LeBron James

Conclusion Blog

Welcome to the the conclusion of my short basketball blogs. These blogs overall were discussing in my opinion the top 10 NBA players in the NBA today, how they came to be where they are now, how they are doing this NBA season, my opinions on them, and my advice. I mainly discussed things like stats and accolades and made sure to explain why they are in the situation they are in today. This didn’t have to take much research from me because I am a major fan of the NBA. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t look at something about the NBA whether its from T.V, social media, radio, etc. Basketball has been part of my life since I was a child and I developed a love for it. Discussing these players you could clearly see I had favorites and critiqued players tougher than others but I still made sure to explain in great detail who these NBA players are in this league today. Even though I did already know a lot of the information about the players I was still able to learn a few key things about every player I did. Whether it came to stats, their early years in the league, how their attitude may have changed throughout their NBA career, and many more factors. Being able to do these blogs I was able to dig deep and really think about the players I was talking about. It even made me change my previous opinions I had about some players. One thing I always made sure when discussing these players was to emphasize their greatness in the league. All of these players are star players in the league who get recognition across the league of being that but I tried to dig a a little deeper and kinda give you a little background onto why and how this player ended up in this current situation. I could really see a future for me doin these future blog posts because as you can see, I love talking basketball. Whether its from trash talk, statistics, debates, etc. Anything basketball I am all for it. I do realize there are a lot of spots journalists in the world especially in basketball which will make it difficult for people like me who live in a how you say, not so big state or city where it may be harder for me to get recognized. However, I think I can take these blogs to the next level. If I see positive results from doing these blogs posts throughout the year on current NBA players then I will upgrade to video blog posts. Don’t get me wrong, I love to write but I love to speak even more. I don’t know if you can tell just from reading but I am a very enthusiastic person and my emotions and personality cannot be shown at a greater than extend then with me talking or voicing my opinions. Throughout my entire life people have called me a very entertaining/funny person and I think if I start doing these video blog segments, I could really make a name for myself. This would be my ultimate dream of making revenue, getting recognized, and talking to others with similar interests while getting to learn more and more about my favorite thing in the world which is NBA Basketball.

Jimmy Butler – Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler is a SF currently playing for the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat are 4th in the Eastern Conference this NBA season. The Miami Heat have a major jump from the NBA season. This mainly due to fact this is a newly managed team who has an acquired an all-star caliber player in Jimmy Butler. Jimmy did not start out as an all star player when he first came in the league only averaging around 10 points per game and was the the 30th pick in the 2011 NBA draft. However, NBA scouts always knew he had potential because he has always been a great defender but just need to work on his offensive game. Well, Butler has always been a man of great effort. He’s had to put in this great effort since he was a child sadly even being homeless at a time of his life. According to statistics in kids like Butler, he wasn’t supposed to be here in the NBA. He was supposed to be just another statistic but Butler had bigger dreams. Butler was different, he had a work ethic that you rarely find in other people which sometimes rubs people the wrong way who aren’t as motivated as him. Jimmy Butler knew he had to work to be great in this league so that’s what exactly what he did and by his 4th season in the NBA, he was officially an all star player. This made him an elite 2 way player which is very hard to find across the the league. This built a major confidence and has made him one of the most vocal players in the league which rubbed some of the teams he was on very wrong. With his short stint with the Timberwolves, he called players on the team “soft” because of their work ethic. He felt like they weren’t hungry enough to be a good team and wanted to be traded. This led to him being traded to Philadelphia for 1 year where he was almost able to make it to the finals but lost on a Kawhi buzzer beater shot. The Butler trade by the 76ers was really a 1-year rental to see if they could win a championship but it clearly didn’t work out. After all of that, Jimmy finally had the choice to choose what team he wanted to be on and decided to go to the Miami Heat where him and his team have been flourishing. Jimmy Butler this season is currently averaging 20.2 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, and 6.1 assists per game. The Miami Heat surprisingly started the year on a complete hot streak and have never looked back! This has even led to two of their players in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to make the all star team this year. Sure they have had their short stint of losses this year but they are still a top team in the East and can beat any team in the NBA on any given night. We all knew that the Miami Heat having newly acquired Jimmy Butler would make them better but we did not see them really looking like a championship threat out in the Eastern Conference! In my opinion, I have always loved Jimmy Butler’s game and his mentality. He is an absolute dog on the court that you definitely want on your team game in and game out. He will give buckets to your team’s best defender and will put in amazing pressure at the same time to the best player on your team. You just don’t see that a lot in the NBA anymore because the league has glorified scoring so players don’t focus as much on defense as they used to. Jimmy Butler is changing that and I hope he is able to eventually hold that championship trophy up because he deserves how he hard he has worked since day 1 of stepping on an NBA floor. In my advice, I would tell Jimmy Butler to keep being you. Don’t let anybody especially the media or players to change the mindset you have. The mindset you have has brought you success your entire life and has built you into the player you are today. From what I’m seeing out of him now, I can see him eventually being a superstar player in this league maybe even being in the MVP race at some point in his career. However, I think Jimmy has the mindset of the bigger picture. He appreciate the accolades and recognition throughout the league but he ultimately has the same goal as all the NBA greats of eventually holding that golden trophy up and declaring yourself a champion!

