POINT GUARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 4 | Curry and the Warriors are chasing history, and he will continue to impress with great shot selection. | |
2 |
| OKC | 3 | Westbrook can outproduce most players in the league because he helps out in many areas and he is one of the toughest players in the league for someone his size. | |
3 | Chris Paul | LAC | 4 | The question has to be asked: With Blake Griffin back, how much of the offense will run through the Clippers big men? Hopefully not too much as the guards have been highly productive. | |
4 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 4 | Lowry has been a No. 1 scoring option this year and has been an excellent lane driver. He could be rested a game, though, at any point this week. | |
5 | Damian Lillard | POR | 3 | Lillard continues to be a dominant scorer as the Blazers do not have a clue what they are doing in the paint. | |
6 | Kemba Walker | CHA | 4 | Walker will continue to shoot the ball well and be the Hornets' No. 1 scoring option heading into the playoffs. | |
7 | John Wall | WSH | 3 | Wall has been Mr. Consistency for the Wizards, as not only has he been the healthiest player, but he has also taken over games a lot this season. | |
8 | Rajon Rondo | SAC | 3 | Rondo will continue to be the best passer in the league and the worst on the ball defender in the league. | |
9 | Isaiah Thomas | BOS | 3 | There will be games in which Thomas will be more of the scorer and others in which the Celtics wing players are hot from mid-range and that should help Thomas rack up the assists. | |
10 | Derrick Rose | CHI | 3 | INJURY CONCERN: (Elbow): Rose is in pain. SHOCKER! It is uncertain how many games he will play in, but the Bulls need his help. | |
11 | Reggie Jackson | DET | 3 | Jackson is another guard who essentially plays both guard positions at different points in the game so it is hard to tell which games he will be more of a scorer in. | |
12 | Tony Parker | SAS | 4 | Parker has four games this week, but will he be rested at any point? Something to watch out for. | |
13 | Ricky Rubio | MIN | 3 | Rubio needs to continue to pass more and only shoot if he is open from the top of the key. He has been one of the best passers in the league. | |
14 | Jeff Teague | ATL | 3 | Teague is a mystery because it is hard to tell how much playing time he will get in a game. He has one of the best floaters in the league but does not get to utilize it enough. | |
15 | Darren Collison | SAC | 3 | Collison continues to dominate off the ball and has become a scoring threat from downtown especially. He is very scoring dependent. | |
16 | George Hill | IND | 3 | Hill is an excellent spot-up shooter and we can expect double digit scoring outings in most games, and he has helped on the glass lately as well. | |
17 | Lou Williams | LAL | 4 | The Lakers are dealing with a ton of drama, but outside of D'Angelo Russell, Williams will always look to pass to an open teammate. He has been good at driving the lane. | |
18 | Jordan Clarkson | LAL | 4 | Clarkson has tremendous ups and will continue to take outside shots and will also look to cut to the basket. | |
19 | Patrick Beverley | HOU | 3 | Beverley has been scoring a bit more and helping out a little bit in other categories as well. His minutes range from 25-35 a game. | |
20 | Marcus Smart | BOS | 3 | Expect Smart to help on the rebound and assist front as it will be hard to tell how many shots he will get with Jae Crowder back in the lineup. |
SHOOTING GUARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | James Harden | CHI | 3 | Harden continues to be the only consistent weapon on offense the Rockets have. | |
2 |
| GSW | 4 | Thompson will continue to get a lot of shots down the stretch in the Warriors offense. | |
3 | Jimmy Butler | CHI | 3 | Butler is healthy and he will continue to produce on both sides of the ball and will see a lot of playing time. | |
4 | Dwyane Wade | MIA | 4 | INJURY CONCERN: (Neck): Wade does have four games this week and it is hard to tell how many games he will play in. | |
5 | Victor Oladipo | ORL | 3 | Oladipo will continue to be the Magic's No. 1 scoring option and is very creative when he drives the lane. He can make changes on the fly….literally. | |
6 | C.J. McCollum | POR | 3 | McCollum is one of two players in this offense that can score consistently and will continue to get a lot of shot opportunities. | |
7 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 4 | Dragic will pick up more shots as Dwyane Wade continues to feel the pain in his neck and he will absolutely be driving the lane often. | |
