The Ball Blog
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Trade Grades
    • Season Predictions: 2016
    • Power Rankings: 2015-16
    • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios
    • NBA PG's Chat >
      • Establishing Personalities, Part 2
      • Establishing Personalities, Part 1
      • Free Agency
      • Rookies
      • Season in Review
      • Champs!
      • Ganging Up
      • I'm Rooting For...
      • Finals!
      • Choked!
      • Buzzer-Beater!
      • MVP!
    • Best Case Scenarios for Playoff Teams
    • Draft Targets
    • Season Predictions: 2014-15
    • One Trade That Every Team Should Do
    • State of the Franchise
  • Teams
    • Atlantic >
      • Boston Celtics >
        • Trade Grades Celtics
        • Season Predictions 2016 Celtics
        • Power Rankings Celtics
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Celtics
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Celtics
        • Draft Targets Celtics
        • Season Predictions Celtics
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Celtics
        • State of the Franchise Celtics
      • Brooklyn Nets >
        • Trade Grades Nets
        • Season Predictions 2016 Nets
        • Power Rankings Nets
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Nets
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Nets
        • Draft Targets Nets
        • Season Predictions Nets
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Nets
        • State of the Franchise Nets
      • New York Knicks >
        • Trade Grades Knicks
        • Season Predictions 2016 Knicks
        • Power Rankings Knicks
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Knicks
        • Draft Targets Knicks
        • Season Predictions Knicks
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Knicks
        • State of the Franchise Knicks
      • Philadelphia 76ers >
        • Trade Graders 76ers
        • Season Predictions 2016 76ers
        • Power Rankings 76ers
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios 76ers
        • Draft Targets 76ers
        • Season Predictions 76ers
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do 76ers
        • State of the Franchise 76ers
      • Toronto Raptors >
        • Trade Grades Raptors
        • Season Predictions 2016 Raptors
        • Power Rankings Raptors
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Raptors
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Raptors
        • Draft Targets Raptors
        • Season Predictions Raptors
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Raptors
        • State of the Franchise Raptors
    • Central >
      • Chicago Bulls >
        • Trade Grades Bulls
        • Season Predictions 2016 Bulls
        • Power Rankings Bulls
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Bulls
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Bulls
        • Draft Targets Bulls
        • Season Predictions Bulls
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Bulls
        • State of the Franchise Bulls
        • OLD Chicago Bulls
      • Cleveland Cavaliers >
        • Trade Grades Cavaliers
        • Season Predictions 2016 Cavaliers
        • Power Rankings Cavaliers
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Cavaliers
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Cavaliers
        • Draft Targets Cavaliers
        • Season Predictions Cavaliers
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Cavaliers
        • State of the Franchise Cavaliers
      • Detroit Pistons >
        • Trade Grades Pistons
        • Season Predictions 2016 Pistons
        • Power Rankings Pistons
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Pistons
        • Draft Targets Pistons
        • Season Predictions Pistons
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Pistons
        • State of the Franchise Pistons
      • Indiana Pacers >
        • Trade Grades Pacers
        • Season Predictions 2016 Pacers
        • Power Rankings Pacers
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Pacers
        • Draft Targets Pacers
        • Season Predictions Pacers
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Pacers
        • State of the Franchise Pacers
        • OLD Indiana Pacers
      • Milwaukee Bucks >
        • Trade Grades Bucks
        • Season Predictions 2016 Bucks
        • Power Rankings Bucks
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Bucks
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Bucks
        • Draft Targets Bucks
        • Season Predictions Bucks
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Bucks
        • State of the Franchise Bucks
        • OLD Milwaukee Bucks
    • Southeast >
      • Atlanta Hawks >
        • Trade Grades Hawks
        • Season Predictions 2016 Hawks
        • Power Rankings Hawks
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Hawks
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Hawks
        • Draft Targets Hawks
        • Season Predictions Hawks
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Hawks
        • State of the Franchise Hawks
      • Charlotte Hornets >
        • Trade Grades Hornets
        • Season Predictions 2016 Hornets
        • Power Rankings Hornets
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Hornets
        • Draft Targets Hornets
        • Season Predictions Hornets
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Hornets
        • State of the Franchise Hornets
      • Miami Heat >
        • Trade Grades Heat
        • Season Predictions 2016 Heat
        • Power Rankings Heat
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Heat
        • Draft Targets Heat
        • Season Predictions Heat
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Heat
        • State of the Franchise Heat
      • Orlando Magic >
        • Trade Grades Magic
        • Season Predictions 2016 Magic
        • Power Rankings Magic
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Magic
        • Draft Targets Magic
        • Season Predictions Magic
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Magic
        • State of the Franchise Magic
      • Washington Wizards >
        • Trade Grades Wizards
        • Season Predictions 2016 Wizards
        • Power Rankings Wizards
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Wizards
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Wizards
        • Draft Targets Wizards
        • Season Predictions Wizards
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Wizards
        • State of the Franchise Wizards
    • Northwest >
      • Denver Nuggets >
        • Trade Grades Nuggets
        • Season Predictions 2016 Nuggets
        • Power Rankings Nuggets
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Nuggets
        • Draft Targets Nuggets
        • Season Predictions Nuggets
