NBA Week 2 Rewind: Pistons, Rockets rise, Warriors dominate
By Tom West
Who’s Heating Up?
From superstars to some names you might not think of, here’s a selection of some top performers from week 2 in the NBA.
Andre Drummond was featured in the NBA Week 1 Rewind, and he’s been so dominant in the paint again in Week 2 that he needs to make another appearance. He’s up to 38 minutes a night now, and his improved conditioning is paying serious dividends on the court. Following a 20 point, 20 rebound performance on October 30 when he led his Pistons to a win over the Bulls, Drummond took his power in the paint to another level in his next contest. Against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, he simply couldn’t be stopped.
With 25 points and 29 rebounds (he even added 3 steals and a block, too) Drummond made another statement: he’s a 20-20 machine like no other in the league right now. Furthermore, he’s starting to put up numbers to make a mark in NBA history. Only five players in the last 30 years have recorded 25 points and 29 rebounds in a game. And on Tuesday night, Drummond became the fifth.
Not enough? Drummond has also joined Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to record three 20-20 performances in the first six games of season.
He’s now averaging 20.3 points and 20.3 rebounds per game. Yes, he’s that good. Just his 13.2 defensive rebounds per game alone would be enough to rank him 3rd in the league in rebounding. The Pistons only have a few good wins under their belt for now, but Drummond needs far more recognition than he’s used to getting. Especially now that his footwork and offensive game is improving. Oh, and he had another monstrous game on Sunday night, with 29 points and 27 rebounds to erase an 18-point, third quarter deficit in a 120-103 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Golden State Warriors‘ MVP didn’t heat up anymore in week 2, he just carried on torching opponents in the exact same way he did in his season debut. Stephen Curry cooled off slightly after seemingly making almost every shot over his first few games, yet the Chef is most certainly still cooking with averages 33.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor and going 47.5 percent from deep. Not to mention, his absurd player efficiency rating of 40.5 is a highly impressive mark to maintain over a two week period.
He just can’t be stopped right now, and his deadly accuracy and aggression on offense have led the Warriors to a 7-0 while hardly breaking a sweat. They lead the NBA in both offensive rating (111.3) and rank 2nd in defensive efficiency (92.3), so it’s hardly surprising their overpowering win differential has reached +18.3.
No other team has even reached double digits in that statistic.
The Warriors are just on a level above everyone else right now.
James Harden and his Houston Rockets actually did something good in the NBA’s second week. After starting their season 0-3, they managed to correct themselves in week 2 with four straight wins while defeating two elite teams in the Thunder and the Clippers. Their ball movement looks fluid again, they’re making threes, and the duo of Harden and Howard were actually able to get the Rockets a mark in the win column. In fact, the pair of them are now averaging a combined 46.7 points and 18.2 rebounds per game — even if it’s taken The Beard a lot of shots to get them there.
Harden is still only shooting 37.7 percent while making just 24 percent of his 10.7 three point attempts, but four straight wins has them going in the right direction.
Kevin Love is starting to reap the rewards of an increased offensive role with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. He became the 44th most used post player (touches in the post per game) with them last season after receiving the 6th most post touches with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013-14, and his offensive output fell dramatically because of it. Now, however, Love’s field goal attempts are up from his mark of 12.7 last season to 15.3 (not major, but enough), and he’s starting to deliver notable performances like his 22 point, 19 rebound outing against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. Plus, with 17 points and 12.6 rebounds per game so far, he’s looking a little like the Love we remember from Minnesota.
Blake Griffin has had an exceptional start to the season as the beyond versatile power forward that he is. With his guard-like ball handling and crossover ability in transition, not to mention his passing and ever improving mid-range game, Griffin can operate on the court in ways that no other big men can. He’s showing that as much as ever right now, and he’s been vital to the Clippers’ 4-2 start as they continue to adjust to their new bench and numerous rotation possibilities.
With three games of 33 or more points already, Griffin’s averaging 29.3 per game (4th in the league) on 59.8 percent shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He’s so much more than dunks now, and all you need to do is watch him play to see the effortless ball handling, automatic 18 foot jumper and his ability to run an entire offense.
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