8 | Nicolas Batum | CHA | 4 | Batum has been burning defenders in the post and from beyond the arc. He has been securing rebounds lately as well and is the established No. 2 scoring option. | |
9 | Gordon Hayward | UT | 3 | Hayward is a great high energy player who thrives on transition, but he needs to develop some kind of post game so he can work his way inside. | |
10 | Kyrie Irving | CLE | 3 | INJURY CONCERN: (Ankle): If Irving plays, he will get a lot of time with the ball, but the Cavs could be cautious with the playoffs coming up and may sit him for a couple of games. | |
11 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 3 | Beal looks very banged up on the court, but continues to drive the lane with aggresiveness and continues to score. | |
12 | Avery Bradley | BOS | 3 | Bradley has been excellent on offense, especially from the outside. With Jae Crowder back, his productivity should not be impacted too much. | |
13 | Kobe Bryant | LAL | 4 | We are approaching the end of the Kobe parade, but until then, he will dazzle the fans by taking a lot of ugly shots just because. | |
14 | J.J. Redick | LAC | 4 | Redick has been the best 3-point shooter (percentage-wise) in the league this season and has carved out an excellent role on offense. Hopefully the return of Blake Griffin doesn't impact him too much | |
15 | Monta Ellis | IND | 3 | Ellis has been a good change of pace option and his shot selection has continued to improve as well down the stretch. | |
16 | Trevor Ariza | HOU | 3 | Ariza is a very solid perimeter defender and can hit the spot-up three. He does not drive as much as in previous years. | |
17 | Will Barton | DEN | 3 | Barton will continue to get fed as the Nuggets need scoring. He has not been as consistent and needs to play more in the post. | |
18 | Gary Harris | DEN | 3 | Harris has a very nice shooters touch from mid-range, but his issue is that he needs to learn to drive the lane and draw contact. | |
19 | Rodney Hood | UT | 3 | Hood has not only been an excellent change of pace player, but he is also providing minor help in other categories such as rebounding and assists. | |
20 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | DET | 3 | KCP has been helping out a bit with rebounding in recent games. He is always able to find himself open to hit from long range |
SMALL FORWARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | Kevin Durant | OKC | 3 | Durant will continue dominating on all fronts and has been scoring consistently in the 30's. | |
2 |
| SAS | 4 | Leonard continues to play very well on both sides of the ball and has four games this week, but the Spurs could rest him. | |
3 | LeBron James | CLE | 3 | James continues to produce despite the Cavs looking a bit flat. He takes the possesion by himself 3-4 times in a row often. | |
4 | DeMar DeRozan | TOR | 4 | DeRozan has been an excellent scorer and he can be relied on for steals as he has quick hands. He has been driving into a lot less double teams. | |
5 | Paul George | IND | 3 | George has been an excellent two-way player and has been taking more shots in recent weeks. | |
6 | Khris Middleton | MIL | 3 | Middleton continues to be a tremendous outside threat on offense as he always is able to find himself open. | |
7 | Carmelo Anthony | NYK | 3 | Anthony will be relied on a lot more with Porzingis possibly done for the season and is a reliable rebounder. | |
8 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 3 | The Greek Freak will continue to play just about every position for this team and has the ball in his hands a lot. He must improve his drives to the hoop and not always look for contact. | |
9 | Rudy Gay | SAC | 3 | Gay has been playing a bit more inside and has been a reliable rebounder and the ultimate long-range bailout option when anyone gets into trouble. | |
10 | Tobias Harris | DET | 3 | Harris continues to lay excellent defense on the wing and is great in transition. It is a bit more difficult finding him in the post because of Drummond and Marcus Morris. | |
11 | Luol Deng | MIA | 4 | Deng has been a consistent scoring option and has been racking up rebounds. He is most dangerous from the corner and has been staying healthy. | |
12 | Otto Porter | WSH | 3 | Porter continues to get open looks from the wing and has been knocking down more jumpers. He is a solid on the ball defender. | |
13 | Jae Crowder | BOS | 3 | Crowder is back and his defense will be much needed as the Celtics get ready for battle in the playoffs. Expect a lot of playing time for him. | |
