 apg on 45.2% shooting, 50% from threes)

#Small Forward- Paul George

Paul George

Team Record: 2-1

Player stats in the Week: 24.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg on 59% shooting, 48% from threes

I think it's time for us to put our foot down and finally say that the Oklahoma City Thunder is becoming a force to be reckoned with. With OKC winning 15 of the last 21 matches (since December), they seemed to have found their stride and as the time goes on, they are bound to get even more dangerous. Paul George has been playing like his usual self in this stretch and that his helping Thunder to stay on track.

One of the dark horses for the Defensive Player of the Year Award too.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Kawhi Leonard (2-0, 23 ppg, 4 spg, 5.5 rpg on 44% shooting)

Josh Richardson (3-0, 18 ppg, 4.7 apg on 51% shooting, 43% from threes)

#Power Forward- LeBron James

LeBron James

Team Record: 2-1

Player Stats in the Week: 25.3 ppg, 7.7 apg, 7.7 rpg, 3.7 spg on 55% shooting, 36% from threes

This was one of the tougher decisions to make this week with so many players contending for this position, especially Draymond Green, but we went with the King. LeBron James had it going against the Orlando Magic and also performed well against the Portland Trail Blazers. Against the Boston Celtics, LeBron was the only one who showed up in the first half and because of the negligible contributions of the other players, the team suffered.

Cleveland have a tough part of their schedule in the upcoming two weeks. Next week they are facing the Raptors and the Indiana Pacers on the road. Against them, they will need LeBron in full form, and meaningful contributions from Love, IT and the bench.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Draymond Green (3-0, 14.7 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 7.7 apg on 52% shooting, 40% from threes)

Giannis Antetokounmpo (2-2, 28.8 ppg, 6.0 apg, 8.8 rpg on 63% shooting, 40% from threes)

LaMarcus Aldridge (1-2, 27.7 ppg, 11.3 rpg on 49% shooting, 50% from threes)

#Center- Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid

Team record: 2-0

Player Stats for the week: 22 ppg, 10 rpg, 2.5 bpg on 53.6% shooting, +21.0 bpm, +34.7 net rating, 17.9 player impact estimate

Philadelphia played only 2 matches this week but mediocre performances by other All-Star centers cleared the way for Embiid, who was exceptional in the week with his box plus-minus and net rating standing out. The wins were also against quality opponents. After defeating the San Antonio Spurs, 76ers completely destroyed the Detroit Pistons. With the thin competition this week, the Process is the Center of our Team of the Week.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Dwight Howard (2-0, 17.5 ppg, 9 rpg on 63% shooting)

Kelly Olynyk (3-0, 15.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg on 58% shooting, 36% from threes)

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