NBA 2018-19: Best Players - Week 21

Week 21 has finally come to an end with some great performances that had the crowd wowed. There were a total of 49 games that were played this week. The Toronto Raptors took on the Houston Rockets in a huge game on Wednesday, along with a huge game in which the Boston Celtics took on the Golden State Warriors.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a few crucial games to decide their playoff hopes including a big one against the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics later in the week. The Denver Nuggets also faced the Golden State Warriors in a battle between the top 2 teams in the Western Conference.

Let us take a look at the 5 best players who performed at a very high level this week.

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5. Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)

Donovan Mitchell takes the #5 spot in this week's rankings. Mitchell has seen a resurgence in his form of late. He has started the season in some really bad form and was unable to get himself going. He was dealing with a few injuries too that led to a few breaks in his form.

But once he got going, Mitchell was unstoppable. He is currently averaging 23.5 points per game, along with 4.1 rebounds and 4 assists a game. In Week 21, Mitchell was playing some really solid basketball for the Utah Jazz.

They played the New Orleans Pelicans twice, where Mitchell scored 19 and 22 respectively, with a combined 10 assists and 9 rebounds. He exploded in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring a massive 38 points, along with 5 assists and 4 rebounds as well. Mitchell has been dominant for most of the season and this run of form seems to be here to stay.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)

The Minnesota Timberwolves star has been exceeding all expectations

Karl-Anthony Towns has been one of the best talents to come into this league in recent years and he exploded onto the scene. But he has not been able to build upon his previous successes due to the ball being taken out of his hands more often.

But ever since Jimmy Butler was traded and a coaching change made, Towns has been unleashed. He is averaging 24.5 points along with 12.3 rebounds a game too. His previously-criticized defensive game has improved a lot too and empowering him has brought upon a huge change.

In the 3 games he played this week, Towns scored 41 points and grabbed 14 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder and then followed it up with a 40 point and 16 rebounds game against the Washington Wizards. He suffered a blip against Andre Drummond and the Pistons, scoring just 24 points along with 4 rebounds. He has been absolutely destructive this week and if the knee injury he suffered against the Wizards is not serious, then he will be on course to have another superb week.

3. Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)

The Detroit Pistons center has been playing at a really high level

Drummond has been playing at a really high level of basketball for Detroit Pistons for a while and has continued improving each year. Last year, his rising free throw accuracy threw everyone off guard and with Griffin out injured, he was playing as the point center, showing that he can handle for the Pistons if need be.

This season, alongside a revitalised Blake Griffin, he has continued to play at a very high level. His free throw percentages are hovering at the same point and he continues to dominate the paint.

This week, he led the Pistons to 3 wins in a row, including a impressive 20 points and 24 rebound performance against the Chicago Bulls. He even kept in-form center Karl-Anthony Towns quiet and unleashed a massive 31-point, 15-rebound performance. He had a 16-point, 15-rebound show against the Chicago Bulls again, lighting them up in just 30 minutes. Look out for the Pistons if Drummond keeps playing at this really high level for them.

2. Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)

The Atlanta Hawks rookie has been very impressive of late

The Atlanta Hawks were widely criticized for trading Luka Doncic away for Trae Young and a future draft pick and Doncic's dominating performances were not helpful as well. But of late, Trae Young has been putting together some superb string of performances that have impressed everybody in the league.

From gaudy numbers to a shooting extravaganza to some amazing playmaking, Trae is doing it all. He is averaging 18.3 points and 7.8 assists a game for the season and has been lighting it up in the 4 games this week. He had a 23-point, 11-assist double double against the Brooklyn Nets this week and another high-scoring night against the Spurs, putting up 22 points and 4 assists.

He had another good game against the Miami Heat, scoring 14 points and dishing out 8 assists while in his most recent game against the New Orleans Pelicans, he scored 10 points and dished out 10 assists too, his second double double in 2 consecutive games. He might be forcing himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation and might give Luka a tough time if he keeps this up.

1. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)

The Phoenix Suns guard was on fire this week

Devin Booker has been one of the best scorers in the league and even though the Phoenix Suns have been really torrid all season long, Booker has tried to be the knight in the shining armour for them. He has averaged 25.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game and has really developed as a playmaker while improving on his scoring ability as well.

Booker this week led the Suns to a surprising 3 out of 4 wins, in which they shocked the Eastern Conference leaders Milwaukee Bucks and the Western Conference leaders Golden State Warriors. Booker scored 22 points and dished out 7 assists against the Milwaukee Bucks while he scored 23 points and 5 assists in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

He unleashed a massive 41-point, 4-assist performance against the New York Knicks. Booker and kept his best for last as he scored a massive 37 points against the Golden State Warriors but also dished out a game-high 11 assists and even grabbed 8 rebounds in a solid double double. Booker was easily the best player this week and if he keeps performing at this level, the Phoenix Suns might end up spoiling their own chances at landing the #1 pick again.