Damian Lillard – Portland Trailblazers

Damian Lillard is currently PG for the Portland Trailblazers. The Portland Trailblazers are 9th in the Western Conference this 2020 NBA season. The Portland Trail Blazers had high hopes this season of being a top team in the west because of what happened last year in the playoffs. The Portland Trailblazers surprised everybody last year by making it all the way to the Western Conference finals where they were eventually swept by the Golden State Warriors. Damian Lillard went on a rampage during these playoffs averaging almost 30 points a game and even during one of the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder dropping a buzzer beater game winner to finish with 50 points in that game! This game sent the Oklahoma City Thunder hime for good and made them breakup their entire team. This one man Damian Lillard has been showing that he is an elite point guard in this league and deserves more respect around the NBA. Damian Lillard is currently averaging 28.9 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. It has been a tough year for Portland due mostly to the fact that they have been dealing with injuries all year. They have not had their starting center in Joseph Nurkic since last year in the playoffs and Damian Lillard has been in and out of the lineup all year long. Even though Damian Lillard is still playing like the elite player he is this season dropping multiple 30 point games, 40 point games, and even some 50 point games that is still not enough for the Trailblazers to win many games. There season did not start well and hasn’t improved much throughout the entire season. The only time where there has maybe been a spark for success for Portland is when Damian Lillard was going on an absolute tear averaging over 30 points a game for an entire month. The Portland Trailblazers had a positive record for that month but you can’t expect Lillard to keep those specular numbers up the entire season. They tried making adjustments and even picked up an older certified legend in Carmelo Anthony but that hasn’t helped Lillard and the Trailblazers much. The main issue is defense and Damian Lillard is not known for being one of the best defenders in the league and their roster does not have many defenders across the board which has made it difficult for Portland to win games. On top of that, unlike last year this a new season with newly built teams with all star player rosters and the Trailblazers did not change their team up at all staying with Damian Lillard and CJ Mccollum as their main guys for the them. In my opinion, I think Damian Lillard is a great player and has been ever since he started playing in the NBA. His first years in the NBA he was highly disrespected not making it to all the star games, not being mention as one of the elite point guards in the league, even though he was consistently dropping over 20 points per game a season. Damian Lillard is one of the few rare players that seems to have a killer mentality in him and wants to win a championship where he is at in Portland. I respect him for not wanting to change teams and win with the circumstances he has now but in the past few years I have noticed that Portland has not given Lillard much help to work with. I’m seeing a lot of carrying by him and McCollum every single year during the playoffs and it just seems like Portland will never be good enough to get over that playoff hump and reach the NBA finals. My advice for Lillard would be to keep perfecting your game. Lillard has one of the smoothes games I have ever seen in my history of watching NBA basketball and like great offensive players like James Harden and Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard also cannot be stopped 1v1. I know he tries as much as he can to use that to his advantage but seeing him on this subpar team is very irritating to watch. I wanna see him eventually win in this league and I think the only way for Lillard to win in this league is by putting himself in a better situation and the only way in my eyes for him to do that is to leave the Portland Trailblazers.