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Nuggets
        • State of the Franchise Nuggets
      • Minnesota Timberwolves >
        • Trade Grades Timberwolves
        • Season Predictions 2016 Timberwolves
        • Power Rankings Timberwolves
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Timberwolves
        • Draft Targets Timberwolves
        • Season Predictions Timberwolves
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Timberwolves
        • State of the Franchise Timberwolves
      • Oklahoma City Thunder >
        • Trade Grades Thunder
        • Season Predictions 2016 Thunder
        • Power Rankings Thunder
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Thunder
        • Draft Targets Thunder
        • Season Predictions Thunder
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Thunder
        • State of the Franchise Thunder
      • Portland Trail Blazers >
        • Trade Grades Blazers
        • Season Predictions 2016 Blazers
        • Power Rankings Blazers
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Blazers
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Blazers
        • Draft Targets Blazers
        • Season Predictions Blazers
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Blazers
        • State of the Franchise Blazers
      • Utah Jazz >
        • Trade Grades Jazz
        • Season Predictions 2016 Jazz
        • Power Rankings Jazz
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Jazz
        • Draft Targets Jazz
        • Season Predictions Jazz
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Jazz
        • State of the Franchise Jazz
    • Pacific >
      • Golden State Warriors >
        • Trade Grades Warriors
        • Season Predictions 2016 Warriors
        • Power Rankings Warriors
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Warriors
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Warriors
        • Draft Targets Warriors
        • Season Predictions Warriors
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Warriors
        • State of the Franchise Warriors
      • Los Angeles Clippers >
        • Trade Grades Clippers
        • Season Predictions 2016 Clippers
        • Power Rankings Clippers
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Clippers
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Clippers
        • Draft Targets Clippers
        • Season Predictions Clippers
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Clippers
        • State of the Franchise Clippers
      • Los Angeles Lakers >
        • Trade Grades Lakers
        • Season Predictions 2016 Lakers
        • Power Rankings Lakers
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Lakers
        • Draft Targets Lakers
        • Season Predictions Lakers
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Lakers
        • State of the Franchise Lakers
      • Phoenix Suns >
        • Trade Grades Suns
        • Season Predictions 2016 Suns
        • Power Rankings Suns
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Suns
        • Draft Targets Suns
        • Season Predictions Suns
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Suns
        • State of the Franchise Suns
      • Sacramento Kings >
        • Trade Grades Kings
        • Season Predictions 2016 Kings
        • Power Rankings Kings
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Kings
        • Draft Targets Kings
        • Season Predictions Kings
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Kings
        • State of the Franchise Kings
    • Southwest >
      • Dallas Mavericks >
        • Trade Grades Mavericks
        • Season Predictions 2016 Mavericks
        • Power Rankings Mavericks
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Mavericks
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Mavericks
        • Draft Targets Mavericks
        • Season Predictions Mavericks
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Mavericks
        • State of the Franchise Mavericks
      • Houston Rockets >
        • Trade Grades Rockets
        • Season Predictions 2016 Rockets
        • Power Rankings Rockets
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Rockets
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Rockets
        • Draft Targets Rockets
        • Season Predictions Rockets
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Rockets
        • State of the Franchise Rockets
      • Memphis Grizzlies >
        • Trade Grades Grizzlies
        • Season Predictions 2016 Grizzlies
        • Power Rankings Grizzlies
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Grizzlies
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Grizzlies
        • Draft Targets Grizzlies
        • Season Predictions Grizzlies
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Grizzlies
        • State of the Franchise Grizzlies
      • New Orleans Pelicans >
        • Trade Grades Pelicans
        • Season Predictions 2016 Pelicans
        • Power Rankings Pelicans
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Pelicans
        • Best Case Scenario For Every Playoff Team Pelicans
        • Draft Targets Pelicans
        • Season Predictions Pelicans
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Pelicans
        • State of the Franchise Pelicans
      • San Antonio Spurs >
        • Trade Grades Spurs
        • Season Predictions 2016 Spurs
        • Power Rankings Spurs
        • Best, Worst Draft Scenarios Spurs
        • Best Case Scenario for Playoff Teams Spurs
        • Draft Targets Spurs
        • Season Predictions Spurs
        • One Trade That Every Team Should Do Spurs
        • State of the Franchise Spurs
  • Weekly Survey
  • Trivia
    • 1960s and Earlier >
      • 1960s-Easy
      • 1960s-Medium
      • 1960s-Hard
    • 1970s >
      • 1970s-Easy
      • 1970s-Medium
      • 1970s-Hard
    • 1980s >
      • 1980s-Easy
      • 1980s-Medium
      • 1980s-Hard
    • 1990s >
      • 1990s-Easy
      • 1990s-Medium
      • 1990s-Hard
    • 2000s >
      • 2000s-Easy
      • 2000s-Medium
      • 2000s-Hard
    • 2010s/Present >
      • 2010s-Easy
      • 2010s-Medium
      • 2010s-Hard
    • General >
      • General-Easy
      • General-Medium
      • General-Hard
    • All-time Records >
      • Records-Easier
      • Records-Harder
  • Blog
    • Evaluating NBA Teams' Drafting >
      • Outline
      • Coefficients
      • Grooming the Data Set
      • Final Rankings
    • Sizing up the 2016-17 MVP Race >
      • The Warriors
      • Familiar Faces
      • Team's Just Not Good Enough
      • The Dark Horses
      • The Man Nobody Sees Coming
    • Playoff Predictions >
      • Playoff Predictions: East
      • Playoff Predictions: West
    • This Week in Basketball...
    • Unpopular Opinions: Draft Day 2017
    • Free Agency News: 2017
  • Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us

The Ball Blog's Blog

Top Ten Players of the '2016' Part of the 2016-17 Season

1/1/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
10. Stephen Curry

Oh, how the mighty have fallen... albeit not that far. To be honest, however, the addition of Durant to Golden State has hurt Curry's production so much that I almost didn't put the guard on this list. Steph's PER of 23.46 ranks 20th in the league; and in VA (Value Added) and EWA (Estimated Wins Added) he hardly fairs better, ranking 16th in each. To compare, Curry's 2015-16 PER of 31.56 smoked the rest of the competition, as did his top-ranking EWA and VA statistics en route to one of the most dominant seasons in modern history, the Warrior's second consecutive MVP, and a record-breaking 73-9 team mark.

Sure, maybe we could expect a little bit of a decline in numbers due to the addition of Kevin Durant. But Curry's decline in shooting efficiency rests entirely on his shoulders; if anything, in fact, KD's addition should have helped them even more. Instead, after posting the league's best True Shooting Percentage last year at 0.669, Steph's 0.634 ranks just 19th in the league. His 50.4 FG% from last year has dropped to 46.6, and his jaw-dropping 45.4 three-point percentage has fallen to 40.3% thus far this season.

Don't get me wrong: Curry's still an absolute beast and among (or maybe the) top superstar that the NBA has to offer. He and Durant have led their Golden State Warriors to a 30-5 record (0.857), the league's best. But frankly that record is perhaps the main reason why Curry even cracked this list at this point in the season over other deserving studs.
Picture
​9. Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler has done everything in his power -- and then some -- to keep his Chicago Bulls afloat in the playoff race, but unfortunately has received very little help from his teammates that are not named Dwyane Wade (and even he has made his limitations clear in his old age) in doing so. Butler is averaging 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on very respectable shooting splits of 45.3/33.6/87.7 (FG% / 3P% / FT%). His efforts have earned him basketball's 10th-best PER at 26.53, and he has made it clear that his team would absolutely suffer without him: he ranks fourth in both Value Added and Estimated Wins Added. Still it's not enough, however, as his Bulls rank 10th in the East with a mediocre 17-18 (0.486) record.
Picture
​8. LeBron James

LeBron turned 32 on December 30th, and this new post-30 LeBron isn't the one that dominates the league with individual jaw-dropping stat-lines and PER numbers. He now dominates the league in a different sense: with his team rather than with himself.

By any metric, of course, LeBron James in and of himself is easily enjoying another top-10 individual season: his PER of 26.42 ranks eleventh among all qualified players, and his Value Added and Estimated Wins Added figures are good for eighth across the NBA thus far this season. His season averages of 25.6 points, 8.7 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game on the surface don't stand out as too jaw-dropping when compared with the stat lines that Russell Westbrook or James Harden are posting these days, and his percentages -- 51.1/38.4/67.8 (FG% / 3P% / FT%) -- are again solid for James' own standards.
[Actually, the free throw percentage, it should be noted, is quite the strange anomaly to a rather consistent 74-ish percentage that James has had in years past and is the lowest such mark of his career; one would reasonably expect that over the course of the season, LeBron's odd 68.4% free throw percentage will regress to his own personal mean].

But its clear that James has molded himself into the ultimate team player. His 38.4 three-point percentage -- a very high mark relative to the league average of one or two percentage points over a third -- is the second-highest such mark of LeBron's career. 38.4%, in fact, is 4.3 percentage points higher than The King's career average and a drastic improvement over last season's dismal 30.9%. Becoming a deadly three-point threat has allowed James to move to more of an off-ball role on offense if need be; after all, he does play on the same team as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Speaking of which, James' 8.7 assists per game is also the highest of his career, which speaks volumes about his new type of team-first offensive role. Thus James is not quite padding his stats like some of the others on this list, but he does rank among the best in the most important statistic of all: his Cleveland Cavaliers are 26-7 (0.788) and tops in the Eastern Conference.
Picture
​7. DeMarcus Cousins

Cousins' situation regarding this list here is very similar to that of Jimmy Butler's: outstanding player, sub-par team. Indeed, the center's 27.80 PER checks in at fourth in the league, and he ranks seventh in VA and EWA as well. DeMarcus' 29.0 points per game are the third-highest in basketball (just behind Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook), and his 10.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game aren't too shabby either as "Boogie" evolves into not just an elite offensive force, but an elite defensive force as well.

The most interesting addition to Cousins' game, however, is his three-point shooting. It is beyond rare to find someone who is seven feet tall and drops 30-and-10 games on a consistent basis that also connects on 1.8 threes per game at a very efficient 38% clip. This amazing newfound inside-out game makes DeMarcus one of the most difficult players to guard in basketball, no matter the defender.

However, the fact remains that his Sacramento Kings are headed for another forgettable season at 14-19 (0.424). Until Boogie can snap his team's decade-long playoff drought, he'll have a very hard time working his way up any list like this -- which is unfortunate, because it's just simply not his fault at this point.
Picture
​6. Kawhi Leonard

I really don't have anything negative to say about this superstar (for a change): Kawhi Leonard plays on a successful team (his San Antonio Spurs enjoy the league's second-best record at 27-7 [0.794]), shoots efficiently, and ranks highly in the advanced statistics. This utter absence of any noticeable drawback in his superstar-ness is the reason why I gave Leonard the nod over the others below him in this third tier of these rankings (yes, you'll find that the top five in this list are considerably ahead of anyone else; and that goes double for the top two). Kawhi, however, fails to crack the uber-elite top-five at the moment due to his eighth-ranked PER at 26.95 and ninth-ranked EWA and VA across the NBA. Leonard is currently posting very nice averages, with career bests in several categories: 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. As aforementioned, he has efficient shooting percentages to go with those stats as well, namely splits of 46.6/32.0/92.0 (FG% / 3P% / FT%). Extraordinary for sure, but not quite extra-extraordinary.
Picture
5. Anthony Davis

I could very easily have put Anthony Davis as high as third on this list -- his season thus far has just been that good. He ranks fifth in both PER and EWA, posting a 27.56 mark in the latter to date. Davis' per game stats, furthermore, are nothing short of absolutely special: 28.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.4 steals to go along with 49.1% shooting form the floor and a surprisingly-high, given the big man's 6'10" frame (and 7'6" wingspan), 79.3% mark from the free throw line. Of course, however, the only drawback when evaluating AD's superstar-ness is his team, the Pelicans, who are unfortunately suffering another lost season at 14-22 (0.389).
Picture
​4. Kevin Durant​

I have to hand it to KD: coming into this season, he faced all the pressure in the world after ditching Oklahoma City this summer, and everyone wanted him to fail -- he was indeed the ultimate NBA villain on the ultimate NBA super-team (which is pretty much a synonym for 'villain' these days). So how did he respond? Try: by turning in the most efficient season of his career.

It's not just the raw numbers that jump out at you, although they are nonetheless impressive: 25.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game -- but that's not necessarily anything out of the ordinary by Durant's standards, although both his rebounding and block averages are the highest of his career, which is a testament to the new team-first role that he has embraced in Golden State.