14 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 3 | Wiggins continues to be scoring dependent and as long as Ricky Rubio is around, he will not help in many other categories. | |
15 | Harrison Barnes | GSW | 4 | Barnes will be utilized a lot more down the stretch because the Warriors will slowly want to preserve their players and Barnes can fill in at almost every position. | |
16 | Kent Bazemore | ATL | 3 | Bazemore will continue to take long-range jumpers and will drive the ball to the middle of the court. He is a more effective Kyle Korver. | |
17 | Evan Fournier | ORL | 3 | Fournier is one of the kings of wild shots and his shot selection is a bit poor, but the opportunities are there and the Magic need all of the scoring help they can get. | |
18 | Wesley Matthews | DAL | 3 | Matthews will continue to get the ball in the high post and either back out and take a three or he will burn (his often smaller defender) in the post. | |
19 | J.R. Smith | CLE | 3 | Smith is another King of the Wild shot, but he has proven to be a decent change of pace player and gets hot during games from downtown. | |
20 | Marcus Morris | DET | 3 | Morris has somehow found a wary to score on the opposite side of Tobias Harris and does stick around to try to get the long rebound. |
POWER FORWARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | Draymond Green | GSW | 4 | The Warriors continue to chase history and Green has been all over the court helping out in many areas this year, hence the triple-doubles. | |
2 |
| ATL | 3 | Millsap has transformed his game into being a rim attacker, who can step back and bury mid-range jumpers. | |
3 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 4 | Aldridge has four games, but definitely could be rested because we have learned that we can't trust the Spurs. | |
4 | Pau Gasol | CHI | 3 | Gasol has been excellent in the post and does not have any other competition at the position and will continue to be heavily utilized. | |
5 | Dirk Nowitzki | DAL | 3 | Nowitzki has been shooting lights out in the second half of the season and will continue to be the Mavericks' No. 1 scoring option. | |
6 | Kevin Love | CLE | 3 | Love will be relied on a bit more if the Cavs feel they need to rest Kyrie Irving. Love needs to continue to call for the ball in the post because he has great footwork and makes getting to the basket look easy. | |
7 | Derrick Favors | UT | 3 | Favors has been an excellent post player who is good at controlling his dribble when driving down the middle and knows when to pass off when in trouble to an open wing. He has been consistently scoring and rebounding. | |
8 | Blake Griffin | LAC | 4 | The Blake Show is back and will be utilized down the stretch because he needs to shake the rust off before the playoffs. I expect him to play at least 33 minutes per game. | |
9 | Serge Ibaka | OKC | 3 | Ibaka needs to command the ball inside more. This inconsistent jumpshooting must end and he needs to utilize his size. | |
10 | Greg Monroe | MIL | 3 | Monroe has been a bit of a mystery at times this season but continues to show how great his footwork is in the post. | |
11 | Marvin Williams | CHA | 4 | Williams has quietly had a productive season because he has been benefitting as the Hornets faced a ton of injuries this season, and he can secure you a 10 points/10 rebounds type of night. | |
12 | Aaron Gordon | ORL | 3 | Gordon is an excellent high flyer and has been more aggressive on the glass. As athletic as he is, he does need to develop more of an offensive attack. | |
13 | Robert Covington | PHI | 3 | As the Sixers continue to face a ton of injuries, Covington will be heavily utilized in the poist and even on the ball for isolation plays. | |
14 | Nikola Mirotic | CHI | 3 | Mirotic will continue to get a lot of open looks from downtown. He does have a decent post game, but does not stay in the post much. He is used as a bailout option when the player on the ball draws the double team. | |
15 | Zach Randolph | MEM | 3 | Randolph should be better, but age looks like it is catching up to him and he has been looking fatigued. Memphis is decimated with injuries and a lot is being asked of him because of lack of talent around him. | |
16 | Gorgui Dieng | MIN | 3 | Dieng has been excellent in the low block and has been getting a lot of putbacks and rebounds. It is hard boxing him out of the paint. | |
17 | Kenneth Faried | DEN | 3 | Faried is very rebound-dependant as he almost looks like he does not know what to do once he gets possesion of the ball. | |
