NBA 2018-19, Week 6: Winners and Losers
Heading closer towards the quarter mark of the 2018/19 NBA season, we are starting to see some more consistent trends on what to expect from teams and players around the league.
We've seen plenty of surprises already, with the Los Angeles Clippers continuously exceeding expectations and moving into the top spot in the Western Conference as the Golden State Warriors lose more in one week then ever before since Steve Kerr's arrival to Oakland.
Now it's time to look over the past week of the NBA and see the biggest winners and losers of week 6.
Jimmy Butler - Winner
Jimmy Butler being traded to join with Embiid and Simmons at the 76ers divided fans as many were unsure how the three stars would fit together while others thought Philadelphia had just built the next super team to take over the NBA.
Butler has well and truly put a lot of critics behind him as he has indeed raised the 76ers to new heights since the trade happened. An elite two way player, Butler has done what he was brought there to do on multiple occasions already, most recently against the Brooklyn Nets with the clock ticking down and the game on the line Butler pulled up and hit the dagger to put the 76ers up 127-125 to win their 5th of the last 6 games.
Butler's stock is rising and a great rate since the trade as he looks to cash in on his impending free agency, definitely one of the largest winners of this week.
Utah Jazz - Loser
The Utah Jazz have started this season off poorly after being last years great underdog stories. The Jazz are under .500 with the 13th best record in the Western Conference at 10-12 and aren't looking like getting any better.
The lack of a second option to Donovan Mitchell is clearly hurting the Jazz as defenses are more switched on and ready for the second year guard. Mitchell has still been excellent this season scoring 20.6 points off 41.8% shooting, but has failed to receive enough help from the rest of the team which is leading to such a poor record.
Offense hasn't been there only issue, even though Utah made a name for themselves as one of the better defenses in the league, they are down to 14th in the league in defensive rating and are struggling to find their best form after losing three of their past five games.