So far this season, each team has completed 70% of the schedule and officially entered the tiebreaker period:
Leaders like the Suns and Warriors enter the "sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight" link in advance; the nets and Lakers, two giants, are trying to fight for playoff tickets; the Rockets and Thunder, which choose to rebuild the team, "actor's self-cultivation" is about to debut.
Stars are the soul of a team, but basketball as a team sport, even if the individual strength is strong, there is no "green leaf" next to him, after all, he cannot stand on the highest podium. Take stock of seven players who have been well valued for money this season:
7. Munch (annual salary of $1.67 million)
Season stats: 13 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three-point range.
Last offseason, Caruso, who was called "Desperate Three" by Lakers fans, received a four-year, $37 million contract from the Chicago Bulls; Tucker, who entered the league with the 16th pick in the second round in 2019, received a three-year, $30.87 million extension contract with an average of 9 points per game last season.
The above two players who are not favored by NBA scouts, on the stage of the Los Angeles Lakers, surrounded by the media spotlight, only a faint light on their bodies, are quickly captured and displayed in front of the fans, and eventually lead to a skyrocketing value.
As the No. 11 pick in the first round of 2017, Munch is 1.91 meters tall and has excellent physical fitness, averaging 11.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in the final year of his rookie contract, and shooting 40.1% from three-point range.
Such a strong backcourt player, because of his thin body, coupled with poor overall view and independent offensive ability, was snubbed in the free agent market last year, in order to be able to get a favorite mid-range contract with Caruso and Tucker, he chose to come to the Lakers surrounded by countless spotlights.
This season has been lucky for Munch, the Lakers signed $10 million in two years, Nunn has not yet appeared this season due to a knee injury, Westbrook's form is also up and down, no one can use Vogel to give Munch 27.1 minutes of playing time, the 24-year-old played the best season of his career.
Shooting 39.9 percent from three-point range and averaging 2.3 three-pointers per game, Munch has surpassed Anthony to become the lakers' strongest shooter this season, and his innate quick subconscious has allowed him to often complete steals with Westbrook to inject vitality into the team. Against the backdrop of the Lakers, a large traffic player, Munch has raised his value to tens of millions of annual salaries by relying on excellent performance.
6. Payton II (annual salary of $1.67 million)
Season stats: 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 61.9% shooting, 36.2% three-point shooting
As the Golden State Warriors' most trusted backcourt defender this season, Payton Jr.'s career has been inspiring:
After graduating from high school, Peyton Jr. chose to attend Oregon State University, a veritable basketball underdog that didn't even make it to the NCAA in the 25 years before he arrived.
In Payton Jr.'s senior season, he averaged 16 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, shooting 48.6 percent from the field, and was named the best defender in the Lower League, helping his home team break into the NCAA in historic form.
After graduating from college, Payton Jr. automatically qualified for the 2016 NBA Draft, and because he came from an unknown small team and his stats and personal ability were not outstanding, he was not surprisingly selected in the draft. Over the next five years, he kept repeating "signing, being cut, developing alliances" until 2021.
Last offseason, the Warriors, whose luxury tax exploded, did not have any salary space to reinforce, and only signed Iguodala, Otto Porter and Belitsa with three base salary contracts, and in order to increase the depth of the backcourt lineup, they chose to give the defensively excellent Peyton Jr. a chance.
As the so-called "opportunity is left to those who are prepared", in the small ball system that Kerr is good at, Peyton Jr. runs tirelessly to make the team's offensive end more layered; at the defensive end that he is good at, relying on excellent physical fitness and defensive awareness, his current defensive efficiency in the field is as high as 101.4, ranking eighth in the league, reducing Curry's physical exertion on the defensive end.
After this season's tempering, Payton Jr.'s golden style of play has become a must-have player for various championship teams, much like Caruso when the Lakers won the championship. After this season's tempering, it is a foregone conclusion that Peyton Jr. will receive a fully secure contract.
5. Biyongbo (annual salary of 860,000 US dollars)
Season stats: 8.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 61.5 percent shooting, 52.9 percent free throw shooting
As a skilful blue-collar center, Biyombo was able to make it to the NBA league, and a basketball game in April 2011 played a crucial role:
In the basketball summit held by a sports brand, Biyongbo played as a member of the world team, in this game of trusting talent, Biyongbo played 28 minutes, easily won 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks of triple-double data, excellent bounce speed and defense awareness let him be concerned by various NBA scouts.
Soon the 2011 NBA Draft arrived as scheduled, and Biyongbo, who was 2.03 meters tall and had an arm span of 2.29 meters, was finally selected by the Kings with the 7th pick in the first round, and then sent to the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in a three-way trade, officially starting his NBA career.
In his rookie period, his poor basketball skills than Yongbo made it difficult for him to have a bright performance, and he was always on the verge of being eliminated by the league. As the so-called "one game is the peak", the turning point of Biyombo's career came in 2016, when he played for the Toronto Raptors, in the East Final G3 game against the Cavaliers, he slashed 7 points, 26 rebounds and 4 blocks, reducing the Cavaliers' Big Three led by James to a background board.
After this series, Biyongbo was signed by the Orlando Magic for four years and $70 million, coming to the team that has not organized a point guard, Biyongbo was quickly beaten back to its original form, averaging 6+6 per game, and was sent back to his old club Hornets by the Magic after two seasons.
After enjoying the benefits of his middle-class contract, Billyon Beyombo became a base-paying player, playing in 66 games for the Hornets last season, averaging 5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and no team threw an olive branch at him after the expiration of his base-salary contract, so he became an unemployed player.
