So apparently Klay Thompson is a SheridanHoops reader.
How else do you explain his NBA record-setting 37-point quarter, one in which he dropped nine threes, hit all 13 of his shots and generally looked like a cross between Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Steph Curry and a member of the Monstars?
It’s pretty obvious. Klay was upset about being ranked fifth in last week’s edition of the Most Improved Player Rankings, and it showed.
“Yeah, I was cheesed off,” Thompson didn’t say after torching the Kings for a Mo Williams-tying NBA season-high 52 points. “I saw Kels Dayton had me fifth, and I thought that quantitatively, I had improved significantly more over the past year than Derrick Favors, and arguably even Giannis Antetokuonmpo as well, empirically speaking.”
So Klay-mation (he needs a nickname) took it out on Sacramento, doing something no one has ever done before and forcing me to lay awake in my bed at 4:30 a.m., watching his magnificent third quarter on replay on NBA League Pass. It was well worth it.
The dude was more on fire than Alicia Keys, or even, the sun. He couldn’t have played a more perfect quarter.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr even compared his performance to one of his old teammates, and it wasn’t hyperbole.
“As many spectacular things as Michael did, which he did nightly, I never saw him do that,” Kerr said. “It was reminiscent of Michael because it was otherworldly.”
But it wasn’t just Thompson who re-wrote the record book and stepped up into the thick of the Most Improved Player race.
Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, a 25-year old journeyman (if there is such a thing), made another NBA record fall on Sunday, when he exploded for 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks in 25 MINUTES against the Bulls. No one has done more with less time since a tenth-grade Kels finished his take-home French test 7-and-a-half minutes before class started.
And then, as if playing to this column, he said, “I’m just trying to get my NBA 2K rating up.” He’s gotta be talking to us there, because, come on…who makes more 2K references than we do?
So yeah, maybe we overreacted in saying that the race for the Most Improved Player was over last week. But who could have ever foreseen events of this magnitude taking place?
It’s like the basketball gods wanted the race to get tighter.
It’s like they do care about me after all.
I guess they’re readers, too.
On to the rankings….
1. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors: OK, so we overreacted last week. This race isn’t over, it’s not even close to being over, and Klay Thompson just leaped on top of the Golden Gate Bridge and announced that to the world, Leo-in-Titanic-style. How about we make a new rule for the Most Improved Rankings: Anytime someone who’s never been an All-Star drops 37 in a quarter, he’s automatically at the top of the list the next week. Cool? Cool. Thompson followed that mania with a 31-point outing against the Celtics, on 11-of-18 shooting. His ppg average is up to 22.8 for the year, from 18.4 last season.
2. Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls: One week after we basically handed him the trophy, Butler finds himself in second place in these rankings, thanks to unforeseen circumstances that not even the ancient Mayans could have predicted. DJ Jazzy Jeff might even describe them as “extenuating.” You could still make an argument that Butler’s improvement from last season trumps Thompson’s, but like talking politics on the family vacation, now probably isn’t the right time. Jimmy didn’t help himself against on Sunday against the Heat, either, going for just 5 points in 43 minutes and shooting 2-for-8 from the field. The Bulls are 4-7 in their last 11 games.
3. Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat: Even before he went half-Wilt Chamberlain on the Bulls on Sunday, Whiteside was developing into one of the best stories in the league. The 25-year old was drafted with the 33rd pick in the 2010 draft by Sacramento, but after stints in the D-League and overseas, he’s finally living up to his Tremendous Upside Potential. ™ Whiteside went for 23 points and 16 boards against the Clippers on January 11, and has posted three double-doubles this month. He’s averaging 7.7 points and 6.2 boards for the season.
4. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors: Alright, so he didn’t have a week like his boy Klay Thompson, but Draymond did post three straight double-figure scoring games against the Rockets, Kings and Celtics, and put up a 14-9-3 steal-performance against Boston on Sunday. He’s quietly one of the Warriors’ most important players, and like Thompson, he really needs a nickname. Hit me up on Twitter, @KelsDayton, send me some suggestions.
5. Mason Plumlee, Brooklyn Nets: The second Plumlee brother in a three-part trilogy has had a nice month, although his team is routinely being drubbed by 30-plus points. Mason went for 16 in the Nets’ 123-84 nailbiter against the Clippers, then put up 11 with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in a 108-73 squeaker at the Jazz. His best game though, may have been a 24-point, 10 rebound performance in a 113-99 loss to the Rockets. So close. He also put up double-doubles in losses to the Sixers and the Pistons.
DROPOUTS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee (2), Derrick Favors, Utah (4).
NEXT FIVE: Favors, Utah; Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee; Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit; Dennis Schroder, Atlanta; Marreese Speights, Golden State.
Kels Dayton is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in SLAM Magazine. You can check out more of his work at RoundballDaily.com and SportzEdge.com. Follow him on Twitter @RoundballDaily.
Whiteside should win the title since he only played half a season and still did well against top teams and top centers this yr he has the upside at age 23