But more to the point of "team-first", as I had mentioned before, is Durant's efficiency. Indeed, KD's 0.592 Effective Field Goal Percentage mark not only ranks eleventh in the league thus far this season, but also as by far the highest in the forward's own personal career. True Shooting Percentage, which accounts for free throws (unlike efg%) as well as threes and field goals, gives Durant a 0.647 mark, which is also good for eleventh in the league. For context, KD has put up shooting splits of 53.7/39.3/86.2 to date, flirting with another 50/40/90 season.

Hence Durant has put his Warriors above all else, and I commend him for it, seeing a considerable drop-off in points per game, and his efforts have yielded results. This is true not only on an individual basis -- Durant ranks sixth in the league in both PER (27.45) and EWA -- but also on a team basis: to date, KD has been the best player on the league's best team, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 30-5 (0.857) record.
Picture
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

If expectations were sky-high for "The Greek Freak" heading into this season, he must be in outer space right now. Antetokunmpo has shattered even the most ridiculous of expectations, posting the second-best PER in the league at 28.89 and ranking third in EWA and VA, en route to one of the most statistically dominant across-the-board seasons in recent memory. The young Milwaukee Buck has posted averages of 23.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game on very efficient shooting splits of 53.6/29.5/77.6 (he doesn't take very many threes anyways). As a result, Giannis has essentially single-handedly willed Milwaukee into the thick of the East's playoff race, currently sitting sixth in the conference at 17-16 (0.515). The scariest part? He's only 22 years old.
Picture
​2. Russell Westbrook

It's hard to use the right words to describe Westbrook's remarkable season to date: he is currently on track to become the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average a triple-double over the course of a season. Indeed, Russ is cruising towards an absolutely historic season with averages of 30.9 points, 10.5 assists, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Granted, however, his efficiency has taken a hit, as his field goal percentage has dropped 2.6 percentage points from last year and his turnovers are up to 5.4 per game, albeit his three-point percentage has since risen; his current shooting splits are: 42.8/32.5/82.0. Still, Westbrook is crushing the competition with a 30.10 PER, and ranks just behind James Harden in Estimated Wins Added and Value Added.

Of course, it is the absence of Kevin Durant -- now in Golden State -- that makes such a jaw-dropping per-game stat line as the one above possible. However, Westbrook's Thunder have suffered without KD: despite the superstar point guard's best efforts, his team sits at a good-but-not-great 21-14 (0.600) and seventh in the West; a far cry from last year's 55-27 (0.671) mark, which was good for third in the conference and one game away from an appearance in the NBA Finals.

Westbrook has done far more than his fair share -- and more than even any gargantuan expectation placed upon him in the pre-season -- for this Oklahoma City team, and by the literal definition of the term, is very arguably the "Most Valuable Player" in basketball. Furthermore, that ridiculous stat line -- averaging a triple double with 30+ points per game to boot -- is absolutely not to be overlooked, and this season could very well go down in the history books as one of the greatest invididual performances ever if Russ keeps up the pace. However, with all of that being said, the turnovers and inefficient shooting continue to plague number zero, and I found the top spot difficult to give to someone whose team is 5.5 games back of another very deserving superstar...
Picture
​1. James Harden

There was a pretty clear two-horse race for the top spot between Harden and Westbrook, and despite Westbrook's jaw-dropping triple-double averages, I felt obliged to give this spot to the well-deserving Houston guard. Off of his ridiculous stat lines of 28.5 points, 12.0 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 3.1 threes per game on efficient shooting splits of 45.2/36.2/84.5 (FG% / 3P% / FT%), the Rockets have suddenly found themselves at 27-9 (0.750), good for the West's third and the NBA's fourth-best record; a dramatic turnaround from 41-41 (0.500) last year. Anyways, breaking down the advanced statistics, it was very difficult to crown a winner for this list between Westbrook and Harden, who were miles ahead of the competition (top row is Harden):
Picture
​For me, however, the bottom line is always team wins -- it is the ultimate statistic in every sport, the culmination of all other statistics into one, all-important determiner of succcess. Houston may have the edge, but it's hard to say definitively that James Harden's supporting cast of Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, and Clint Capela is too far ahead of Russell Westbrook's: Victor Oladipo, Enes Kanter, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson. Given that Harden has his Rockets 5.5 games ahead of Westbrook's Thunder (21-14; 0.600), I must give The Bearded One the benefit of the doubt by the slimmest of margins; nonetheless, both superstars have been absolutely outstanding and amazing to watch this season.
1 Comment
Ralph B link
9/10/2021 05:44:56 pm

Great post thannkyou

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Archives

    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
© 2015 The Ball Blog