NBA Team of the Week (Jan. 15 - Jan. 21)

A lot went down in the NBA this week. You generally don't read these kinds of records about LeBron James, but after giving his worst box plus-minus last week, LeBron conceded the most points ever to have been scored against a side including him (148), courtesy Oklahoma City Thunder.

Rockets are now 17-0 with Chris Paul, James Harden, and Clint Capela all starting, having defeated the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. Kawhi is indefinitely out of the game again, which is another tough loss for the Spurs.

Between all these events, there were a few players who stood out. So without further ado, let's look at the Team of the Week!

---

Sixth Man - TJ McConnell

TJ McConnell is a crucial part of Philly's bench

Team record: 3-0

Player stats in the week: 14.7 ppg, 5.7 apg on 58% shooting, 60% from threes, +7.7 bpm, +12.6 net rating, 17.7 player impact estimate

We took the team's record, player stats and mainly the player's impact estimate into account for this position, as the player who will impact his team from the bench the most, will be regarded the most valuable.

Considering these all, we got one of the best backup guards right now in TJ McConnell. He gives quality minutes to Philadelphia from the bench and has scored buckets very efficiently.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Eric Gordon (2-0, 18 ppg on 40% shooting, 32% from threes)

Nikola Mirotic (2-1, 17.3 ppg on 50% shooting, 36% from threes)

Jordan Clarkson (2-2, 19 ppg, 5 rpg, 6 apg on 52% shooting, 33% from threes)

Point Guard - Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard has been spitting fire beyond the arc lately

Team record: 3-0

Player stats for the week: 29.3 ppg, 8 apg on 53% shooting, 52% from threes, +11.3 bpm, +13.1 net rating, 20.4 player impact estimate

This was the toughest position to pick for this week. Many point guards had amazing weeks. Among them stood out Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard. Between those two, the pick will be subjective. Instead of snubbing him as usual, we are going with Dame Dolla for his exemplary performances this week.

His shot was off against the Pacers, but they still picked the win. He was outstanding against the Dallas and the Suns.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Russell Westbrook (3-0, 20.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 12.0 apg on 47% shooting, 40% from threes)

Chris Paul (2-1, 23.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 7.7 apg on 49% shooting, 45% from threes)

Stephen Curry (2-1, 24 ppg, 6.7 apg on 45% shooting, 44% from threes)

Lou Williams (2-1, 26.3 ppg, 7 apg, 3.7 spg on 47% shooting, 33% from threes, 10 steals in a game)

Shooting Guard - Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo has become Indiana's main man

Team record: 2-2

Player stats in the week: 23.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg on 46% shooting, 33% from threes, +8.5 bpm, +14.1 net rating, 14.6 player impact estimate

It was a tough decision between McCollum and Oladipo, but the latter prevailed on the basis of advanced statistics and being the main man of the team.

Pacers had impressive wins over Spurs and Jazz in the week but also had dud games against the Lakers and Blazers. Despite going 2-2, Oladipo's advanced stats like net rating and box plus-minus are way in the positive, showing how much his team struggles when he sits out. The Most Improved Player frontrunner is our shooting guard of the week.

Other contenders for this position this week:

CJ Mccollum (3-0, 23 ppg on 44% shooting, 46% from threes, +3.0 bpm)

Evan Fournier (2-1, 22.7 ppg on 46% shooting, 48% from threes)

Klay Thompson (2-1, 21 ppg on 49% shooting, 50% from threes)

Devin Booker (1-1, 36.5 ppg on 48% shooting, 39% from threes)

Small Forward - Paul George

Paul George has started to showcase his All-Star calliber once again

Team record: 3-0

Player stats in the week: 22.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg on 48% shooting, 36% from threes, +14.0 bpm, +20.5 net rating, 12.1 player impact estimate

Very weak competition for this position this week. There were no standouts, there were just many average to above average performers for this position. Out of them, Paul George clearly stood out with his team winning and his impressive performance against the Cavaliers (36 points on 63% shooting, 5/11 from threes, and an impressive defensive outing against LeBron James).

Other contenders for this position this week:

Dillion Brooks (3-1, 17ppg on 60% shooting, 57% from threes)

Nicolas Batum (2-1, 17ppg on 49% shooting, 40% from threes)

Power Forward - Carmelo Anthony

Melo turned back the clock this week

Team record: 3-0

Player stats in the week: 25.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg on 53% shooting, 48% from threes, +18.7 bpm, +31.0 net rating, 18.6 player impact estimate

Oklahoma looks like a team for the big games. They always turn up for the marquee matchups and never let us down. This week they defeated the Sacramento Kings while romping over the likes of the Lakers and the Cavaliers! If Carmelo can keep this up, Oklahoma can surely contend for the third spot in a fiercely competitive Western Conference.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Kevin Durant (2-1, 25.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 6.7 apg on 50% shooting, 47% from threes)

Blake Griffin (2-1, 24.7 ppg, 10 rpg, 4.3 apg on 50% shooting)

Center - Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid will be appearing in his first ever All-Star game

Team record: 3-0

Player stats in the week: 29.7 ppg, 12 rpg on 54% shooting, +8.0 bpm, +6.6 net rating, 22.3 player impact estimate

This was one of the easier ones for the week. Philadelphia 76ers were unbelievable in the week defeating Raptors and Celtics. Embiid, arguably their most valuable player, was completely unbelievable on both ends of the floor. Philadelphia had a defensive rating of 99.1 with Embiid on the floor.

This week will be interesting for Philadelphia, with two of their four games taking place against the Spurs and the Thunder.

Other contenders for this position this week:

Steven Adams (2-0, 19 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 71% shooting, +20.0 bpm)

Dwight Howard (2-1, 17.7 ppg, 15.7 rpg, 3bpg, 67% shooting, +9.7 bpm)