Over the last week, the Dallas Mavericks dominated both of their games. First, in a complete attack, Dallas thrashed the Utah Jazz by 50 points.
The Mavericks, with fewer players, defeated the Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 13 points two days later. Sadly, the Mavs were on the verge of disaster. Friendly fire resulted in a foot injury for star guard Kyrie Irving.
It looked like a potentially serious injury, but it turned out to be just a contusion on the heel. Irving also says he’ll be back shortly.
NBA Power Rankings for Sixth Man of the Year: Austin Reaves scores a lot of points
With Josh Green already out of the picture, the Mavericks are suddenly vulnerable. The team’s third-best scorer, Tim Hardaway Jr., will probably play a bigger role in the days to come.
In light of this, Hardaway Jr.’s next initiatives will probably be more focused, which will cause the power rankings to rise. Hardaway Jr.’s position in the top five is secure for the time being, though. See where Hardaway Jr. is and who jumped from being ranked five to two in just seven days.
10. Tre Jones Position as of last week: N/A
The floor general for the San Antonio Spurs joins the ranks following many solid performances. With 5.2 assists per game, the younger Jones sibling leads all Spurs in assists.
9. Zar Reid
Rank from last week: N/A
In just 21.6 minutes per game, Naz Reid averages 12.6 points despite playing behind two All-Star big men. The big man from Minnesota is an excellent all-around scorer.
8. Wagner Moritz
Rank from last week: 7
Moritz Wager didn’t shoot below 50 percent since November 15th, despite his four-point performance on Friday night. This season, Wagner is hitting an incredible 63.3 percent from the field and 1.6 3-pointers a game.
7. Bogdan Bogdanovic
Position from last week: 6
Among the league’s most dependable players is Bogdan Bogdanovic. In 17 straight games, the Hawks wing has scored ten points or more and made at least one 3-pointer.
6. Jaime Jaquez Jr. Position from last week: 8
Jaime Jaquez Jr. performs like an experienced player while being a rookie. The Heat forward was destined to be a Miami player. Jimmy Butler of the Heat is a little bit like Jaquez Jr. in his style of play. He can score more than fifteen points without having to shoot threes.
5. Quickley Immanuel
Position from last week: 2
Immanuel Quickley is currently down to five in the standings after dominating them for a few weeks. Although Quickley’s efficiency has decreased, he still averages 15.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
The guard from New York is shooting 36.4 percent of his shots from downtown and 42.7 percent from the floor. In December, Quickley is only shooting 34.8 percent from the field, despite the small sample size. He has shot at least 40% of the time in two straight games.
Quickley finds it difficult to contribute in other areas of the game if he can’t shoot the ball well. In 44 minutes of play over the last week, the former Wildcat has only contributed one rebound, four assists, and one steal.
Even though Quickley’s counting metrics are subject to criticism, he remains an excellent contributor in terms of advanced analytics.
With a plus/minus of plus-15, Quickley topped all Knicks despite Friday night’s 10-point setback. Only he and one other Knick had a positive plus/minus.
In terms of offensive box plus/minus, win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player, or VORP, he is ranked in the top 75 for the season.
Although Quickley’s minor decline in ranking doesn’t exactly portend what’s to come, the competition for the greatest bench player is getting more intense. The best players are playing at a high level, while players like Bogdanovic and Jaquez Jr. are not too far behind.
4. Malik Monk
Last week’s rank: 4
Malik Monk has been on a tear as of late. Although not enough to shoot up the rankings, Monk is breathing down number three’s neck.
Over the past week, Monk put up 21, then 13 points. And even better, Monk has played with fantastic efficiency. He shot 50 percent in both games, while also knocking down 8-of-16 3-point attempts.
The Sacramento guard has been putting up a bevy of points, efficiently. Something he hasn’t done much of in his career. He’s still just shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, but his 3-point percentage is up to 42.4 percent.
Besides his scoring output, Monk is passing the ball excellently. He’s third on the Kings in both assists per game and assist percentage. On a per-36-minute basis, Monk ranks in the top 30 in the NBA in assists per game.
Monk is adding tremendous value to the Kings in multiple facets of the game. His on-off splits are telling of the Kings’ successes, especially on offense.
