Five Biggest Impact Players in West Playoff Race

Alec Burks, Guard, Utah: Enes Kanter was the choice here before he dislocated his shoulder on Wednesday, but Burks has been impressive since Mo Williams got injured earlier in the season and he got a bump in minutes along with Jamaal Tinsley. His 6-6 frame allows him to be used in a lot of different ways, and he deserves to be in Tyrone Corbin’s lineup as long as he’s shooting the way he has been.

Burks	Minutes	FG%	3 FG%	PPG
January	16.2	37.1	29.4	6.2
February	27.1	45.5	47.8	9.9
March	20	45	42.9	9.6

Any guard who can come off the bench and score more than 17 points per 36 minutes on 45 percent shooting and nearly 43 percent from deep is an impact player in my book for this season – and in the future.

Mike James, Guard, Dallas: On Jan. 9, the Mavericks were 13-23 and had little to no shot at a playoff spot. Well, they are 22-13 since and 9-4 in March. Coincidentally (or not), the Mavs signed James to a 10-day contract on Jan. 8 from the D-League. What certainly is not a coincidence is the team’s success while James’ role on the team has grown. His play since the All-Star break is a major reason why Dallas is still scrapping, fighting and clawing for the final playoff spot in the West.

 

 

Mike James	Minutes	FG%	3FG%	Points	Assists	FT%
Before ASB	9.1	26.9	23.5	2.5	1.3	66.7
After ASB	24.3	40.4	44.2	9	4.1	91.7

James’ signing was viewed as a desperate, last-ditch, shot-in-the-dark effort to make the Mavericks relevant, and it worked. With five teams fighting for three spots, keep this quintet in mind as the regular season hits the home stretch.

Shlomo Sprung loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and a writer for Football.com. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter.