LeBron goes OFF on Rui for not passing to him after scoring 16pts in 3mins vs Kings 😂
After the first week of the 2024/25 NBA season, one thing is obvious, and it's been clear for over two decades: LeBron James is great! One day after saying he was going to play in every game he could, including back-to-back games (unlike some other MVP candidates, I'm glad I didn't draft in my fantasy league), the King scored 16 4th-quarter points on 100% shooting in a performance so exceptional that even Skip Bayless had to praise it.
"I am not worthy of making and posting this video about you," said the President of the I Hate LeBron Club. "You astounded me tonight. I am in awe of you tonight."
As impressive as the almost 40-year-old has been this season, his teammate has been better. Let's look at what the Western Conference Player of the Week has done so far and who else is off to a hot start.
THE BROW
- 34 PPG (tied league high)
- 57% FG (career-high)
- 11 REB, 2.3 BLK, 1.7 STL
AD joined Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, and Jerry West as the only Lakers to start a season with three consecutive 30-point performances. All three performances resulted in wins against tough teams: Timberwolves, Suns, and Kings. The most impressive came against 3 x DPOY Rudy Gobert: 36 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
UPDATE (10/28/24): AD was one-point short of keeping the 30-point streak alive.
LUKA DONCIC
- 34 PPG (tied league high)
- 10 REB, 6 AST, 4.5 3PT
Luka led the league in scoring last season, so it's no surprise he's tied with AD for the league high but the Mavs have only played two games. He only shot 36% in his first but went off for his 43rd career 40-point game in the other. Kyrie is averaging the lowest points (18.5) since his rookie season, and I expect that number to rise along with Luka's assists.
UPDATE (10/28/24): Luka struggled from the field (5/22) but dished out a season-high 8 assists as Kyrie went for 23 in the win.
JAYSON TATUM
- 33 PPG (career-high)
- 55% FG (career-high)
- 6 AST (career-high)
- 5.7 3PT (career-high)
- 6.3 REB
The defending Champs look great and are off to a 3-0 start. The Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Jayson Tatum, had 37 in two of the three games and probably would had 30+ in the other one, but he only played 28 minutes. The best game was the season opener against the Knicks: 37 points (78% shooting), 10 assists, and 8 threes in just 30 minutes.
LAMELO BALL
- 31.7 PPG (career-high)
- 5 3PT (career-high)
- 7.3 AST, 7 REB, 1 STL
The Ball Brothers are back! Lonzo is back playing with the Bulls, Gelo is back in the news beefing with Cam'ron, and LaMelo is back and showing why he was the 3rd pick in the NBA Draft by the Hornets. The youngest Ball brother was on fire during the preseason and stayed hot going into the regular. In the season opener, he dropped 34/11/8 in a win and followed it up with 34 in a loss against the equally hot Trae Young. Also worth mentioning is Ball knocked down a career-high 9 threes against the Hawks and a painful 10 turnovers before fouling out.
I doubt he will maintain a 30-point average, but I expect him to continue to raise his scoring average the way he has done for the past four years: 15.7, 20.1, 23.3, 23.9.
TYRESE MAXEY
- 31.3 PPG (career-high)
- 10.3 FTA (career-high)
- 4 REB, 3.7 AST, 3 3PT
With Joel Embiid and Paul George out, Maxey is playing a career-high 42.7 minutes per game and putting up a lot of shots (28.7). He only scored 24 and 25 in his first two games but went off for 45 in a win against the Pacers. 38 of those 45 came in the second half and overtime. You can pencil 20+ for Maxey regardless of who is in the starting lineup with him, but don't expect to stay around 30 unless the load management DNPs become injury DNPs.
TRAE YOUNG
- 30.7 PPG (career-high)
- 10 AST, 4.7 REB, 3 3PT, 1.7 STL
Trae is arguably the league's most disrespected star. Yes, his game can be frustrating, especially when he's foul-baiting, but there's no denying he can put up numbers like very few can. After starting the season with back-to-back games of 30+ points and 10+ assists, he moved into 5th place for the most 30 points and 10 assists game in NBA history (79)! OKC held him under 30 in his third game and got him to commit 10 turnovers. You can expect him to continue to put up huge numbers in the good and bad columns of the boxscore and, hopefully, more wins with the emergence of Jalen Johnson and improved play by No. 1 Draft pick Zacharie Risacher.
