NBA Week 17 Rewind: Warriors, Spurs are only human

Who’s Heating Up?

The Detroit Pistons have added to their respectable 2015-16 season by improving their future trajectory at the NBA trade deadline. Andre Drummond has been their low-post driving force as he dominates the boards like no other and gradually tunes his offensive game with better footwork and smoother spin moves. While their latest additions aren’t changing the team’s fortunes over night, they will help going forward.

Alongside Drummond, they have the young guard duo of Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who are both playing at the highest levels of their career, while promising rookie Stanley Johnson shows promise on the wing, too. Now, they’ve added three more valuable pieces thanks to surprisingly successful deadline deals.

It’s still somewhat hard to believe that the Pistons actually managed to get an upgrade at combo forward by landing Tobias Harris. Not so much that they acquired Harris to begin with, but the fact that they only surrendered Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings to do so. The latter of which has been recovering from an Achilles injury and with his expiring contract and Jackson as the starter, his value was far lower to Detroit anyway.

The Pistons went even further on deadline day by sending a 2016 protected first-round round pick to the Rockets in exchange for Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton. The Pistons land talent and the Rockets at least made a change to shake up their disappointing roster by adding a pick. It should help both teams, yet the back issues plaguing Motiejunas may mean the trade will be voided if he isn’t given an ok by the Pistons’ medical team. Due to their concerns, the NBA has given them an additional 24 hours (ending at 6 pm ET on Monday) on the 72-hour trade window to decide if Motiejunas is able to join them.

Without doubt, this is a real worry and disappointment if the trade falls through. However, with Harris coming in as an ideal combo forward to interchange with Marcus Morris and operate as an athletic stretch four next to Andre Drummond, the Pistons still have an improve lineup once they find their chemistry on the court.

Damian Lillard can carry a team as well as some of the brightest stars in the NBA. Anyone who appreciates the stars of the NBA that aren’t always in the spotlight will know just how good he is. He plays with determination to prove himself, to carry his team, and to simply take over offensively in any way he can.

That’s what separates him from so many others, as besides his talent, his will is what gives him an edge. It’s helped bring out his characteristic clutch gene throughout his career, and it helped him burn the Warriors’ elite defense for 51 points.

With explosive drives to the basket to flurries of threes, he’s recording career-highs in points (24.9), made threes (3.1) and even assists (7.1) per game. Thanks to a higher usage rate after losing his four co-starters last summer, and performances like his showing against the Warriors, he’s by far the biggest All-Star snub. And the best thing about Lillard is that he won’t let you forget it.

Anthony Davis is the first of multiple big man who have been dominant recently. The difference with Davis, though, is that he’s been dominant on a truly historic level. 22-year-olds just aren’t supposed to drop 59 points and 20 rebounds, yet that’s what Davis did on Sunday night.

He’s still been excellent this season, averaging 23.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.7 percent, but all those numbers have decreased from last season and he hasn’t been near the top of the MVP discussion as expected. Partly, his dismal Pelicans are to blame, although he hasn’t taken a step up as we were expecting. This is why he needed a game like Sunday night, to remind everyone just how incredible he is.

As you can see from the tweet below, the imposing force that is Shaquille O’Neal is the only player in the last 43 years to have a performance on Davis’ level.

With his combination of freakish length and athleticism, Davis can soar above his opponents unlike pretty much everyone else in the NBA. When he elevates to catch an oop more than a foot above the rim, he still makes it look easy. And as if his touch near the basket and strong finishing wasn’t enough, he’s added more range and a step-back jumper to his arsenal. It’s scary to think of what he’ll be able to do when he’s more than 22 years old.

DeAndre Jordan is another center deserving of an appearance in this segment, even if he isn’t on the level of Davis. Jordan has been a rock down low since the Clippers lost Blake Griffin, and despite his severe offensive limitations and hideous free throw shooting, his ability to enforce a powerful presence in the paint never goes unnoticed by his teammates. His +14 plus-minus is a brief indication of this.

Once again, Jordan is having another stellar season in the only way he knows how; with 12.2 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, while dunking his way to a league-best 69.6 field goal percentage.

The Clippers are simply a far better team when he’s on the floor. With the way he deters shots inside, uses his speed and explosion to catch players driving to the basket, and provides a constant aerial threat on offense, either when he finds space near the basket or in pick-and-rolls. Now, with averages of 13.3 points, 17.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over the last 10 games, he’s stepped up his intensity even further. So much so that he’s even breaking rims (as you’ll see in this week’s highlight section).

Next: Who's Struggling?