Paul George – Los Angeles Clippers

Paul George is currently a SF playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently 2nd in the Western Conference and 3rd in the entire NBA. Paul George is one of 2 superstar-caliber players acquired by the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul George is a superstar-caliber player himself and one of only two teams that can legitimately say they have 2 superstar players on one team. These teams are the two teams located in Los Angeles which are the Clippers and the Lakers. This had made these teams the top 2 favorites to win the 2020 NBA championship. Going back to Paul George, Paul George wasn’t a super high draft pick coming’s into the NBA and took some time to get adjusted to the NBA but once he took off, there was no looking back for George. Paul George ever since 2013 and after a horrific leg injury in 2014 has been putting all star numbers up every year. Throughout some he was even being talked about in the MVP race which shows you that George has an abundance of talent. This season currently Paul George is averaging 21 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 3,9 assists per game while shooting 43.2 % from the field. His numbers are down from his usual output but reasons his numbers are down this year are due to him currently recovering from injury and also having to adjust to a brand new team while playing with a whole other superstar player in Kawhi Leonard. People know what kinda threat Paul George is if you put him on any team and that is a major reason why the Clippers are very much favorited this year. However, there has been some recent criticisms of Paul George lately. Most notably with his playoff success. He had great playoff success his trust years in the NBA having many tough battles with LeBron and the Miami Heat deep in the playoffs. Things have changed ever since he left the Pacers and he hasn’t gone far at all in the playoffs. In fact for some reason, Paul George has been having major fall offs in the playoffs these past few playoff appearances. With the most recent one being a loss to Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers in 5 games on a walk-off buzzer beater. Now that’s tough for anybody to swallow and hope Paul George can start improving and going back to being very good in the playoffs like his early years. In my opinion I think Paul George is still a superstar player who can turn it on when he wants to offensively and defensively. He is a two-way superstar which is very rare to find on NBA history so I think he should continue to recover frothy lingering injury and continue to work on his craft because he is such an amazing player to watch. The craftiness and determination in him shows me that he wants to win but just has to keep getting better and better day by day. My advice to Paul George would be to talk to his teammates and coaching staff. Build major bonds with the people and help increase team chemistry so it can ultimately lead to higher team success. It is clear that he is having trouble adjusting at first and that seems to be the #1 issue of this team. Once they get this chemistry issue solved, the Clippers will be a very very tough team to knock out in the NBA Playoffs and I’m sure no other team in the NBA would like to be matched up with that defensive juggernaut.

