Welcome back to the No. 13 Ballroom.
The season is more than halfway through, and it's time for a review.
ESPN previously listed the top 8 most impressive players in the first half of this season, including:
Towns, Cunningham, Wembanyama, Dyson Daniels, Lonzo Ball, Harden, Norman Powell, Cameron Johnson.
In fact, there are quite a few overlaps with my own choices - but I wouldn't include Lonzo Ball and Cameron Johnson.
Because the former's performance has always been far from people's expectations, more like sympathy points based on his repeated serious injuries;
And the latter is after all in a team like the Nets, which is not very convincing in terms of data - Schroder also performed well before joining the Warriors, but then it was really hard to say that he was outstanding.
So today, I want to share the top 10 players who impressed me the most in the first half of this season.
Let's see if it matches your opinion - if not, feel free to leave a message to discuss and share ~
Next, let's talk about them one by one according to their current team records:
- Evan Mobley
Last season's average: 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.4 blocks
This season's average: 18.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.4 blocks
Judging from the data alone, Mobley's progress seems insignificant.
But if you watch a few more Cavaliers games, you will know how much his transformation and growth this season have helped the team.
His defense has never been a concern, single defense, help defense, prediction, rim protection... He can do everything within the 3-point line;
But his offensive level was indeed relatively average in the past, unable to cause stable damage, lacking a bit of shooting, and compatibility issues with Allen were increasingly prominent - so from last season to the offseason, rumors about Allen's trade almost never stopped.
And this season, the Cavaliers lead the league in record, in addition to Mitchell's transformation, Mobley's progress on the offensive end may be even more noteworthy.
For example, he averages nearly 3 three-point attempts per game this season, with a hit rate of 42.1%, both output and efficiency are career highs, and among the frontcourt players in the league, it is excellent.
At the same time, he also took on more high-position ball handling and facilitation work - head coach Atkinson was also a Warriors assistant coach back then, and he intended to let him do some of the work that Chasing Dreams did for the Warriors.
This greatly enriched the Cavaliers' offensive routines and made the coexistence of the twin towers truly feasible.
- Amen Thompson
Last season's average: 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks
This season's average: 12.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks
As the No. 4 pick in 2023, Amen Thompson has already shown his super athletic ability in his rookie season, always being the most passionate person on the court.
Sometimes, he reminds me of Westbrook - equally poor shooting, equally physical freak, and equally energetic.
This season, the Rockets' record jumped to second in the West, and their defensive efficiency also ranked among the top 3 in the league - Amen Thompson is absolutely indispensable, and his performance after starting has always been very good.
Of course, he still has a lot to learn and improve on the offensive end - at least, he needs to practice his mid-to-long-range shooting.
Excellent defense and attitude towards the game may allow him to occupy a place in the league for a long time;
But whether or not he can practice enough excellent offense and ball-handling skills is the key to determining whether he can become one of the core players of the team.
After all, this is ultimately a game where you have to put the ball into the basket.
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
Last season's average: 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.6 blocks
This season's average: 22.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.7 blocks
Last season, when Morant was out for a long time and the team was short of personnel, 3J played his first 20+ season of his career.
But the efficiency was really low, with only 44.4% + 32% + 80.8% of the three shooting percentages - you know, he is an inside player.
And this season, his scoring output is not much different from last season, but the efficiency has greatly increased - after reducing the number of shots, the shooting percentage increased to 49.1% + 34% + 77.8%.
After a season of polishing and hard training during the offseason, his offense really came out, which is definitely a good thing for the Grizzlies.
And as the best defensive player two years ago, his defense is even more worry-free - except that the protection of rebounds is really not good, everything else is impeccable.
And this season, the Grizzlies started to let him return to the more familiar No. 4 position, at least in terms of rebounding protection, there are still teammates to rely on.
- Karl-Anthony Towns
Last season's average: 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks
This season's average: 25.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.8 blocks
This season, returning to Thibodeau's command, Towns' performance can be said to be completely renewed.
The 2017-2018 season when he was selected for the best lineup for the first time in his career, the head coach was also Thibodeau - the head coach who knows how to use Towns best is probably Thibodeau.
Of course, a bigger factor may be that he finally returned to the No. 5 position and fully unleashed his offensive firepower.
Everyone knows that Towns can shoot, and he may be the center with the strongest shooting level in history; but this season's 44% three-point accuracy is a bit scary - and the output is not low, averaging 2.2 hits.
When a big center becomes the point of greatest outside threat on the court, any opponent will be very headache - tall players come out to defend, no one protects the frame; small players come out to defend, they can't interfere with him.
And this season's Towns has almost shaken off his past "soft candy" image, and the number of times he played with injuries and scored toughly is not uncommon.
An average of 13.8 rebounds is also a career high, ranking second only to Xiaosa in the entire league.
But it's still that sentence - playing under Thibodeau, how to maintain health is the most urgent concern.
- Russell Westbrook
Last season's average: 11.1 points, 5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks
This season's average: 13.1 points, 5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks
There is no doubt that joining the Nuggets last offseason will be an important decision for Westbrook to save his career.
Last season in the Clippers, he even gave up his starting position in order to make the team win.
But at the end of the season, he was still disliked - even, almost no one asked about him.
Even after the Nuggets signed him, not many people really thought highly of this signing - he couldn't coexist with organizers like James and Harden, so how could he coexist with Jokic?
He is too old, has too many injuries, makes too many mistakes, and his shooting is unstable... These problems have plagued him for many years.
But this season in the Nuggets, he has become an essential member of the team, bringing the vitality, fighting spirit and experience that the team urgently needs - he is indeed no longer young, but as long as he gets on the court, he is always the person with the most energy on the court.
Just as he said, "Jokic makes it easier for his teammates to play, and I am also working hard to do the same."
He is no longer that MVP, and his offense is no longer unstoppable, but organizing, defending, rotating, positioning... He is willing to do anything and work hard.
- Norman Powell
Last season's average: 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.3 blocks
This season's average: 23.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.1 blocks
As a pure scorer, Powell proved himself several years ago - he averaged nearly 20+ in the Raptors and Trail Blazers periods.
But the Clippers were able to stay firmly in the top 6 in the West even after losing PG and Leonard was out for a long time, and it was really thanks to him stepping up and becoming the team's top scorer with a shooting percentage of 49.