In this week’s ‘By The Numbers’ report, in honor of Pau Gasol’s ridiculous 46 and 18 performance against the Bucks, I thought it would be fitting to highlight the plays of some other ‘Big Men’ from around the league. There were many players that were deserving this week, but in my opinion these five guys elevated their play above the rest.
46 : The amount of points Pau Gasol dropped on the Milwaukee Bucks
There is no way I could ignore a performance like Pau Gasol had against the Bucks last Saturday, scoring a whopping 46 points to go along with 18 boards and three assists. Oh, and did I mention he also connected on 12-of-13 from the line and hit 17-of-30 from the field? Not too bad for a guy many analysts refer to as ‘old.’
Now, the reason I decided to include Gasol in this week’s ‘BTN’ wasn’t just because of one great night, it’s because No. 16 appears to have turned back the clock. On the season, Gasol is averaging 18.8 points and 11.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. With stats like that, and with a record like the Bulls have, rather than calling him ‘old,’ maybe we should be calling him an ‘MVP’ instead.
16 : The amount of double-doubles Greg Monroe has this season
Brandon Jennings has garnered a lot of the attention during the Pistons’ turnaround season, but there is another that deserves his due, and that is big man Greg Monroe. He has started, come off the bench and even been benched at some points during the season, but with Josh Smith finally gone, Monroe has been playing like a man possessed. Over the past five games Monroe has averaged 19.2 points, 13 boards, 3.4 assists and one steal while shooting a cool .544 from the field. Considering Monroe has only averaged 15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds on the season, I would say that his recent play is a sign that he is finally comfortable and enjoying his role in Detroit.
Also, since the beginning of the New Year, Monroe has registered double-doubles in seven of the Pistons’ last eight games. If I were a Pistons fan I’d be praying that Stan Van Gundy is able to re-sign No. 10 at the end of the season. Watching a guy like Greg Monroe walk out the door for nothing would really set this franchise back, something I don’t think SVG will allow. There are many teams that will be fighting for his services.
.933 : Jonas Valanciunas’ field goal percentage during his career night
On Monday night against the visiting Detroit Pistons, Jonas Valanciunas earned the first 30 and 10 game of his young career, notching 31 points and 12 boards in the 114-111 loss. Even though they didn’t win, JV had Detroit’s number all night, connecting on 14-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from the line. With guys like Andre Drummond and Monroe protecting the rim, missing only one shot all night was quite impressive. Over his past five games JV has averaged 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and shooting .649 from the field and .789 from the line. It’s numbers like these that should garner Valanciunas the respect of guys like ‘Sir’ Charles Barkley. Come on Chuck, his name isn’t that hard to pronounce is it?
72 : The amount rebounds DeMarcus Cousins has grabbed over the past five games
Outside of maybe Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki, there isn’t a big man in the game that I enjoy watching more than DeMarcus Cousins. Much like Anthony Davis, there isn’t much this young man can’t do. Over his past five, DeMarcus has averaged a daunting 26.2 points, 14.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.4 blocks and 2.4 steals per game. He has five straight double-doubles, has hit 41 of a possible 49 free throws, and pulled down a remarkable 72 rebounds during that span.
As it stands, DeMarcus will not get selected as an All-Star starter this year, even though he likely deserves it. Problem is the West…well it’s the West and the fact that it can be difficult to knock players like Blake Griffin and Marc Gasol off the top. That being said, the Kings are 16 – 22 and probably don’t warrant an All-Star selection, especially with the talent pool being so vast this year.
5.8 : Draymond Green’s assist per game average in the month of January
I know anyone and everyone is talking about him, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t acknowledge how well Draymond Green has been playing as of late. Since the start of 2015, Green is averaging 10.8 points, eight rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Considering he was an after-thought and back-up to David Lee at the start of the year, Green has helped turn the Warriors from a pretender into a contender. At 31-5 and sitting atop the Western Conference, the Warriors and Green have taken the league by storm.
Riley Jones is a correspondent and NBA editor at FantasyPros. To read more from Riley, check out his archive and follow him @RyJones4.