https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/nba-logos/was.png

Wizards

Bradley Beal is currently leading the NBA in scoring, with Stephen Curry having a chance to catch him when the Golden State Warriors face the resurgent Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.
Beal, who plays tonight at home against the Los Angeles Lakers, has a slight lead over Curry, 31.4 points per game to 31.2. That race figures to go down to the wire, at which point we will start hearing about David Thompson vs. George Gervin on the final day of the 1977-78 season.
The rebounding (Clint Capela), assist (Russell Westbrook), block (Myles Turner) and three-point titles (Curry) are all but decided. But we still have the scoring title to keep us riveted.
Because of COVID protocols and rules as well as a plethora of injures, a total of 529 players have suited up for NBA teams this season. Let's take a look at some of the stat leaders:
<ul>
<li>Clint Capela leads the league in offensive rebounds (261), followed by Enes Kanter of Portland (257) and Steven Adams of New Orleans (212). </li>
<li>Russell Westbrook (11.0) is averaging the most assists per game and it isn&rsquo;t particularly close; runner-up Trae Young (9.6) won&rsquo;t be able to catch him. </li>
<li>Jimmy Butler has the most steals per game (2.1), but T.J. McConnell has the most total steals this season (101). Butler has 95 total steals. </li>
<li>Rudy Gobert leads the league in total blocks (168), with nine more than Turner. However, Turner is averaging 3.4 blocks to Gobert&rsquo;s 2.8 because he&rsquo;s played 13 fewer games. </li>
<li>Danilo Gallinari of Atlanta (.935) is one of nine players shooting 90% or better from the free throw line. Until last week, Jordan Clarkson of Utah (.924) was leading the league in free-throw percentage, but he has dropped to fourth;. Chris Paul of Phoenix is second at .929. </li>
<li>Joe Harris of Brooklyn has taken over the three-point accuracy lead (.481). Joe Ingles of Utah, the leader last week, is now third at .477. Bobby Portis of Milwaukee is in second (.479). </li>
<li>Rudy Gobert leads the NBA in field-goal percentage (.676) by a large margin. Runner-up Richaun Holmes is shooting 64.4%. Kelly Olynyk leads the NBA in two-point field goal percentage (.688). </li>
<li>DeAndre Jordan leads all players in true shooting percentage (.753) and effective field goal percentage (.779). Rounding out the top-three in both stats are Robert Williams and Ingles. </li>
<li>Nikola Jokic leads all players in field goals (625), win shares (13.3), win shares per 48 minutes (.298) and Value Over Replacement Player (7.3). </li>
<li>Julius Randle of the Knicks ranks first in minutes per game (37.5) and second in defensive win shares (3.7).</li>
</ul>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
A few other distinctions:
<ul>
<li>Montrezl Harrell of the Lakers has attempted the most three-pointers without a make. He is 0-for-10, while the Lakers&rsquo; Andre Drummond and the Nets&rsquo; Theo Pinson are each 0-8. Last season, Harrell went 0-18 from three-point range. </li>
<li>Dillon Brooks of Memphis and Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate of Houston have the most personal fouls (195). </li>
<li>In addition to leading the NBA in assists, Westbrook also leads all players in turnovers (272). </li>
<li>Dwight Howard of the 76ers leads the league in technical fouls (15). His next one will draw an automatic suspension and a $5,000 fine. Luka Doncic and Westbrook are tied for second with 13. </li>
<li>J.B. Bickerstaff of the Cavaliers leads all coaches with 8 technical fouls. </li>
<li>Howard, C.J. McCollum and Alex Len are tied for the league lead in flagrant fouls (4). </li>
<li>No player has drawn more than one flop violation; LeBron James, LaMelo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, D.J. Augustin, Gary Trent Jr., Kristaps Porzingis and Mason Jones each received a warning.</li>
</ul>
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
There are eight players who have played this season without scoring a basket: Jared Harper of the Knicks, Kris Dunn of the Hawks, Ashton Hagans (who was cut by the Timberwolves), Will Magnay (who was cut by the Pelicans), Ignas Brazdeikis (who was cut by the 76ers), Anzejs Pasecniks (who was cut by the Wizards), Noah Vonleh (who was cut by the Nets), and Greg Whittington (who was cut by the Nuggets).
