Old School Power Rankings 2018-19: Weeks 23-24

The King delivered a dominant performance throughout the season, permitting others near him in the throne room for just a millisecond.

Beyond the champion’s performance, we were drawn to other occurrences during the 2018-19 season: the emergence of Lou Williams, Dwyane Wade’s strong second half, and Marc Gasol’s decline. Looking forward to the next season, stopping the King’s pursuit of a third consecutive win will be challenging for anyone. Perhaps Stephen Curry could do it? However, it’s going to be extremely difficult since he will be turning 32 next March.

Here’s a quick look at all the OSPR champions: Pau Gasol (2015-16), Dwyane Wade (2016-17), LeBron James (2017-18), LeBron James (2018-19).

• NOTE: Statistics are through games of April 4
• Any player who turns 32 during regular season can be added to rankings.
• Check out previous rankings

1. LeBron James (34), Los Angeles Lakers

Previous rank: 1

Latest stats: 4 games, 26.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 12.0 apg

Season stats: 27.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 8.3 apg

Regardless if he was 33 or 34 (his birthday being on December 30), LeBron showed no signs of slowing down, despite any injuries. His average of 27.4 points per game was consistent with his previous season’s average (27.5) and was his highest score since the 2009-2010 season, when he scored an average of 29.7 points per game. It’s worth noting that this is the fourth consecutive season where he has shot over 50 percent from the field (51.0 FG%). Would anyone dare to wager against Mr. James achieving a three-peat?

2. Lou Williams (32), LA Clippers

Previous rank: 2

Latest stats: 6 games, 18.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 5.8 apg

Season stats: 20.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.3 apg

Williams finished strongly, scoring 14 or more points in six consecutive games. He also scored 20 or more points in four of the last nine games and achieved seven or more assists in three of the last five games. This marks the second season in a row where Williams has averaged over 20 points per game, matching his career-best average of 5.3 assists. It’s also worth noting that he achieved his first career triple-double in the 2018-19 season.

3. LaMarcus Aldridge (33), San Antonio Spurs

Previous rank: 3

Latest stats: 7 games, 21.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.7 apg

Season stats: 21.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.4 apg

Even though Aldridge had an impressive game against Boston on March 24, scoring 48 points with 13 rebounds, it wasn’t enough to surpass Williams for the No. 2 spot. Although he delivered another strong performance on Sunday with 27 points and 18 rebounds, we couldn’t ignore the 10-point performance at the beginning of the period and a 14-point game last Thursday against the Cavaliers, where he only made 6 of 15 shots.

4. Chris Paul (33), Houston Rockets

Previous rank: 5

Latest stats: 7 games, 16.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.7 apg

Season stats: 15.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 8.1 apg

While Paul’s shooting was somewhat poor (41.2 FG%), his overall performance was impressive enough to warrant moving him up. He scored 20 or more points in two games, assisted 12 or more times in two games, and scored 18 or more points in another two games. Furthermore, Paul managed to secure two or more steals in three out of seven games. If he maintains his health, Paul could potentially rank in the top three next preseason.

5. Dwyane Wade (36), Miami Heat

Previous rank: 7

Latest stats: 7 games, 16.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.4 apg

Season stats: 14.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.1 apg

Though Wade’s shooting, like Paul’s, left room for improvement with a 42.3 FG%, his performance in his seven games was strong enough to elevate him into the top five. He scored 17 points in two consecutive games and broke the 20-point threshold two other times. Furthermore, he has managed to score in double digits for 14 consecutive games, a commendable feat for the future Hall of Famer.

6. Kyle Lowry (32), Toronto Raptors

Previous rank: 4

Latest stats: 6 games, 10.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.5 apg

Season stats: 14.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 8.7 apg

It seems there’s a common theme with Paul, Wade, and Lowry – poor shooting. You’re right, Lowry was the least efficient, recording a field goal percentage of just 37.3% over the past six games. However, he did manage to distribute six or more assists and score in double digits in four out of six games. Additionally, Lowry managed to secure nine steals within a span of three games.

7. J.J. Redick (34), Philadelphia 76ers

Previous rank: 8

Latest stats: 7 games, 20.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.6 apg

Season stats: 18.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.7 apg

Redick’s shooting improved significantly, with his field goal percentage reaching a commendable 46.5% and his three-point percentage hitting 40.0%. His performance in the last three games could be considered one of his best of the season, scoring 26, 30, and 29, and successfully making 15 out of 33 three-point attempts. Despite a slow start with scores of 14 and eight, Redick managed to bounce back impressively in the following five games.

8. Al Horford (32), Boston Celtics

Previous rank: 9

Latest stats: 4 games, 19.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.3 apg

Season stats: 13.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.2 apg

You should certainly level up after achieving your first triple-double of the season, and second of your career, shouldn’t you? Absolutely. Horford has been on fire recently, consistently scoring 19 or more points in six consecutive games while maintaining a scorching 59.3 field goal percentage in the last four games. His performance has shown steady improvement: 13.1 points in January, 14.5 in February, 15.3 in March, and a notable increase to 20.0 in April.

9. Goran Dragic (32), Miami Heat

Previous rank: 10

Latest stats: 7 games, 12.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.7 apg

Season stats: 14.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.6 apg

Dragic, similar to Horford, advances slightly due to his first triple-double of the season, and the first since the 2010-11 season. Besides the triple-double, Dragic had a fantastic game against the Celtics last Monday, scoring 30 points with a 12-for-20 shooting record. However, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the point guard outside of these two games, as he only managed a shooting average of 35.6% and a three-point shooting average of 21.9% over seven games.

10. Paul Millsap (34), Denver Nuggets

Previous rank: 6

Latest stats: 8 games, 9.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.5 apg

Season stats: 12.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.0 apg

If you manage only a 33.8 FG% over an eight-game run, you’re headed for a significant fall. We seriously contemplated moving Millsap out of the top 10, but none of the other names did enough to justify such a move. In his most recent eight games, Millsap scored in double digits only four times, not even surpassing 14 in those matches. However, he did manage to notch up two double-doubles.

Just missed the cut: DeMarre Carroll, Rudy Gay, George Hill, Marc Gasol

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