As part of our NBA preseason coverage I will breakdown the top players by division. Here are the best players in the Pacific Division.
Western Conference
Pacific
PG Chris Paul- Los Angeles Clippers- 19.8 pts. 9.1 ast. After a so-so year one in L.A. he will put it all together season. Paul is the most efficient point guard in the league. He shoots at a high percentage, makes his teammates better, and is effective on defense. That’s why he’s my sleeper pick for MVP.
SG Kobe Bryant- Los Angeles Lakers- 27.9 pts. 5.4 ast. I’ve always been a little critical of his game. Five championships and numerous scoring titles are all very impressive, but his greediness and poor shooting percentages have always alarmed me. With all the talent around him this season I expect Kobe to have his most efficient season to date.
SF Tyreke Evans- Sacramento Kings- 16.5 pts. 4.6 reb. They’ve tried him at multiple positions, but it looks as though he’s found his home at small forward. Evans isn’t a pure shooter, but he finds a way to score from all over the court.
PF Blake Griffin- Los Angeles Clippers- 20.7 pts. 10.9 reb. His passion and exuberant dunks exceed his actual talent, but the overall effect he has on a game is enough to warrant this selection. I’m not a fan of his attitude. He reminds me of the soccer player that dives in the penalty box instead of actually trying to score. He’ll benefit from a full offseason with CP3.
C Dwight Howard- Los Angeles Lakers- 20.6 pts. 14.5 reb. Howard tops off the most talented division in basketball as the best defender and rebounder in the game. He uses his massive shoulders and impeccable timing to snatch rebounds and quickly put back misses. He doesn’t have an extensive offensive repertoire, but he doesn’t need to.
Bench Steve Nash- Los Angeles Lakers- 12.5 pts. 10.7 ast. I could have gone with a number of different players here, but Nash is better than all of them even at this stage in his career. I hope he gets his championship because he deserves one more than anyone.
Related articles
Best of the Southwest Division
Best of the Northwest Division
Best of the Southeast Division
Kobe’s “greediness”? Wow. Poor shooting percentages? Talk about lack of insight. Bill Russell who won 11 championships shot 44% in the regular season and an even lower 43% in the playoffs as a big man and no one talks about his percentages, they talk about him as the ultimate winner. Kobe’s shooting efficiency is significantly higher than Russell’s considering all the threes Kobe takes. Never mind that Kobe plays on the perimeter where shooting percentages are always going to be lower than for a big man who plays near the rim. 5 titles, 7 finals appearances, multiple MVPs, The man is greedy for championships and that’s what the sport is all about.
tf?…a “so-so” season? I guess taking the worst franchise in all of sports to a 5 seed and their highest winning percentage in team history is “so-so”. He also raised his scoring average compared to the last two seasons. I honestly don’t see how this can be construed as a “so-so” season…also, he isn’t your sleeper pick, a lot of people are picking CP3 for MVP. This is just lazy, come on man.