Here’s a breakdown of the top performers on December 31 and stats to highlight their impact.
BEST PLAYER OF THE DAY:
Joel Embiid PHI C 34 PTS | 10 REB | 8 AST | 63.0 FPS
It’s been a rough year for Embiid, who’s been struggling with several health issues and has underperformed as a result. But he’s starting to look like his old self. He nearly notched his 9th career triple-double today and is posting 30.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over his last five outings.
BREAKOUT:
Cedric Coward MEM SG 28 PTS | 16 REB | 4 AST | 50.2 FPS
The rookie turned in the best performance of his career. He shined offensively, recording a season-high scoring output and his fourth 20-point game. He also posted his best rebounding effort while notching his sixth 10-rebound game. Overall, it marked his sixth double-double of the season.
SLEEPER:
Jusuf Nurkić UTA C 26 PTS | 8 REB | 8 AST | 44.6 FPS
Nurkic has established himself as a reliable contributor this season and continued his strong play today. He was nearly flawless offensively, missing just one shot in 11 attempts and posting his best scoring game of the year. He’s also averaging 15.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists in his last seven games.
ELITE ASSET:
Tyrese Maxey PHI PG 34 PTS | 12 AST | 2 STL | 62.8 FPS
Maxey continues to operate at an elite level offensively, shooting at 61% from the field today and posting his 9th 27-point performance in 11 games. His consistency has made him one of the best scorers in the league this season, ranking 4th in total points scored and 5th in total three-pointers made.
CATEGORY SPECIALIST:
Derrick White BOS SG 27 PTS | 7 REB | 7 BLK | 64.4 FPS
This month, D-White has consistently delivered in multiple categories, including posting back-to-back 4×5 stat-lines. He also led the team in scoring today but was even more impressive on the defensive end, tying the NBA record for blocks in a game by a guard and ranking 10th in the league in total blocks this season.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Maxime Raynaud SAC C 12 PTS | 12 REB | 2 BLK | 32.4
Since taking over the starting spot, the rookie has been highly productive in the paint, posting his sixth double-double of the month while averaging close to 16 points and 9 rebounds per game.
STREAMER:
Brook Lopez LAC C 8 PTS | 6 REB | 1 BLK | 24.7 FPS
Lopez has been moved into the starting lineup with Zubac expected to miss several weeks due to an ankle injury. He had his best game as a Clipper against the Blazers recently, erupting for 31 points and nine three-pointers. While he won’t sustain that level of performance, he should remain productive in three-point shooting, rebounding and blocking.
FLOPPER:
DeMar DeRozan SAC SF 8 PTS | 7 REB | 3 AST | 24.9 FPS
DeRozan wasted the momentum from his 22-point performance against the Lakers with another ineffective outing today, finishing 2-for-8 from the field. He’s a capable scorer but his inconsistency has been evident this season, scoring under 10 points six times.
