A couple of players who are considered “the league’s future” took home the honor of Player of the Week in week 3. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks outplayed everyone else in their respected conferences, and this should not be a surprise to any. Neither of these players are strangers to this honor, and they will probably be very familiar with it for as long as they are in the league. Let’s dive into what makes these players so special and take a look at a few players who didn’t receive this honor, but should be in the conversation.
Eastern Conference: Jayson Tatum
- Team: Boston Celtics
- Stats: 33 points per game/5.3 rebounds per game/2.7 assists per game
- Team record during this stretch: 3-0
The 22 year old phenom did what he does best during week 3, Tatum averaged 33 points per game and did so on 52% shooting, while also shooting the same percentage from behind the 3-point line. He helped the Celtics go undefeated during this stretch, grabbing wins over Toronto, Miami, and Washington. In all three of these games he produced at least 25 points and five rebounds, this would match the longest such streak in Tatum’s four-year NBA career.
Tatum also posted what looked like an effortless season-high 40 points on 57.9% shooting against the Raptors on Jan. 4 (The third 40-point contest of his career). That same night he snatched 6 rebounds and got to the free-throw line 13 times. This game made him the first Celtic with 40 points, 6+ rebounds, and 13+ free throws in a single game since Paul Pierce in 2006.
During the first couple weeks of the season Tatum was being criticized for not performing like he had this past week, and people were starting to say that Jaylen Brown might be the single best player on the Celtic’s roster. Tatum proved this week that his talent hasn’t gone anywhere, and him and Brown both are probably sick of being compared to one another. They are referred to as “Fire and Ice” for a reason, their games are very different but compliment each other immensely. Can’t we just sit back and watch one of the league’s best duos go to work without the comparisons? Keep an eye out for JT as the season progresses, he will probably be back in this conversation.
Western Conference: Luka Doncic
- Team: Dallas Mavericks
- Stats: 30.3 points per game/12 rebounds per game/11.3 assists per game
- Team record during this stretch: 3-0
Luka Doncic gets the honors this week for the second time in his young career, and his stats alone should have gotten him recognized for the award this week. Doncic had triple-doubles in two of the three games this past week, and was just one rebound shy of getting another triple-double in the third game.
In the Maverick’s game against the Rockets Luka had 33 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists. The 30-point triple-double was the first by any player in the NBA this season, and it was Doncic’s 39th time that he led the team in points, rebounds and assists in a game. Luka now holds that record for the Dallas Mavericks passing Dirk Nowitzki who previously held it. Receiving player of the week in week 3 puts Doncic in elite company with Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Michael Finley, Mark Aguiree, and Josh Howard as the only players in franchise history to win player of the week honors multiple times.
Luka is playing at the MVP level that everyone anticipated him playing at, and he now gets to finally play alongside Kristaps Porzingis who is set to return from injury. This should scare some of the top tier teams out west, because teams were struggling enough trying to contain Luka through these first few weeks of the season without Porzingis and now this lethal duo will be back on the hardwood together once again. He was a lot of people’s favorite for the MVP going into this season, and has not disappointed so far, even Giannis and LeBron are shaking in their boots thinking about Luka’s numbers this year.
DONOVAN’S HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Eastern Conference: Zach LaVine
- Team: Chicago Bulls
- Stats: 33.3 points per game/5.8 rebounds per game/6.3 assists per game
- Team record during this stretch: 1-3
Zach LaVine recorded 115 points through three basketball games, that is the most by any Bulls player since Michael Jordan! Yes you read that correctly, MJ was the last guy to put on such an emphatic scoring performance over a 3 game span. He also shot 52.% from the field during week 3 and hit 10 3-point shots in an absolute shoot out with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Of course the Chicago Bulls record does not jump off the page during this stretch, and that is probably why he wasn’t selected by the league for this honor, but LaVine certainly needs some recognition. This honorable mentions section is for highlighting individuals who over-performed in the past week, and it may have gone unnoticed or even been overlooked by the NBA. LaVine continues to get better every year in the pros and is currently averaging 27.7 points per game this season, which is a career high for him. He is mostly known for his high-flying abilities and being the face of the NBA’s Dunk Contest, but he is showing everyone he is much more than that.
Western Conference: Kawhi Leonard
- Team: L.A. Clippers
- Stats: 27.5 points per game/3 rebounds per game/ 5.5 assists per game
- Team record during this stretch: 2-2
Leonard much like LaVine didn’t bring his team to the most flashy record during week 3, but again, this is why they fall in my honorable mentions. “The Claw” was up to his old tricks and averaged a solid 2 steals over this four-game stretch and shot the ball at 56% from the field.
Kawhi’s most notable outing was against the Chicago Bulls (the same game where LaVine went off) and he posted a stat line of; 35 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and shot 63.6% from the field. Leonard is a player whose stats should have him in this conversation every week, but it felt right to acknowledge what he did this week after getting the Clippers to that 2nd seed in the West, and with the entire NBA world expecting nothing but the best from the disappointing Clip-Show a season ago.