CAM THOMAS
- 30.7 PPG (career-high)
- 5.3 REB, 4 3PT, 2.7 AST, 48% FG
Cam is the definition of a walking bucket. Last year, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points in three straight games (45, 47, 43). This year, he put up 30 in two of the season's first three games. One of those games resulted in a win for the Brooklyn Nets, shockingly against the Bucks! Don't expect many more wins for the Nets, but if you want to watch a guy take advantage of a green light and hit a lot of overs, you might enjoy watching Cam on League Pass.
Cam Thomas is READY FOR MORE after leading the Nets to their FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON | NBA on ESPN
HEATING UP GUYS
CADE CUNNINGHAM
- 27.3 PPG (career-high)
- 8 AST, 5 REB, 1.3 BLK, 48% FG
Speaking of guys that will put up points on a losing team, Cade Cunningham is averaging 27.3 points for the 0-3 Pistons. He was held to just 21 in the third game, but it was against the Celtics, and he still dished out 10 assists.
JERAMI GRANT
- 26 PPG (career-high)
- 4 3PT (career-high)
- 4.3 REB, 2.7 BLK, 1.3 STL
Grant had some monster performances for the Blazers last season, including a career-high 49 points. His best game from last week was a 34-point performance with a career-high 8 threes vs the Pelicans. I don't have much faith in anybody on this roster but considering Coach Billups said he's "underappreciated" and thinks people take Grant's play for granted, I'm going to say more big games are in the near future for Harvey Grant's son.
FRANZ WAGNER
- 25 PPG (career-high)
- 53% FG (career-high)
- 5.7 REB, 4 AST, 3.3 3PT, 1.7 STL
We all know Banchero is ready to leap to All-NBA status this season, but Franz Wagner also seems prepared for a jump. After three games, Franz knocked down 58% of his shots in the Magic's first two (both wins). He shot under 50 in the loss to the Grizzlies but still managed to score 23.
UPDATE (10/28/24): Franz left Monday's game against the Pacers with an illness and just 7 points. Paolo more than made up for it as he almost pulled off a 50-point triple-double: 50 PTS (37 in the first half), 13 REB, 9 AST. Yes, Paolo belongs among the hot names above.
Paolo Banchero ERUPTS For New CAREER-HIGH 50 PTS!😤| October 28, 2024
NORMAN POWELL
- 25 PPG (career-high)
- 53% FG (career-high)
- 5.7 REB, 4 AST, 3.3 3PT, 1.7 STL
Powell has been a 6th Man Candidate for the past two seasons with the Clippers. He's been a starter for the first three games this season and responded with 17, 20, and 37 points. The 37-point performance came in a win against the Nuggets and included a 22-point 4th quarter. We might not see another scoring explosion like that from him this year, but as long as Kawhi is out, Powell should be good for 20.
Shout out to his teammate Ivica Zubac, who is the first center in Clippers history to have three straight 20-point games since the great Bob McAdoo in 1975.
CHET HOLMGREN
- 23.7 PPG (56% FG)
- 4 BLK (league high)
- 13 REB, 3 AST, 1.3 STL, 1 3PT
One of the many things I like about Chet is he's one of the rare players who cares about efficiency. The shot-blocking leader shot over 60% in two of the first three games (all wins) and shot 60+% in his top 12 scoring performances last season (70+% in 4 of those). As long as he's playing alongside SGA, don't expect him to score 30 much. But expect him to fill up every column in the stat sheets while not hurting you much with turnovers, fouls, and stupid shots.
FREEZING COLD
BEN SIMMONS
Don't be fooled by those summer workout videos, IG Story photos and quotes about "revenge tours." The former All-Star is averaging a career-low 5 points and 5.7 assists after 3 games. This is the best part: he will miss the next game with "lower back injury management."
RUSSELL WESTBROOK
The freezing-cold player of the week goes to Russell Westbrook. He's averaging 4 points on 11% shooting for the 0-2 Nuggets. The worst part about his 11% shooting is half of his attempts so far have been threes. He's even shooting 50% from the charity stripe.
Russell Westbrook gets standing ovation in Nuggets debut then airballs first 3
BALLISLIFE.COM