Hagans, 21, appeared in two games and played two minutes while recording one lone statistic: a turnover. He spent two seasons at Kentucky before going undrafted in 2020, then was waived by the Wolves in February for violating the G-League&rsquo;s COVID protocols. His rookie season will end with all zeroes except for that lone turnover (unless someone takes a chance on the Kentucky product who earned the SEC&rsquo;s Co-Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019).
A total of 21 NBA players are averaging less than 1.0 point per game, the oldest being Jared Dudley of the Lakers.
There are 39 players averaging between 1.0 and 1.9 points per game, including:
<ul>
<li>Last season&rsquo;s NCAA scoring champion, Markus Howard of the Nuggets (1.1 PPG).</li>
<li>Cristiano Felicio of the Bulls (1.1 PPG), who is on the final season of a four-year, $32 million contract.</li>
<li>Jahmi&rsquo;us Ramsey of the Kings (1.4 PPG), who has played five games and was perfect from the field (1-for-1) in three of them.</li>
<li>Rodions Kurucs of the Bucks (1.5 PPG), who has the distinction of being involved in both the trade for James Harden (going from Brooklyn to Houston) and the trade for P.J. Tucker (going from Houston to Milwaukee).</li>
</ul>
The season is far from over, and while 529 players have suited up thus far, that number is likely to increase as more players are signed.

Chris Sheridan takes a look at the NBA's stat leaders, as well as some other interesting numbers from the 2020-21 season.

A deeper dive into the NBA's interesting statistics

There are 18 days until the NBA All-Star break, which was supposed to be a break with no All-Star festivities. But then that plan changed, much to the dismay of many of the league&rsquo;s top superstars.&nbsp;
The Utah Jazz look unstoppable, sort of like the Milwaukee Bucks did at this time a year ago, and there is not a whole lot of defense being played as teams slog their way through the mid-winter schedule and make adjustments on the fly (whether because of coronavirus issues or injuries or slumps).
Every night brings major surprises, some of them positive &ndash; as fans of the Detroit Pistons could tell you. Until recently, they were the worst team in the East; now, they are making us NBA hardcores take notice of the likes of Saddiq Bey and Mason Plumlee.
The week begins with news that Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis will both be back on the shelf; Durant with a hamstring issue and Davis with an Achilles. Neither injury is particularly serious, and let&rsquo;s all remember that what happens in February often has very little impact in May and June when things ramp up.
So with 18 days remaining until the All-Star break, here are 18 observations (aside from the ones listed above) that will be at the forefront of NBA conversations between now and the All-Star break.
1. What on earth is wrong with the Boston Celtics? They got toasted by the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the East, on Sunday afternoon to make it four losses in their past five games. Prior to that, they lost to the Detroit Pistons and they are now 13-13. It looks like they miss Gordon Hayward more than we anticipated, and there is no underestimating how important Marcus Smart is to that team. Payton Pritchard has earned Brad Stevens&rsquo; trust, but what about rookie Aaron Nesmith, the No. 14 overall pick in the draft? He did log 29 minutes of garbage time on Sunday, which is a step in the right direction... or he was being showcased.
2. Why are so many superstars speaking out about having to play in an All-Star game? Well, they were told at the outset of the season that they were going to have a one-week break, and then that promise was broken. NBA contracts include language that obligates players to participate in All-Star activities if invited, so three Saturdays from now a bunch of players will be flying into Atlanta, locking themselves in their hotel rooms and getting ready for the annual Sunday night show. Let&rsquo;s just hope the fourth quarter is competitive, like it normally is.
