NBA 2020-21: 5 most improved players since the All-Star break
Since the second half of the ongoing NBA season, several players, including Russell Westbrook and De’Aaron Fox, have shown that they deserved NBA All-Star selection.
These players and a few others have shown much improvement and have demonstrated that they are among the best players in the game at the moment. Unfortunately, it took until after the NBA's All-Star break before most of these players revved up their performances.
Five most improved players since the NBA All-Star break
Several NBA players have produced improved performances since the All-Star break. On that note, let's have a look at five of the best of them.
#5 De’Aaron Fox
Pre-All-Star break: 23.0 points / 3.2 rebounds / 1.2 steals / 46.6% FG / 67.2% FT
Post-All-Star break: 28.9 points / 3.8 rebounds / 1.7 steals / 50.0% FG / 75.7 FT.
One of the hottest shooting players since the NBA All-Star break, De’Aaron Fox has upped his averages in five categories.
In 18 games since the All-Star break, he has scored 30 or more points in nine contests, including two games of more than 40 points. He notched his NBA career-high 44 points during the Sacramento Kings' game against the Golden State Warriors on March 25.
During his red-hot streak, there was a four-game stretch in which Fox scored at least 30 points. His nightly averages in that stretch were 36.8 points on 64% shooting from the field, 82.8% from the line and two steals per game.
#4 Russell Westbrook
Pre-All-Star break: 20.3 points/ 9.7 rebounds/ 9.8 assists/ 42.8% FG/ 58.3% FT.
Post-All-Star break: 23.8 points/ 12.1 rebounds/ 12.3 assists/ 44.7% FG/ 68.2% FT.
Surprising as it may sound, Russell Westbrook is one of the most improved players since the NBA All-Star break. The former NBA MVP missed his first All-Star Game since 2014, and that may have played a role in his resurgence.
Moreover, Westbrook is healthier than ever after being hampered by a quad injury earlier in the season.
In the 19 games since the NBA All-Star Weekend, Westbrook has recorded 13 triple-doubles, which includes streaks of three, four and five in a row. Included in that stretch is a 42-point triple-double and a game that had historic implications.
On March 29 against the Indiana Pacers, the Washington Wizards guard recorded 35 points, 21 assists and 14 rebounds.
That marked the first 35-point, 20-assist triple-double in NBA history. Westbrook is also only the third player in NBA history to log at least 30 points, 20 assists and 10 rebounds in a game, joining Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as the only players to have done so.
#3 Jonas Valanciunas
Pre-All-Star break: 15.6 points/ 11.3 rebounds/ 53.9% FG/ 75.6% FT.
Post-All-Star break: 18.9 points/ 14.6 rebounds/ 62.0% FG/ 80.3% FT.
Jonas Valanciunas is doing plenty of work in the paint that has made him one of the most improved players since the NBA All-Star break. The Memphis Grizzlies center is among the most efficient players in the game.
Valanciunas leads the league in total rebounds since the break, with 291 in 20 games. During this stretch, he has pulled down at least 15 boards in nine games and 20 or more twice.
Included in those 20-rebound games are the 29 points and 20 rebounds he registered against the Washington Wizards on March 10, as well as the 34 points and 22 rebounds he tallied against the Indiana Pacers on April 11.
Moreover, Valanciunas has made an average of eight field goals on 12.9 attempts per game, making him nearly unstoppable, especially near the basket.
#2 Donovan Mitchell
Pre-All-Star break: 24.7 points / 42.1% FG / 82.4% FT.
Post-All-Star break: 30.5 points / 46.8% FG / 87.8% FT.
Perhaps Donovan Mitchell took it personally when he was taken with the penultimate pick of the NBA All-Star Draft by Kevin Durant.
It’s hard to believe he was not picked earlier, as he has been torching the nets since the break with one scintillating performance after another.
In the 17 games since the second half of the NBA season, Mitchell has scored 30 or more points nine times, which includes 40 or more four times. In fact, his last three 40-point games have come in his last four outings.
Mitchell has had nine games of 30+ points before, but he never recorded a 40-point outing in his 34 appearances. Moreover, his shooting percentage has improved, which has massively benefitted the Utah Jazz. They’ve won 12 of 17 games thus far, which includes a nine-game winning streak.
#1 Michael Porter Jr.
Pre-All-Star break: 14.6 points/ 7 rebounds/ 50.2% FG/ 41.6% 3-pt FG.
Post-All-Star break: 21.3 points/ 8.8 rebounds/ 56.7% FG/ 42.9% 3-pt FG.
After the NBA All-Star break, Michael Porter Jr. has started showcasing his all-around game that has made the Denver Nuggets more dangerous. The huge leap in stats shows that his improvement has coincided with that of his team, who have gone 13-5 since the break.
This isn’t just because he is playing more minutes (33.3 vs 28.6) either side of the NBA All-Star break. The jump in minutes is because of his production and not the other way round.
In the 18 games since the break, Porter Jr. has scored 20 or more points in 12 of them, including four in a row twice. Prior to the break, he only did that six times in 28 appearances.
At one point, he drained five 3-pointers in three of four games between March 24 and 30. Simply put, Porter is the most improved player since the NBA All-Star break.
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