Russell Westbrook – Houston Rockets

Russell Westbrook is a PG currently playing for the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets are 6th in the western conference. The Rockets started off with a shaky start because the chemistry issues between Russell Westbrook and James Harden. This is very common with new teammates, especially all-star caliber players who have to learn how to play with each other. This is Russel Westbrook’s first new destination with a new team in his entire career. Almost the entirety of his career he has played with the now called Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook is a superstar-caliber player who has had his ups and down in his career but since his 3rd season in the league has put up all-star caliber numbers. His numbers however, began to skyrocket once his superstar-caliber teammate in Kevin Durant left OKC and joined the Golden State Warriors back in 2016. This particular decision sparked something in Russell Westbrook to prove to everybody that he didn’t need Kevin Durant to be great and man, did he do that. Literally the next season Russell Westbrook went bonkers averaging a 30 point triple double over the season and becoming the NBA MVP. Sadly, this greatness by Russel Westbrook did not lead to success in the playoffs which Russell has been highly criticized for ever since Kevin Durant left OKC. The criticisms can be fair or unfair depending on how you feel about Russell as a player. Due to lack of success in the playoffs this lead to OKC breaking up their whole team and trading away Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and many draft picks. Russell Westbrook is currently averaging 27.5 points per game, 8.0 rebounds a game, and 7.0 assists per game while shooting 47.4% from the field. Russell is showing that he can still put up superstar numbers even with another superstar player on his team and in the last few weeks of the NBA season has arguably been the best player stat wise averaging over 30 for these last few weeks. Russell Westbrook is leading this team back up the standings after being far below the standards of what the Rockets were predicted to be at before the season. In my opinion I think Russell Westbrook is one of the best NBA players we have seen in a very long time. I love his drive for the game and one thing that you can almost guarantee out of Russel Westbrook is that he will give 110% every single night on the basketball court. This man just seems to not have an off switch and if your a defender trying to stay in front of him then good luck to you sir lol. He is an absolute matchup nightmare just like his teammate in James Harden. I think acquiring Russell in this trade was very interesting and smart by the Rockets and I wanna see how this all works out in the playoffs for the Houston Rockets. My advice I would give to Russell Westbrook is to keep wrecking having on this league. You are one of the most unstoppable forces this league has ever seen and being in the social media era you will have a lot of haters but don’t let that stop you from being the best Russel Westbrook you can be.

Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid is currently a center playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers are 6th in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid is still containing his dominance among the league. It has not been as dominant as lat year but at the end of the day is still elite number among the board. Joel Embiid is averaging 23.4 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 47.4% from the field. His defensive numbers this year are 1.3 blocks per game and 0.9 steals per game. This season has been up and dow for Joel Embiid. He has had very good game this years but has also had very bad games this year. Through it all however, he is still a consistent elite center in the NBA which earned him another all star spot this year. Joel Embiid started out as a very injury prone player. The NBA knew he had lost of talent and he also had great size which lead him to be picked very early in the draft by the Philadelphia 76ers back in 2015. Joel’s injuries were so bad that it dragged into 2016 in which he only payed 31 games but people were finally able to see the beast unleashed. Since Joel’s rookie season he has been averaging at least 20 points per game. Since his second season, he’s been averaging a double double with at least 20 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, and at least 1 block per game. Embiid’s potential skyrockets out of the roof with the size and many skills he has on the court. He is a big man that can shoot, post up, defend, and even dribble sometimes when he runs into trouble. You can try to let Embiid play 1v1 against a defender but it won’t turn out well for the opposing defender. Embiid can hit a defender with a plethora of moves which makes him one of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the NBA. However an opinion that is constantly being made about Joel Embiid currently is that he is good player but ignorant and can’t seem to get over the edge of beating good teams in the playoffs. The 76ers last year in the playoffs had the best chance of knocking out the current defending champions in the Toronto Raptors but came up just short in the final game 7. In my opinion I think Joel Embiid is a great player and has the potential to be one of the greatest NBA centers in NBA history of he continues to do what he’s doing right now. He’s currently playing with a good team right now in the Philadelphia 76ers and I predicted before the season that they would make the NBA finals this year due to how well built this team is and because of the two all star players they have in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. There is no question in my mind that Joel Embiid will be a future NBA superstar if he isn’t already one now and all he needs to do is prove himself in the playoffs so people will give him the respect he deserves. The advice I would give Joel Embiid currently is to work on taking care of your health. It is clear that Joel with his large stature can be easily injured if he decides to be reckless with his body. That’s what happens to many of the greats just because of how big they are. However, in this league today and the science we have behind sports injuries, I believe with help Joel Embiid can learn his body more and learn how to stay healthy as much as he can throughout the NBA season. This is very important especially during the playoffs where the 76ers will need him the most.

Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry is a PG currently playing for the Golden State Warriors. The Golden State Warriors are last in the Western Conference and the entire NBA at 15-50. This has been a very bad year for the Golden State Warriors. The major reason for this is the poor roster output dealt by management and many of their key star players being injured which include Stephen Curry. Steph on the season is averaging 20.8 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 40.2 % from the field. These numbers of Steph are a major decrease on what he has normally put out in the last few superstar years. Stephen Curry has been averaging over 25 points per game while being in the MVP race since 2015. He has also been regarded as one of the top 5 players even going up to top 3 some years since the 2015-2016 season. These numbers are very unlike Steph and the only reason I think this is happening is because one, he was injured a majority of the season and two when he did play, teams could focus all their attention on Steph, doubling team him, forcing him to pass, and making other players on his team make plays. This has been very detrimental to Steph and the Warriors team in general because Steph can never get into a constant groove on the court. Another reason why the Golden State Warriors are so bad this year is because they lost an all-time great player in Kevin Durant for essentially nothing. That was one of Steph’s major teammates while going through the Golden State championship runs. Steph is no question, the driving force of this team and if he’s not going then most of the time, the team isn’t going either. They were able to have support last year if a player didn’t perform because their team was so stacked with superstars and good roster players but now that they have lost many of their key players the Golden State Warriors have plummeted. In my opinion, I think Steph is still a superstar but us just having a bad year due to lack of a roster and bad teammates. My advice for Steph would be honestly to just rest and take it easy for the rest of the NBA season. This season was a failure and Klay Thompson coming back wouldn’t really make a difference right now for the team. Finish this season, regroup, build a better roster, and try again next year.

Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis is a PF currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are currently 1st in the Western Conference and 2nd in the league overall with a record of 49-14. Anthony Davis is one of the many new members of the Lakers roster this year. However, he is the only new superstar-caliber player that was acquired this year on the Lakers. Anthony Davis is currently averaging 26.7 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 51.1 % from the field. His defensive numbers are also very impressive with stats including 2.4 blocks per game, 1.5 steals per game, while being top 10 in defensive rating among players and the Lakers as a team being top 10 in defensive rating. Anthony Davis a front runner for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. I mean, the numbers obviously show it. Anthony Davis has been straight up balling this year and is showing everybody that he can put up superstar on a good NBA team alongside another superstar player in LeBron James. Anthony Davis the last few years has been unhappy with the success of his previous team in the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans didn’t make the playoffs often and when they did, they would always have early exits which Davis was very unpleased about. The storyline around Anthony was beginning to be said that he was a superstar player that was great but needed a better team around him. The pelicans from time to time would try to give Davis help but it just never turned out too well. This ultimately led to Davis demanding for a trade. He had any destinations including the Lakers but Davis’s main goal was to leave the New Orleans Pelicans organization. This led to Davis being traded to the Lakers in return for many of the Laker’s young core players. Anthony is known as one of the top 5 players in the NBA and has been a beast in the NBA since he first started playing in the NBA. The man has averaged at least 20 points per game, 10 rebounds a game, and at least 2 blocks per game since his 2nd season in the NBA. Anthony Davis is a generational player and will continue to wreck havoc in the NBA. The NBA, players, fans, and coaching staff knew if the Lakers already with LeBron James were able to acquire a superstar-caliber player in Anthony Davis then the Lakers would instantly become favorites to win the 2020 NBA championship. So far, Anthony Davis has played right up to expectations and now the Lakers are the #1 favorites out of every NBA team to win the chip. My advice for Anthony Davis would be to keep doing exactly what you’re doing right now but also to not overdue yourself and God forbid injure yourself. He continues to learn day by day and I can wait to see him play again!

