#NBA2015: Players to Watch Part Two

With the 2014-2015 NBA season beginning in fewer than 10 days, I found it just right to look at some players we should all keep tabs on. There are no-brainers like LeBron, KD, CP3, and James Harden, of course, but there are also many other characters on whom we should put the spotlight. In this first of five parts, we’ll take a look at some key guys for the Mavs, Nuggets, Pistons, Warriors, Rockets, and Pacers.

Three forwards and three centers will shape the futures of their
respective franchises this season.

Chandler Parsons (DAL) -  Paying a professional athlete 46 million dollars to play for three years is the working definition of expensive. Doing that to someone who has never been an NBA All-Star that much money is the working definition of overpaying. Still, despite all the doubt and flak, the Dallas Mavericks are trusting Chandler Parsons, and Parsons, for his part, is more motivated than ever to prove he’s worth every cent. His numbers might not (yet) be worthy of All-Star consideration, but he has improved his offensive production every year he’s been in the league, and now that he’ll probably have more possessions than he did last season on a team featuring James Harden and Dwight Howard, Parsons should up his numbers even more. But, again, will it be worth being paid nearly double what Dirk Nowitzki is getting this season? That we’ll have to see.

The NBA: January 2014 Position Battle – The Top 5 Power Forwards Right Now

In this Position Battle post, we will focus on the top five power forwards at this point in the season. We will take into account just the players’ stats for the latest five games of their respective teams. This will, hopefully, give us a more current picture of each player’s production.

There’s not a lot of movement really. LMA, Love, Blake… they’re all still here. Kevin Love nearly got bumped down to #6, but he stays in the top five after his nice line today (the Wolves still lost though).

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on January 13, 2014 (Manila time).

5. Kevin Love (MIN) – 20.2ppg, 10.2rpg, 2.8apg, 2.2 triples per game, 45.8 3pt%, 23.6 EFF

Love struggled against the mighty Spurs earlier in the week, but he bounced back with a nice double-double (27 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 triples) against Sac-Town today. The Wolves absorbed their fourth loss of the new year, though, and that bumped them down to eleventh spot. This is why there’s a part of me that wants him in a Lakers uniform soon.

So who's better? Kevin Love or Blake Griffin? Will
Love join Griffin in Los Angeles soon?
(image from Fansided.com)       

The NBA: April 2013 Position Battle – The Top 5 Power Forwards Right Now

Curiously enough, three of the current top five PFs won’t even play in the Playoffs. Might even be four, if Gasol and the Lakers fail to keep their eighth seed. Tim Duncan’s absence here might also mean he’s taking it easy and saving up for the postseason grind. Aaaand I don’t think the #1 guy on this list is even the #1 guy on his own team.

Note: All of the following stats are based on the last five games of each player’s team as computed by HoopsStats.com. They were taken on April 13, 2013 (Manila time).

5. Anthony Davis (NOH) - 16.2ppg, 9.6rpg, 1.6spg, 1.8bpg, .958 FT%, 22.8 EFF

After a bad first game in April against GSW, Davis has dropped upwards of 18 points and 9 boards in his last four games. He won’t make the Playoffs, but he might be making a late season push to pull the ROY rug from under Damian Lillard’s legs.

Pau Gasol and Anthony Davis are two of the
 top PFs in April.
(image by Reed Saxon/AP)

4. Tobias Harris (ORL) - 19.4ppg, 12.0rpg, 3.8apg, 1.6bpg, 24.2 EFF

At 6’8” and 226lbs, the former Tennessee Volunteer might just be the Paul Millsap of the East. I still think he takes too many shots, but I cannot refute that double-double average and those 1.6 blocks per game.

The NBA: The Best Players and Teams of December 2012

As we start the first month of the new year, let’s look at which teams and players performed well enough to merit top honors. This is the second in a series of “Best of the Month” citations based on the Efficiency Recap ratings on HoopsStats.com. Team citations will be based on Efficiency Recap Difference (Team Efficiency – Opponents’ Efficiency), while Player citations will be based on Player Efficiency and his team’s Efficiency ranking. You can check out the Stats Glossary here.

Team Citations:

Best Backcourt: Los Angeles Clippers – 45.1ppg, 9.0rpg, 16.8apg, 5.8spg, +21.0 DEFF

With Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford, Eric Bledsoe, and Willie Green all playing as well as they have, the Clippers continued to have the best backcourt in the NBA. Paul’s numbers have been consistently high, while Crawford’s are still plenty impressive despite the dip in his FG%.

