NBA Power Rankings: Raptors’ starters and James Harden’s defense

In this week’s NBA Power Rankings, no one can defend DeWanna Bonner. Except maybe James Harden?

Our new look NBA Power Rankings are back, a non-traditional structure for a non-traditional era of professional basketball. The world is no longer just about wins and losses and teams are no longer the primary crucible of basketball power. So each week we’ll be dissecting how basketball power is presently distributed — between players, teams, friendships, diss tracks, aesthetic design choices, across leagues and whatever else has a temporary toehold in this ever-changing landscape.

Who has the power in this week’s NBA Power Rankings?

The Clippers have split their first two games in the NBA bubble but no one has been hotter from beyond the arc than Paul George. He’s scored 58 points, hit 11-of-22 3-pointers and he’s 10-of-14 on pull-up 3s. That pull-up shooting is unsustainable but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. He has twice as many pull-ups 3s as he does turnovers. It’s like he’s playing NBA Jam and keeping the nets burning.

The WNBA season is two weeks old and no one has figured out how to stop DeWanna Bonner. She’s leading the league in scoring at 27.5 points per game, currently the only player in the league averaging more than 20. She’s doing it on 48.0 percent shooting from the field, 37.9 percent from beyond the arc and 93.1 percent from the free-throw line, all career-highs. What’s even more impressive is that Bonner is doing it while taking a huge step forward in offensive primacy.

Bonner is a three-time All-Star and has long been viewed as one of the WNBA’s most impactful players, but it’s almost always been in a supporting role. With Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner scaffolding the offense, she’s spent most of her career playing off Hall-of-Famers. The only two seasons she finished first or second on the Mercury in usage where when Taurasi was injured. She averaged 20.6 points per game in 2012, on a 28.3 usage rate but with a true shooting percentage of just 48.7. Last year, she averaged 17.2 points per game on a 26.7 usage rate but with a true shooting percentage of just 50.3. Her league-leading scoring average this season is coming on a 28.0 usage rate with a 62.7 true shooting percentage.

This is Bonner’s first season with Connecticut Sun but with Jonquel Jones opting out of the year, she’s playing a much larger offensive role than she probably imagined. The Suns have, unfortunately, lost all four of their games. But even if they aren’t back to contending until Jones returns next year, Bonner has proven she can be a high-volume, high-efficiency primary scorer.

Last year’s playoffs seemed like a breakout moment for Derrick White. But even after averaging 15.3 points per game in their first-round loss to the Nuggets, he receded back into the Spurs’ rotation and had a productive but largely anonymous regular season. Per-minute and per possession, White’s stats are sensational but he’s had a hard time carving out a larger role in the crowded Spurs’ backcourt.

And then the season restarted.

In San Antonio’s three bubble games, White has averaged 32.1 minutes (he was at just 24.4 during the rest of the regular season). In those increased minutes he’s produced 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, shooting 47.8 percent from beyond the arc. Is there any chance he earned himself those increased minutes by drawing FIVE charges in San Antonio’s first bubble game against the Kings?

James Harden had a sensational offensive season. Before the suspension, he was leading the league in scoring with per-game averages of 34.4 points and 7.4 assists, shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 35.2 percent on 3-pointers and 86.1 percent from the line.

In Houston’s two bubble games, he’s averaging a nearly identical 36.5 points and 7.5 assists per game. His 3-point percentage has dropped but he’s a perfect 13-of-13 inside the arc. And, perhaps most importantly, he has just four total turnovers. The Rockets have picked up wins over Dallas and Milwaukee and have moved up to the No. 4 seed, just 1.5 games behind the Nuggets for the No. 3 seed. Seeding is largely irrelevant but surging towards the two Los Angeles teams is indicative of how well the Rockets are playing and how high their aspirations are.

The Raptors have been, arguably, the best team in the NBA bubble after statement wins over the Lakers and Heat. Depth has been one of the biggest keys for the Raptors this season but through these first two games, it’s been their starters who are carrying them.

The five-man unit of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol has played 33 minutes together, allowing just 61.3 points per 100 possessions and outscoring opponents by 48.7 points per 100. Obviously, we’re looking at a very small sample size but this group was +15.8 per 100 during the regular season as well. It’s an elite group, playing at an elite level and it’s time to start taking them seriously as contenders, not just plucky overachievers making good on the first year of their post-Kawhi existence.

James Harden’s defense is much-maligned and rightly so. He’s improved at that end of the floor over the years but his offense far outpaces his defense and reasonable people can argue about whether he’s even consistently a net-positive at that end of the floor. That’s why it’s so fun to have the Rockets win their first two games with Harden’s defense being at least as important as his offense.

In his two NBA bubble games, Harden has racked up 6 steals and 3 blocks and added an enormous defensive effort to stymie Giannis Antetokounmpo on a crucial defensive possession. Most of the hand-wringing about his defensive shortcomings has been over effort and awareness and it’s encouraging to see him so dialed in at that end of the floor. The Rockets are going to be running this small ball experiment to its natural conclusion and forcing turnovers is going to be a big part of making it work. So far, James Harden is up to the challenge.