3. When can we expect the Utah Jazz to lose a game? On Thursday, we were wondering whether it would come in a span of the next eight days, because the schedule was getting tough for them. But they beat the Milwaukee Bucks by 14 and the Miami Heat by 18. Tonight, it is Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers trying to end the Jazz&rsquo;s hot streak, and then Utah plays back-to-back games against the Clippers at the Staples Center on Wednesday and Friday. If Paul George (right foot) and Kawhi Leonard (left leg contusion) are both healthy by then, we will have a litmus test.
4. Will the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets trade for a big man? Brooklyn has had a donut problem (a hole in the middle) since Jarrett Allen was traded in the James Harden deal, and Noah Vonleh and Norvel Pelle do not look like long-term solutions. The Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting Andre Drummond until they can find a trade partner, and JaVale McGee is expendable as well. The same goes for Hassan Whiteside in Sacramento. The Nets may not have the assets to trade for any of them unless they surrender Joe Harris, so they&rsquo;ll likely wait to see who is bought out. Meanwhile, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that he is OK with moving Julius Randle over to center while Mitchell Robinson recovers from a broken hand (and they also have Nerlens Noel). The Knicks have won four of their last six games, but will have to contend with Clint Capela and Nikola Vucevic in their next two games, after which Leon Rose, Thibs and Worldwide Wes may need to come up with a plan to find a new center.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
5. What is wrong with the Milwaukee Bucks? They lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night and have been surrendering more than 123 points a night in their current three-game losing streak. A year ago, on Feb. 15, they were 46-8 and Giannis Antetokounmpo had pretty much wrapped up the MVP award. But this season, they have been running hot and cold like a leaky faucet (the three recent losses were preceded by five-straight wins, which followed consecutive losses, which followed consecutive wins). They&rsquo;ll need better, more consistent production from Brook Lopez, who scored 6 points last night against Al Horford. His scoring has dropped from 12.0 points per game to 10.8, and his assists are down from 1.5 to 0.6. His next double-figure rebounding game will be just his third of the season. It is worth noting that Milwaukee is trying to get their new pieces acclimated, which hasn&rsquo;t helped.
6. Which teams figure to be active at the trade deadline? I would say the New Orleans Pelicans are the team to watch. If the supporting cast around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram continue to underperform, they will look for hungrier players along with extra draft picks to add to the ones they got from Milwaukee in the Jrue Holiday-Eric Bledsoe deal. New Orleans has lost its last three games -- not playing a lick of defense against Chicago, Dallas and Detroit -- and 11-15 is not where they wanted to be, especially with Zion shooting an unfathomable 65.5 percent from the field this month (he was 14-for-15 against the Mavs on Friday). Boston, New York and Brooklyn have already been mentioned, and major underachievers (Miami, Dallas, Toronto) are always looking to tinker in order to bolster their roster for a playoff push.
7. What makes this season very different from last year&rsquo;s campaign? Aside from the coronavirus disruptions, the rule change that will allow for 20 of the 30 teams to qualify for the playoffs (including the play-in tournament) has disincentivized players from competing at their highest level during the regular season. One Eastern Conference coach (who spoke on the condition of anonymity) said it has been one of the worst rules changes ever enacted. We&rsquo;ll see if he feels the same way if his team finishes ninth or 10th and has a chance to play meaningful postseason games rather than beginning preparations for the draft extra early.
8. Why are the Phoenix Suns sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference? The addition of Chris Paul is the biggest reason, and they are 6-0 thus far on a seven-game homestand that ends Tuesday night against a Brooklyn team that will be without Kevin Durant. They&rsquo;ve won nine of 10, and at a certain point, Mikal Bridges <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mikal-bridges-phoenix-suns-breakout-season-three-point-shooting-pick-and-roll-defense-deandre-ayton-turnover-percentage-monty-williams-chris-paul-villanova-jay-wright-ashley-howard">has to enter the Most Improved Player conversation</a> (<a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/103?category=awards&amp;subcategory=most-improved-player">he is 100-1 at DraftKingsSportsbook</a>, where <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/103?category=awards&amp;subcategory=mvp">Chris Paul is 500-1 to be MVP</a>).