The Kings’ offensive rating is nearly seven points better with Monk on the floor. Additionally, Sacramento plays with more efficiency. The Kings shoot it better and turn the ball over less often when Monk is on the court.
A promotion in these rankings wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Monk. If improvements in defense or further improvement in efficiency metrics occur, Monk’s Sixth Man of the Year hopes will only increase.
3. Tim Hardaway Jr.
Last week’s rank: 3
Tim Hardaway Jr. had a very good week as the Mavericks blew out two rebuilding squads, the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Against the Jazz, Hardaway Jr. complied 17 points and four rebounds. Two nights later in Portland, Hardaway Jr. scored 20 points and grabbed four boards. In 37 minutes of action, he ranked second on the team in plus/minus at plus-15.
In those two contests, Hardaway Jr. did what he does best. He knocked down eight 3-pointers at a 38 percent clip. On the season, the Dallas guard is knocking down 3.5 trey-balls per game at a 38.4 percent clip.
Hardaway Jr. ranks fifth in the NBA in 3-pointers made per game. He’s the only bench player to rank in the top 10. The former Wolverine has been excelling in his role as a full-time bench player. Leading the league in bench points per game, Hardaway Jr. has fully embraced his sixth-man role.
The Dallas guard exemplifies what the Sixth Man Award has been in the past. A shot-hunting gunner, who ranks as the second or third-best scorer on the team. Although the award was given to more of an all-around talent a season ago, Hardaway Jr. still has a good shot to win the honor.
His defense has been poor, but Hardaway Jr. does provide a very unique skill. Hardaway Jr. has drawn 11 charges this year, good for third in the entire league. Oddly enough, Hardaway Jr. has racked up more charges this year than steals.
Despite his propensity to take charges, Hardaway Jr. doesn’t provide much else on the less glamorous end. He ranks second to last in the NBA in defensive box plus/minus.
2. Austin Reaves
Last week’s rank: 5
Coming off the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Championship, Austin Reaves now ranks second in these power rankings.
Saturday night, in the Championship, Reaves put up 28 points, two rebounds, and three assists in 28 minutes of action. Reaves knocked down nine of his 15 attempts and got to the free throw line 12 times, making 10.
The move to the bench has done wonders for Reaves. The Lakers guard started the first eight games of the season before moving to the second unit. And while he’s playing less minutes, he’s making the most of his time.
Off the pine, Reaves has upped both his counting stats and his shooting percentages. As a reserve, Reaves plus/minus is plus-7.3. If Reaves’ starts were discounted, he’d rank seventh in the association in plus/minus.
The well-versed Lakers guard has taken advantage of his new role. Before his two-assist showing in the In-Season Tournament Championship, Reaves had recorded seven assists in the Semi-Final game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Reaves is an integral part of the Lakers, and probably the third-best player on the roster. He’s top five on the team in points, rebounds, assists, field goals, 3-pointers, and steals.
The Los Angeles guard looks like a mainstay in the top five. His placement is stable due to a combination of offense, defense, and his vitalness to the Lakers’ success.
1. Cole Anthony
Last week’s rank: 1
Back-to-back weeks at number one for the Orlando Magic’s Cole Anthony. Over the past week, Anthony put up fantastic numbers in a loss and a win.
Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Anthony scored 19 points on 57.1 percent shooting. He also added seven boards, two assists, a steal, and two blocks. Despite being a 6-foot-2 guard, Anthony led the Magic in rebounds in that affair.
On Friday, against the lowly Detroit Pistons, Anthony notched 16 points to go along with three boards and six assists. After leading the Magic in rebounds two days prior, the Orlando guard led the Magic in assists against Detroit.
These back-to-back performances demonstrate Anthony’s versatility. He’s been lighting up the scoring column as of late, but his contributions in other facets are quite the boon.
In 26.0 minutes per game, Anthony averages 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Although both these numbers are career lows, he’s performing on a much-improved squad.
Even though Anthony’s stats have declined, his efficiency has skyrocketed in recent years. The former Tar Heel is shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. And although he’s always been a good free throw shooter, he’s once again shooting near 85 percent from the charity stripe.
Playing for the Magic hasn’t been anything to write home about in recent years, but this season is different. Orlando is second in the Eastern Conference, and Anthony’s play has been a major revelation for the Magic bench.