C.J. McCollum was terrific in December
A 14-1 December puts the Trail Blazers on a 70-win pace heading into the new year. In a month highlighted by a statement win over the Denver Nuggets, Portland has been nearly unstoppable, with only the pesky Kings handing them an L. Western Conference Player of the Month and MVP front-runner Damian Lillard has led the way with his efficient scoring and playmaking for the league's #1 offense. C.J. McCollum has broken out of his shooting slump in a big way, and looks to be a lock for his first ever all-star berth.
It's unlikely that the Blazers become the third team to reach the lofty 70 win mark. However, they are clearly the best team in basketball right now, and if everyone stays healthy, the road to the championship runs through Rip City.
HEADLINES
LeBron Breaks Ankle, Out 6-8 Weeks
Cavs are 22-10, but with his first major injury, is this the start of LeDecline?
An Even Harder Path? KD, Clips Continue To Struggle
Lack of depth a major issue as Blake, DeAndre have both missed time
MVP Race: 1. D Lillard, 2. L James 3. K Leonard 4. A Drummond 5. J Harden
Injury will all but eliminate King James from consideration
Power Rankings: 1 Portland 2 Denver 3. Cleveland 4. Boston 5. Houston
Boston's starting five: Isaiah Thomas, Jaylen Brown, Solomon Hill, Kelly Olynyk, Al Horford
Ben Simmons Out For Season With Dislocated Left Patella
Ouch! #trusttheprocess
STANDINGS
Western Conference (PotM: Damian Lillard [POR] | RotM: Lonzo Ball [DAL])
1 Portland 27-4
2 San Antonio 20-11
3 Phoenix 18-12
4 Denver 21-8
5 Houston 21-12
6 Memphis 17-14
7 LA Clippers 18-15
8 Golden State 14-16
LA Lakers 15-18
Sacramento 15-18
Minnesota 14-18
Utah 11-18
Dallas 12-21
Oklahoma City 10-20
Kansas City 9-24
Seattle 8-23
Eastern Conference (PotM: LeBron James [CLE] | RotM: Markelle Fultz [MIL])
1 Cleveland 22-10
2 Boston 21-11
3 Charlotte 17-13
4 Detroit 21-13
5 Toronto 18-13
6 Chicago 18-15
7 Milwaukee 18-15
8 Philadelphia 16-14
New York 15-16
Indiana 15-16
New Orleans 14-15
Brooklyn 15-18
Orlando 13-17
Miami 11-17
Atlanta 8-21
Washington 8-24
Player Evaluations (min. 250 minutes)
Damian Lillard: 26.7 PPG, 8.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 SPG | 25.3 PER, .644% TS
The MVP favorite, Damian Lillard leads all qualifying players in scoring (Curry missed some games), and is third in assists. More importantly, he is the best player on the league's best team - a leader on and off the court. Lillard dropped 51 points on the Kansas City Knights, then led his team to a 51 point win over the same team a few days later.
C.J. McCollum: 22.3 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.2 RPG | 20.0 PER, .583% TS
After a shaky start to the season, 3J has been lights out in December, topping 40 points not once, but twice. Terry Stotts staggers the minutes of Lillard and McCollum, giving the Blazers at least one potent scorer on the floor at all times.
Al-Farouq Aminu: 8.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG | 8.7 PER, .480% TS
Aminu's jump shot has disappeared, but he maintains his starting role thanks to his versatility and elite defense. The prototypical "glue guy", Portland will hope to keep him around for a while.
Harry Giles: 13.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG | 17.5 PER, .518% TS
Portland is much improved on defense, and Giles is a huge reason why. Complementing Gobert in the front court, Giles has had some sick blocks, and has been instrumental in rim protection. He's also become a reliable third scoring option, though shot selection needs some work. Great rookie year so far. Future all-star?
Rudy Gobert: 8.9 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG | 17.6 PER, .545% TS
Portland went from bottom 5 to top 10 in defensive efficiency this year, and Gobert is the main reason why. He doesn't steal the headlines, averaging just under nine points per game. However, the Stifle Tower has been a game-changer on D.
Evan Turner: 10.5 PPG, 4.7 APG, 4.0 RPG | 14.8 PER, .524% TS
ET does a little bit of everything off the bench (except make threes). He's kind of like Iguodala was on the Warriors, except it’s hard to imagine Turner winning Finals MVP…
Zach Randolph: 9.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 15 GP | 16.4 PER, .520% TS
Z-Bo was starting to play pretty well off the bench, before the calf injury sidelined him. He's expected to return very soon, and will hope to give Portland a boost in the paint.
Jonathan Simmons: 5.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG | 11.1 PER, .584% TS
Simmons doesn't get a ton of playing time, but he's been a great 3-and-D guy off the bench. Some think he should start over Aminu, but when you're 27-4, you really aren't in the lineup change business.
JaVale McGee: 3.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG | 12.4 PER, .459% TS
Shaq may not approve, but Epic Vale has been solid, replacing Festus Ezeli as the back-up Center. He doesn't do much on offense, but his length and athleticism makes him a force on the boards, and on defense.
Noah Vonleh: 3.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG | 9.4 PER, .494% TS
Noah's demand of $11 million per year or bust may seem silly until you realize that's what Meyers Leonard got… With Randolph returning to the fold, its unlikely Vonleh will command that kind of money. But even when given the opportunities, Noah has been relatively ineffective. After four years, maybe he's not the next Bosh…
2018 MOCK DRAFT
*The 2018 draft class consists of 90% real prospects, 10% fictional. This is to prevent any 2017 draftees from appearing in the 2018 class. Some of the prospects (such as the projected #1 pick) are ones I just made up, while others are homages to past association/dynasty story legends!
1. Washington - SG Ryan Kent (Kansas)
2. Seattle - SG Luka Doncic (Slovenia)
3. Kansas City - SF Michael Porter Jr. (Washington)
4. Brooklyn - C DeAndre Ayton (Arizona)
5. Utah - PF Wendell Carter (Duke)
6. Dallas - PG Trevon Duval (Duke)
7. Utah - SG Reshawn Tyson (North Carolina)
8. Phoenix - PF Mohamed Bamba (Kentucky)
9. Orlando - SG Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky)
10. Denver - PG Collin Sexton (Alabama)
11. Boston - SF Kevin Knox (Duke)
12. LA Lakers - SG Lonnie Walker (Miami)
13. Sacramento - SG E.C. Matthews (Rhode Island)
14. New Orleans - PG De'Anthony Melton (USC)
15. Indiana - PG Rodney Gaines (Oregon State)
16. New York - PG Tayfur Mansiz (Washington)