9. Who is the Coach of the Year? One would assume that Quin Snyder (Jazz) and Doc Rivers (Sixers) would be the frontrunners, but get this: None of the major sportsbooks operating in the legalized U.S. sports gambling market have Coach of the Year odds listed. This award typically goes to the coach whose team has overachieved the most, and everyone expected the Sixers and Jazz to be good. So Monty Williams in Phoenix, Thibodeau in New York, Terry Stotts in Portland (he lost C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic) and James Borrego in Charlotte may be in the mix.
10. Who will be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft? Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State is the flavor of the moment, followed by Jalen Green of the G-League Ignite, a team that just began playing bubbleball last week. Scouts are being hampered by their inability to get inside gyms, watch prospects closely and observe things such as body language, pre-game habits, interactions with teammates, etc. Because of that, this summer&rsquo;s draft is going to be more of a crapshoot than usual, and the team with the most first-round picks is Oklahoma City with three. Houston and New York have two apiece.
11. What is the best game to watch over the remainder of the first half of the season? Many teams are starting to allow fans back into the arenas, but we will probably not see a full house until next season, which removes the crowd factor for the most part (shout out to Courtside Karen), which would normally make certain matchups more enticing. If Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis are back by Thursday, Nets-Lakers on TNT is a candidate. We have Jazz-Clippers on Wednesday and Friday, followed by a Heat-Lakers NBA Finals rematch on Saturday (ABC) and Nets-Clippers the following night. Fans will be allowed at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 23 when Steph Curry faces the Knicks, but the winner in this category is Lakers at Jazz on Friday, Feb. 24.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
12. Who will win the Rasheed Wallace Award (a.k.a. Hothead of the Year)? Dwight Howard of the Sixers and Russell Westbrook of the Wizards are tied for the league lead in technical fouls with eight apiece. Among coaches, Nick Nurse of Toronto leads with five.
13. What record might fall? Jose Calderon holds the record for the highest free-throw percentage (98.1 percent in 2008-09 for Toronto). Entering Monday&rsquo;s games, Suns guard Chris Paul is 68-for-70 (97.1 percent) and Nets guard Kyrie Irving is 77-for-81 (95.1 percent). If either has a few games of perfection from 15 feet away, perhaps Calderon&rsquo;s record will be in jeopardy.
14. Anzejs Pasecniks of the Washington Wizards was released a month ago after appearing in one game. In five minutes of playing time, he committed six turnovers to go along with two personal fouls, one assist and one offensive rebound. Ish Smith converted the bucket off the Latvian kid&rsquo;s assist. That&rsquo;s a rough outing.
15. Monte Morris of the Denver Nuggets leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 5.5 (among qualified players) and Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks is at 5.7. Among players who log major minutes, DeMar DeRozan of San Antonio is at 4.20. In the steals-to-turnover ratio category, Matisse Thybulle is head and shoulders above everyone at 5.0. Among players who log major minutes, the league leader in steals is Jrue Holiday of Milwaukee with 1.91 per game.
16. In the &ldquo;hustle stats&rdquo; categories, Ben Simmons leads the NBA with 4.1 deflections per game, Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the league in loose balls recovered (38), Domantas Sabonis leads the league in screen assists (6.7), and Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Lowry are tied for the league lead in charges drawn (12).
17. The league&rsquo;s oldest player, Udonis Haslem of Miami, wears uniform No. 40&hellip; matching his age. The youngest player, Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Aleksej Pokusevski, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 draft, is 19 years old and has 19 blocked shots.
18. What&rsquo;s the season-low for offensive rebounds in a game? One. The Philadelphia 76ers were the team to grab a single offensive rebound against Washington on Jan. 6, when the Sixers scored 141 points. Danny Green grabbed the lone offensive board.

With the NBA All-Star break approaching, Chris Sheridan shares his thoughts on the season thus far.