Best Frontcourt: Oklahoma City Thunder – 59.3ppg, 31.5rpg, 6.8apg, 3.8spg, 6.2bpg, 51.4 FG%, +15.6 DEFF

With Kevin Durant becoming a borderline triple-double threat, Serge Ibaka norming a near-double-double, and guys like Nick Collison and Kendrick Perkins producing solid support, the Thunder possessed the best frontline this past December.

Best Bench: Los Angeles Clippers – 45.2ppg, 19.8rpg, 11.0apg, 5.1spg, 4.2bpg, +21.3 DEFF

The LA Clippers have Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, and Lamar Odom coming off the bench. And they still have Chauncey Billups waiting in the wings, too. Coach Vinny Del Negro has incredible depth, and he has used it to the hilt.

Best Starters: Miami Heat - 75.5ppg, 25.5rpg, 16.6apg, 5.6spg, 2.9bpg, 52.4 FG%, +24.4 DEFF

There’s really no big surprise here, since LBJ and Wade upped their stats compared to December, softening the dip in the production of Chris Bosh and the continued inconsistency of Mario Chalmers.

Best East Team: Miami Heat – 101.4ppg, 38.3rpg, 21.8apg, 8.5spg, 4.7bpg, +11.5 DEFF

Miami wrested the top spot in the East from the New York teams by, well, being their usual dominant selves. I mean, hardly anyone from the East can beat Miami with LBJ norming a near-triple-double, right?

Best West Team: Los Angeles Clippers – 104.9ppg, 43.3rpg, 25.4apg, 11.0spg, 6.2bpg, +33.9 DEFF

Undefeated in 16 December games. San Antonio was second in DEFF with a 27.3 rating, which was a staggering 6 points below the Clips’. In plain language, that just means nobody could touch the Clippers last month. NOBODY.

Blake Griffin and the Clippers flew over the entire league
this past December.
(image by Mark J. Terrill/AP)

The NBA: Position Battle: The Best Power Forwards Right Now

Just like the best centers, right now the best 4s in the league aren’t the biggest names you’ll find. Arguably the best PF in history, Tim Duncan, isn’t even in the Top 5, despite the fact he’s been having another great season. The best power forward of the past five games has actually been someone who was almost forgotten last season.

5) David West (IND) - 17.6ppg, 9.4rpg, 3.0apg, 1.4spg, 23.2 EFF

West is still quite far from his All-Star form a couple of seasons ago, but that’s not to say he’s been below-par this year. The rise in his production can be attributed to two things – the absence of Danny Granger and the regression of Roy Hibbert.  

4) Josh Smith (ATL) - 22.0ppg, 9.4rpg, 3.8apg, 1.6spg, 1.2bpg, 23.6 EFF

After a slow start this season, Smith seems to have finally settled into his usual all-around awesomeness. He’s the only guy in this group stuffing it in all five major stat categories, and the Hawks are clearly benefitting – they went 4-1 in their last five assignments.

3) LaMarcus Aldridge (POR) - 22.2ppg, 10.8rpg, 1.2spg, 1.6bpg, 26.2 EFF

The Blazers are 2-3 in their last five games, but it’s certainly not because Aldridge hasn’t been playing well. He’s actually been quite impressive, amassing double-doubles left and right and outplaying virtually every PF opponent (with the exception of David West) in the past week.

2) Blake Griffin (LAC) - 21.2ppg, 10.0rpg, 3.2apg, 2.2spg, 29.0 EFF

The Clips are riding high on a 6-game winning streak, and Griffin’s awesome stats have been a big factor. He outplayed Andrea Bargnani, Paul Millsap, and Kevin Love in that winning run, and he should be on his way to another All-Star appearance early next year.

1) David Lee (GSW) - 24.2ppg, 12.6rpg, 2.4apg, 29.4 EFF

The last time Lee averaged a double-double, he was still playing for the Knicks. When he moved out West to California, his production dipped a little bit, and he was all but relegated to the dust bin of memory. Right now, however, he’s back on-track, norming stratospheric numbers as the Warriors stay just half a game behind the Clippers and six games ahead of the ballyhooed Lakers in the Pacific Division. If the Warriors manage to enter the Playoffs this season, Lee’s play will be the biggest reason why.

David Lee has been steamrolling the competition
for the resurgent Warriors.
(image by Chuck Burton/AP)

Honorable Mention: Zach Randolph (MEM), Tim Duncan (SAS), Glen Davis (ORL)