Jayhawks in the NBA: Power Rankings – Week 4

1. Markieff Morris – Markieff Morris really had a chance to shine this week, having a couple favorable matchups throughout the week. However, the older Morris really faded from the spotlight. Last week Morris averaged a mere 5.3 points and 4 rebounds per game, but he did have a week-saving performance against Charlotte, with 11 points and nine rebounds in a victory. Markieff Morris will have another chance to recover as the Suns will play the Magic and Jazz (twice) in the near future. The Suns will also match up against the Blazers and Portland before next week’s power rankings come out, so by the end of the week we should have a pretty good idea of where the older Morris will be headed for the rest of the season.

2. Mario Chalmers – Mario Chalmers (pictured with Kirk Hinrich below) has been on quite a hot streak as of late, and the Heat have been as well, winning their last six games. In fact, the six-game win streak started on a night where Chalmers shined, scoring 15 points while adding seven assists and four rebounds. Chalmers’ player efficiency rating of 17.92 was a large reason he mad3e the jump to the second spot on our list, allowing him to leapfrog the aging Paul Pierce, who has a PER of just 12.61. While the Nets are struggling, the Heat have started playing like the team that dominated the NBA last year, and Chalmers is a huge part of that. It is no surprise that Chalmers is having one of the his best NBA seasons, seeing that his contract will expire soon, and Chalmers could become a giant piece of the Miami Heat should a certain superstar decide to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers next season. As I’ve mentioned, I expect Chalmers will keep up this high level of play, and he might just steal the top spot from Markieff Morris with a breakout performance this week.

3. Paul Pierce – Simply stated, Paul Pierce is having the worst season of his storied NBA career.  This season Pierce is averaging career-lows in field goal percentage (37.8%) and three-point percentage (25.6%). Additionally, Pierce is averaging 0.3 offensive rebounds per game, 0.2 blocks per game, and 0.8 steals per game… Yep, you guessed it… Career lows, all of them. Pierce is averaging less than 30 minutes per game for the first time in his career, and his 2.4 assists per game are his lowest since his rookie season (1998-1999). Pierce’s PER is just 12.61, which is over FIVE POINTS less than his previous career low, and his turnover rate is the highest it has ever been. Pierce has fallen to the third spot in the power rankings, and I fear that his decline will not stop there.  However, Pierce will certainly have a chance to prove the doubters (including myself) wrong, as this week the Nets will have five chances to break their losing streak (currently at five games). The Nets will also be looking to win in regulation for the first time since November 5^th; they are 1-7 since that victory against Phoenix.

4. Marcus Morris – Last week I spoke about the Suns and how they had some easy matchups for Markieff Morris to take advantage. I was spot on about the last name, but a few letters off on the first. It was indeed Marcus Morris that had the better week (see below) as he provided Phoenix with great minutes off of the bench. As I mentioned earlier, the Suns will have some solid matchups in the upcoming week that should allow the younger brother to prove that the last few games have been more than just a fluke. Hopefully Marcus Morris will continue to be productive, as over the last week he shot nearly 70% from the field. As he continues to develop his three-point jumper, Marcus Morris could become one of the most valuable backup big men in all of basketball, and I expect another solid week out of him.

5. Kirk Hinrich – What happened to Kirk Hinrich was no fault of his own: Rather, Hinrich moved down this week simply because the players below him were absolutely stellar. Hinrich averaged 7.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.7 rebounds as the Bulls suffered through a tough week, but this may be Hinrich’s time to shine. Unfortunately, Derrick Rose was diagnosed with a torn meniscus, which will keep him out indefinitely. What does this mean for Hinrich? At age 32, Hinrich will essentially be playing for his place in NBA history. With a decent year, Hinrich will be on pace to end his career with 10,000 points, 4,000 assists, 3,000 rebounds, and 1,000 steals. Only 39 players have done that in NBA history… Thirty-nine. Hinrich is one of the most well rounded Jayhawks in the NBA, and he could be a championship away from locking up a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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PLAYER(s) OF THE WEEK: Mario Chalmers and Marcus Morris

This week, there are not one, not two, not three, not four (sorry, I couldn’t resist), well actually, there are two players of the week: Mario Chalmers and Marcus Morris. Both players performed quite well, and it would’ve been difficult, and probably unfair, to say that either one of them had a bigger impact over the last seven days. Marcus Morris averaged 13.3 points per game over the last week, along with 3.7 rebounds, and also shot 66.7% from the floor (14-21). Meanwhile, Chalmers averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game, and shot 52.4% from the field (11-21). Both men ended the week with a victory, and both appear to be rising in value as the season progresses. The Heat will play the Suns this week, which will likely be far from a closely contested game, but Chalmers and Morris will be on display. This game will be the perfect showcase for these two players, as they will be battling against true NBA talent (Chris Bosh and Eric Bledsoe). This game will certainly be one to look out for.

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Overall, the various Jayhawks have begun to carve paths for themselves, as last week’s top five players managed to stay on the list for one more week. So far, a couple of things have become apparent: Xavier Henry is in trouble of being relegated to obscurity once Kobe Bryant comes back, and he likely needs a couple of breakout performances to guarantee that he will continue to get minutes. Another thing to note is the performance of McLemore, as he continues to become more and more consistent. With McLemore, there seems to be a field of six players that have performed better than the rest, but with Thomas Robinson’s value rising, and Paul Pierce’s value plummeting, we could see a massive shakeup in the top five before long.

This week there are two games that really stand out for the Jayhawks in the NBA. The first is actually today (Sunday), as Xavier Henry and the Los Angeles Lakers will face off against Ben McLemore and the Sacramento Kings. This will be a big game for these two players seemingly on very different paths. While Henry is fading, McLemore is rising, and when the two meet there could be fireworks, especially considering that both men have had some nice dunks on the year. The second game to watch will be Wednesday, the 27^th, when the Suns take on the Portland Trail Blazers. Obviously, the Morris twins are key players for the Suns, but one cannot overlook the impact of Thomas Robinson. The last time the two teams met Thomas Robinson had 15 points (6-9 shooting), eight rebounds, and one block as the Portland Trail Blazers scratched their way to a narrow victory. This game will serve as a key test for the three Jayhawk big men involved, and it will certainly be one to follow as the week goes on. Now I am going to leave you all with a brief recap of the power rankings up to this point, and I implore you to comment below with your thoughts, questions, or criticisms of the list: I’d love to hear them!