18 | Jared Sullinger | BOS | 3 | Sullinger is another forward who can be relied on for rebounds primarily as he does not have many moves to the basket. He will score on putbacks. | |
19 | Jabari Parker | MIL | 3 | Parker will continue to play multiple positions for the Bucks and he has been a lot more confident when he has the ball and he does follow his own shots. | |
20 | Al-Farouq Aminu | POR | 3 | I have to give credit to Aminu because he is the most aggressive player on his team. He will always crash the boards, take contact and do what it takes to get a decent look at the basket. |
CENTERS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | 3 | As long as Boogie is on the court, he will do whatever he wants with the ball at any point. Beware of technicals! | |
2 |
| MIA | 4 | Whiteside will continue dominating the boards giving Miami great defense on and off the ball. He is good for many blocks. | |
3 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 3 | Towns has proven that he is a top center in the game because of how dynamic he is when he gets the ball at any part of the court. | |
4 | Andre Drummond | DET | 3 | Drummond may not always be able to convert ffrom the free throw line, but he has been the most effective center on the low block this season and makes up for all of his faults in rebounds and putbacks. | |
5 | Al Horford | ATL | 3 | Horford has been a dynamic scorer this year. He can burn defenders in the post, elbow and he is always able to draw defenders outside of the paint. | |
6 | DeAndre Jordan | LAC | 4 | Jordan is very reliable when it comes to the defensive side of things and can be relied on for blocks and rebounds. On offense, his only use is for ally-oops. | |
7 | Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | 4 | Valanciunas has been one of the most improved players offensively between last season and this one. He developed a very consistent mid-range jumper and defenders have had to adjust. | |
8 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 3 | Vucevic is deemed healthy again on a very unhealthy Magic squad. He will continue to be one of the best post players, and has tremendous footwork to overpower his defender. | |
9 | Dwight Howard | HOU | 3 | When Howard wants to be the best center in the league he can, but often pulls the disappearing act in games and you barely see him on the TV screen. | |
10 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 3 | Gobert, like Drummond, is a low block specific player and he has incredible ups and can absolutely be relied on for blocks and rebounds. | |
11 | Marcin Gortat | WSH | 3 | Gortat has been solid in the post, but when the Wizards are playing more uptempo, the offense and shot distribution favors the guards and the wings. | |
12 | Tim Duncan | SAS | 4 | Duncan has been excellent down low this season, but the fear is whether or not he will be rested and will only play in two of these games as the Spurs are securely in the playoffs. | |
13 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 3 | Jokic has definitely toughed up in the post and has a big role in Denver's offense. He has become reliable for rebounds as well. | |
14 | Robin Lopez | NYK | 3 | Lopez may have the best one-handed post moves in the league, but there are just going to be games in which he is setting screens the whole game and not commanding the ball in the post | |
15 | Enes Kanter | OKC | 3 | Kanter has become a dangerous weapon on offense because of his long range shooting. The Thunder should focus on taking the ball out of Serge Ibaka's hands and let Kanter be the beneficiary. | |
16 | Ian Mahinmi | IND | 3 | Mahinmi down the stretch has been giving the Pacers a little bit more toughness inside than Myles Turner and has been very effective on the glass. | |
17 | Zaza Pachulia | DAL | 3 | Pachulia has been one of the only consistent defenders for the Mavericks and has decent moves in the post. There are games in which he has the paint all to himself. | |
18 | Al Jefferson | CHA | 4 | INJURY RISK: (Quad): It has been an injury-plagued season and the Hornets will need from for the playoffs. He could sit a game or two. | |
19 | Taj Gibson | CHI | 3 | INJURY RISK: (Ribs): The Bulls are decimated and need frontcourt help, but fate could be out of his control and could be shut down. | |
20 | Nerlens Noel | PHI | 3 | INJURY RISK: (Knee): The Sixers do not have many options and Noel wants to return this week. It depends how he is feeling. |