Boston Celtics: Ranking the top 10 players out east in the Disney bubble
By Mark Nilon
No. 10) Kyle Lowry
Though many people tend to find enjoyment out of writing off Kyle Lowry as an “overrated” player (let alone point guard) we kind of agree with Bailey and Favale on this one — we believe, in some aspects, the veteran’s production tends to be underrated.
Described in the article as an “offensive chameleon”, the 33-year-old has always been willing to fill whatever role he’s needed to in order to help better the team. For the majority of his time in Toronto, its been playing second-fiddle to the likes of DeMar DeRozan and of course, last season, Kawhi Leonard.
Now, running alongside rising star Pascal Siakam, he has taken on more of a scoring load than ever before and, in the process, is thriving. Averaging 19.7 points, 7.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game on 35 percent shooting from deep, Lowry has easily been one of the main contributors in the defending champions accumulating a record of 46-18 (second-best in the east, third-best in the NBA).
From his sound offensive production to his scrappy defensive tenacity, all season long the 6x All-Star has made the Toronto Raptors a true force to be reckoned with and has been massive in the development of Siakam.
No. 9) Bam Adebayo
In year three, Bam Adebayo has made serious strides in his development and, in turn, finds himself as the likely recipient to take home the league’s Most Improved Player award come the climax of 2019-20.
Upping his numbers virtually all across the board, the 22-year-old finds himself averaging 16.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game on 57 percent shooting from the floor. With his play, Adebayo earned himself an All-Star nod and now has the stigma of being both one of the elite defenders in the association (can seemingly guard every position without any hesitation) as well as one of the game’s best young stars.
Should he add a consistent 15-22 foot jumper to his game, we could easily see the Miami Heat star rise within the conference standings in a few years time. As of now, however, of those in the east heading to the Disney bubble, we feel it’s fitting to rank him at ninth overall.
I know some people might have a problem with this, but that’s just how we feel.
No. 8) Khris Middleton
The narrative of Khris Middleton being better than Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has gone on far enough!
While we acknowledge the forward is an extremely talented player in the league — clearly, as he’s a multiple-time All-Star selection –, we just don’t think it’s right to put his name above Tatum in such power-rankings or, frankly, as high as Bleacher Report did. While we can have a very long conversation about why we feel this way (a future article idea?), we’re here to talk solely about Middleton and his own production from the season which, undoubtedly, has been impressive.
Averaging 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 50 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from deep, Middleton has proven to be the perfect Robin to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Batman with the Milwaukee Bucks.
His shooting efficiency is rivaled by few others, and his distribution skills are truly an underrated attribute of his game.
Though Giannis is what makes the Bucks absolutely lethal, it is Middleton’s play alongside him that makes them an unquestionable favorite to win it all this season.