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

The King displayed a dominant performance throughout the season, briefly allowing others into his throne room for a mere millisecond.

Aside from the champion’s performance, several other events during 2018-19 piqued our interest: the rise of Lou Williams, the strong latter half from Dwyane Wade, and the decline of Marc Gasol. As we anticipate the next season, the King’s pursuit of a third consecutive victory seems almost unstoppable. Perhaps Stephen Curry could pose a challenge? However, that would be a difficult feat considering 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 of being 33 or 34 (his birthday being on December 30), LeBron remained at the top of his game, despite facing injuries. He scored an average of 27.4 points per game, roughly matching his previous season’s score of 27.5 points per game, marking his highest score since the 2009-10 season when he scored 29.7. It’s also noteworthy that this marked his fourth consecutive season where he 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 powerfully, scoring 14 or more points in six consecutive games. He also achieved 20 or more points in four of the last nine games and delivered seven or more assists in three of the last five games. This marks the second successive season where Williams has averaged over 20 points per game, equaling his career-best with 5.3 assists. It’s also worth noting that he earned 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 outstanding game against Boston on March 24, scoring 48 points and 13 rebounds, he still couldn’t surpass Williams for the No. 2 spot. He delivered another impressive performance with 27 points and 18 rebounds on Sunday. However, his 10-point performance at the beginning and a 14-point game last Thursday against the Cavaliers where he shot 6-for-15, couldn’t be overlooked.

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 not particularly impressive (41.2 FG%), his overall performance was outstanding, making it difficult not to elevate his status. He managed to score 20 or more points in two games, achieve 12 or more assists in other two games, and scored 18 or more points in another two games. Additionally, Paul managed to get at least two steals in three out of seven games. If he maintains his health, there’s a good chance we could see Paul among the top three players in the 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

Despite the shooting performance not being up to par (42.3 FG%) similar to Paul, Wade’s performance in his seven games was sufficient to earn him a spot in the top five. Wade managed to score 17 points in two consecutive games and exceeded 20 points twice more. He has now achieved double-figure scoring in 14 consecutive games, a commendable finishing streak from 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 thread between Paul, Wade, and Lowry – poor shooting. Your guess is correct. With a shooting average of just 37.3% over the past six games, Lowry was the least effective. However, he compensated by providing six or more assists and getting double-figure scores in four of the six games. Moreover, Lowry managed to make nine steals over 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 poor shooting was a thing of the past as he recorded an impressive 46.5 FG% and 40.0 3PT%. In his last three games, he even had one of his best stretches of the season, scoring 26, 30, and 29 points and successfully making 15 out of 33 3-pointers. Starting the period with 14 and eight, there was a fear that Redick might decline, but he bounced back admirably 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

Surely, securing your first triple-double of the season (and second of your career) demands a promotion, doesn’t it? Absolutely. Lately, Horford has been on fire, scoring 19 or more points in six consecutive games while maintaining an impressive 59.3 FG% in the last four. He’s been showing consistent progress: 13.1 points in January, 14.5 in February, 15.3 in March, and 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, rises a notch due to his first triple-double of the season, and his first since the 2010-11 season. Apart from the triple-double, Dragic set the Celtics alight with 30 points (shooting 12-for-20) the previous Monday. However, aside from these two games, the point guard struggled, with only a 35.6 FG% and 21.9 3PT% over the subsequent 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 only manage to shoot 33.8 FG% over a span of eight games, your performance is likely to take a significant dip. We seriously considered moving Millsap out of the top 10, but no other players below him performed well enough to justify it. In his recent eight games, Millsap only managed to score in double figures four times, and he didn’t score more than 14 in any of those games. However, he did manage to achieve two double-doubles.

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

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