James Harden – Houston Rockets

James Harden is currently a SG playing for the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets are currently 6th in the Western Conference with a record of 40-24. James Harden is again putting up historical numbers this year. He currently averaging 34.4 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, and 7.4 assists per game, while shooting 43.5% from the field. James Harden is one of 2 players averaging over 30 points per game this season. James Harden has been averaging over 30 points per game his last 3 seasons in the NBA. He is putting up historic numbers that hasn’t been done in a very long time. From multiple 30 point, 40 point, 50 point, and 60 point games this just crazy to think about. Numbers like this haven’t been put up since the legend Kobe Bryant did it during his long prosperous career. The names James Harden is being compared to is great company to be in. Going back to this season James Harden is still been the superstar that everybody knows him to be even though the Rockets have now acquired a new all star teammate in Russell Westbrook. At first, people thought these 2 players we not gonna be able mesh together due to the selfish nature they are presumed to have in the NBA. However, great players will always find a way to win no matter what their basketball personality is like. In my opinion I think James Harden is a very good NBA player and is the the most unstoppable offensive force in the league. He literally cannot be guarded by anyone in the league 1v1. Sadly, James Harden has been oppressed by fans in the league today because of his playoff struggles. In previous blog posts I talked about how NBA greats are really made in the playoffs because of how they keen in on your flaws and make you work harder to be successful unlike the regular season. James Harden has always been known as a great regular season player but always seems to fall short in the playoffs. The main reason for this is because a term attached to James Harden’s game is that he gets many foul calls. NBA fans and players do not like the style of James Harden’s game in drawing these many foul calls during the regular season. However, in the playoffs the games are less officiated and players are able to play rougher which does not fit well with James’s play style. This has caused his numbers to decrease during the playoffs and even though his team is usually one of the top teams in the NBA it seems like he can never get past that hump of the 2nd and 3rd round of the playoffs and reach the NBA finals with team. My advice for James would be to continue to play his game but in the playoffs play tougher! Instead if looking for the foul, look to score because like I said previously there is nobody in the NBA that can guard you.

Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi Leonard is a SF currently playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are currently 2nd in the Western Conference with a record of 44-20. This a brand new team for Kawhi Leonard who just recently won finals MVP last year in the NBA finals. Kawhi Leonard is now being recognized as one of the best players in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard may not have been the best player on his team when he first came in the league but has improved every single year he has been in the league. Kawhi has always been as one of the most elite defenders in the NBA and when it’s all said and done for Kawhi in the NBA he may be known as one of the greatest NBA defenders of all time. Going into this season there is a lot of expectations put on Kawhi to see if he can win a championship the stacked team he has right now. This clipper team is considered to be stacked because how they performed in the playoffs last year. They took the best team in the NBA to 6 games in the playoffs which was very tough for any other NBA team to do. This team over the offseason was able to acquire this superstar player in Kawhi Leonard and another all star player in Paul George which has made the Clippers favorites in winning the NBA championship this year. Kawhi Leonard is currently averaging 26.9 per points game, 7.3 rebounds per game, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. With this defensive numbers he is averaging 0.6 blocks per game, 1.8 steals per game, while being top 10 in defensive rating among players and his team being top 10 in defensive rating. Kawhi Leonard has been up and down this season with him still putting up above average numbers and having great games from time to time but also having occasional poor games from the field. A major reason for this may be because of this new tactic he has installed in the teams he plays for which is something called “load management”. Load management is a situation where players take off games to preserve themselves mainly for the playoffs. These players may take off these games and won’t necessarily even be injured and Kawhi has been constantly criticized for this because fans who ay want to see him play during the regular season won’t be able to. In my opinion, Kawhi is a very good player in the NBA. A certified superstar is what he is and I think he should continue to play his game and not worry about the outside noise that the media will try to yell in his ear. His team is a very good position right now and their team is very well put together from the starting lineup, all the way down to bench which cannot be said with a majority of the teams in the NBA. Keep doing what your doing and lead your team as far as you possibly can.