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What a month December was in the NBA universe! We celebrated Kobe's jersey retirement, Christmas week and LeBron James' 33rd birthday. Dallas Mavericks won four straight games, Stephen Curry scored most three-pointers in a single game this season while returning from injury and Oklahoma City went on an unbeaten run. Phew, so much action!
In this frenzy of events and matches, there were some players whose performances in the month of December stood out and they will comprise our NBA team of the month for December.
Without further ado, let's directly jump to our team.
6th man: Lou Williams
Team record: 8-3 (when he started on the bench)
Player stats in December (when he started on the bench): 27.2 ppg, 5.8 apg on 47% shooting, 46% from threes, +7.2 bpm, +9.8 net rating, 15.7 player impact estimate
There is little scope for debate here. Lou Williams has been leading Clippers in points per game and player impact estimate despite being a bench player. He can score from anywhere on the court and can also draw fouls.
With Blake Griffin returning from injury, we may be see a dip in his stats, but I am still sure that he will still be among the front-runners for this position next month. Williams has helped Clippers to end December with a positive record, who recorded 8-6 overall and 8-3 when Lou started on the bench.
Other Contenders for this position:
Eric Gordon (9-2, 18.4 ppg on 47% shooting and 38% from threes, +9.5 bpm, +14.8 net rating, 8.0 player impact estimate)
Nikola Mirotic (7-3, 16.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg on 48% shooting and 47% from threes, +4.7 bpm, +6.1 net rating, 15.3 player impact estimate)
JJ Barea (8-8, 12.1 ppg, 7.3 apg on 48% shooting, 41% from threes, +4.5 bpm, +7.4 net rating, 15.7 player impact estimate)
Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
Team record: 12-5
Player stats in December: 27.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 10.6 apg, 1.8 spg on 45% shooting, +5.7 bpm, +6.7 net rating, 20.4 player impact estimate
The beast we know is back! Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double in the month of December, Oklahoma City went on a 6-game unbeaten run and he had the best player impact estimate in the given period. That sounds a lot like last year's Westbrook.
He has also been complemented by Paul George and Carmelo Anthony who have turned up with improved performances over the past month.
Other contenders for this position:
Kyrie Irving (11-5, 26.7 ppg, 4.6 apg on 50% shooting and 44% from threes, +4.7 bpm, +6.6 net rating, 15.4 player impact estimate)
Chris Paul (9-2, 21 ppg, 8 apg, 5.7 rpg, 2.1 spg on 48% shooting, 40% from threes, +7.7 bpm, +11.5 net rating, 17.2 player impact estimate)
Shooting Guard: DeMar DeRozan
Team record: 11-3
Personal stats in December: 25.2 ppg, 5.1 apg on 47% shooting, 39% threes, +9.6 bpm, +11.6 net rating, 15.6 player impact estimate
This was by far the toughest decision to be made this month. You can make a case for Victor Oladipo or James Harden too, and it will be equally strong. I personally went for DeRozan because of his improvement in playmaking and three-point shooting. He sacrificed his personal usage rate for the team and it has paid off well. Whether the Raptors are able to continue their form in the playoffs will be interesting to see, but as of now, the Raptors bandwagon is gaining strength
Other contenders for this position:
James Harden (9-5, 33.6 ppg, 8.1 apg on 45% shooting, 37% threes, +3.1 bpm, +3.2 net rating, 19.1 player impact estimate)
Victor Oladipo (7-5, 28.5 ppg on 51% shooting, 41% threes, +4.6 bpm, +6.9 net rating, 17.4 player impact estimate)
Small Forward: LeBron James
Team Record: 9-5
Personal Stats in December: 27.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 10.3 apg on 52% shooting, 35% from threes, +3.0 bpm, +2.9 net rating, 18.8 player impact estimate
With Cavs' recent struggles, it is really easily to forget how LeBron James was playing out of everyone's league in the first half of the month. Jimmy Butler had a better bpm and net rating than James for the overall month because of LeBron's last lethargic 10 days, but LeBron's personal stats overwhelms Butler's too much.
When you look at the team record, it is also not too different as Timberwolves went 10-5 in December. Let's hope that Cavaliers get past their hump before the crucial game against Celtics.
Other contenders for this position:
Jimmy Butler (10-5, 26.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.9 spg on 51% shooting, 29% from threes, +7.3 bpm, +9.0 net rating, 17.5 player impact estimate)
Paul George (11-3, 20.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 spg on 42% shooting, 48% from threes, +4.4 bpm, +5.2 net rating, 10.6 player impact estimate)
Power Forward: Kevin Durant
Team record: 13-2
Player stats in December: 27 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2.5 bpg on 48% shooting, 36% from threes, +6.7 bpm, +9.0 net rating, 17.7 player impact estimate
Kevin Durant was able to hold the fort more often than not when Stephen Curry was injured. Although his efficiency was not up to his usual mark, he was able to cover it with his much improved defense.
With key players like Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gobert missing much action due to injuries, Durant is a dark horse for Defensive Player of the Year as well. He is amongst the top-5 in the league in blocks-per-game along with the likes Myles Turner and Kristaps Porzingis. Now with Curry back in full flow, Golden State Warriors are expected to be rolling completely.
Other contenders for this position:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (8-5, 29 ppg, 10.8 rpg on 55% shooting, +4.5 bpm, +6.3 net rating, 19.5 player impact estimate)
Anthony Davis (5-6, 26.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.8 bpg on 55% shooting, 38% from threes, +4.9 bpm, +6.3 net rating, 16.8 player impact estimate)
Center: Karl-Anthony Towns
Team Record: 10-5
Personal Stats in December: 20.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.1 bpg on 54% shooting, 46% from threes, +9.6 bpm, +12.3 net rating, 15.0 player impact estimate
Although his numbers are down, Towns won't mind as long as his team is winning. With Jimmy Butler settling into his new team, KAT has had to sacrifice a lot of ball usage over the past month. He has improved his three-point shooting a lot and as a result is averaging career highs in 3-pointers attempted and 3-point shooting percentage.
His defense is still a little shaky and he sometimes easily commits fouls, but he has a long career ahead of him. For now, the young Minnesota Timberwolves side look more than likely to go on a deep playoffs run.
Other contenders for this position:
Joel Embiid (4-5, 25.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.3 bpg on 47% shooting 37% from threes, +7.4 bpm, +10.2 net rating, 17.8 player impact estimate)
DeMarcus Cousins (7-8, 27.7 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 5 apg on 50% shooting, 41% from threes, +1.7 bpm, +2.4 net rating, 16.9 player impact estimate)