The Suns, as the strongest team in terms of overall strength this season, encountered an injury trend in the middle of the season, and the main center Ayton missed many games due to injury, in order to strengthen the interior lineup, the team signed a ten-day short contract with Biyombo, giving him a chance to re-employ.
Under Paul's careful "feeding", those who can run and jump do not quickly find their form, excellent blocking tactics, tireless frontcourt rebounding, so that he can easily cut two double-double data in many games, and the Sun management also announced that he would renew his contract until the end of the season. In a team that aspires to win the championship, it can "eat the cake" and defend it better than Yongbo.
4. Jeff Green ($4.5 million annual salary)
Season stats: 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 51% shooting, 32.3% three-point shooting
Last summer, the Nets' dream of winning the championship finally lost to injuries, and Cai Chongxin's choice of "quick success" brought a high luxury tax to the team, infinitely compressing the team's reinforcement space. The offseason free agency market arrived as scheduled, and the Nets' contracts expired for several players, including Bruce Brown, Griffin and Jeff Green.
Of the three main rotation players, Jeff Green is the best player, averaging 11 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, shooting 41.2% from three points, the most trusted scoring point outside the Big Three.
But at this time, the Nets only have a mystery of your middle-class contract quota, Jeff Green has only one requirement for the contract to renew, that is, the contract must be more than two years, forced by luxury taxes and the reason for the future direction of development, the Nets gave up the renewal of Jeff Green, gave the mini middle-class contract to Bruce Brown, and then signed Griffin, Aldridge, Millsap and other players with a basic salary.
Jeff Green, who flowed into the free market, was soon signed by the Nuggets for two years and $9 million to come to Denver Heights, and the 35-year-old veteran is still a sword, repeatedly staging empty cuts and dunks. With Murray and Porter Jr. injured, Jeff Green was promoted to the starter and worked with Jokic on the pitch as if the two had known each other for years.
Ten years ago, Jeff Green underwent heart surgery, and it was a miracle to be able to return to the NBA, as a veteran who is about to retire, the gap can still contribute 10 points and 3 rebounds, which is enough to show his self-discipline. The Nuggets' vision in last year's offseason, compared to the Nets' current quagmire, is definitely sharp.
3. Batum (annual salary of $3.17 million)
Season stats: 9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 48.9 percent shooting, 41.5 percent three-point range
Speaking of Batum, the most uncomfortable is the Hornets management, in the 19-20 season, Batum averaged only 3.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game in Charlotte, at this time his annual salary is $23.97 million, the Hornets in order to complete the reconstruction as soon as possible, chose to buy out his last year of $26.58 million contract, paid in three seasons.
That is to say, although Batum's annual salary with the Clippers this season is only $3.17 million, he can still receive the Hornets' $8.86 million buyout salary, which adds up to his annual salary of more than $12 million.
After leaving the Hornets, Batum, as an organizational forward, was signed by the Los Angeles Clippers, and under the management of new head coach Tyren Lu, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and the three-point shooting rate previously criticized by Hornets fans was also stable at more than 40%, which was very different from the state of the Hornets.
In last year's playoffs, due to the unexpected injury of core Leonard, the Clippers withdrew from the championship race early, and Batum's base salary contract also expired, in order to keep this player who can organize, three points and can defend, the Clippers disregarded the luxury tax factor and came up with a two-year contract extension worth $6.5 million.
So far this season, in the absence of George and Leonard due to injury, the Clippers' record is still stable in the eighth place in the West, crushing the Lakers in the same city. Among the Clippers, Batum is undoubtedly the one with the highest ball quotient, and although the data is mediocre (averaging 6.6 shots per game), the two three-pointers hit per game always appear at the team's key moments.
Batum's role in the Clippers this season is equivalent to the Spurs' Dior of that year, the single soldier defense ability is excellent, the assistant defense is aware of the position, the bottom corner three-point shooting rate is stable, in addition to the age-affected pace movement, the rest of the aspects can be called the most stable puzzle of the championship team, the Clippers signed him with a contract close to the base salary is definitely a value-added choice.
2. Austin Rivers ($930,000 annual salary)
Season stats: 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 48.8% shooting, 32.6% three-point shooting
When Caruso chose to join the Chicago Bulls for a larger contract, the Lakers chose Bazmore and Ellington with excellent three-point ability in the point guard position, munch and Nunn in order to ensure the vitality of the lineup, plus the "talent monster" Tucker and the triple-double King Wei Shao, the Lakers' point guard line this season is overcrowded.
Just when Lakers fans thought That Pelinka would supplement the front line-up, the Lakers chose to sign the lost draft Austin Rivers with a two-year non-guarantee contract, a thin no.1 or no.2 swinger.
As a 1.96m tall double guard, Rivers played for four years of college, averaging 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in his senior season, shooting 44.3% from the field and 30.5% from three-point range.
At last year's draft, "older rookie" Rivers had the opportunity to be selected to enter the NBA at the end of the second round, but he gave up signing opportunities in order to enter the team of his choice. Because he was a Kobe bryant fan since childhood, Rivers chose to play in the summer league for the Lakers.
In the summer league full of rookies and losing drafts, young Player Rivers played brilliantly, averaging 11.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1 block per game, and the active scrambling and steady playing style on the court gradually conquered the Lakers management and won him a two-year contract.
So far this season, Rivers has played 39 games for the Lakers, all on the bench, and when he was on the floor, the team's net efficiency was 7.3, which is the highest figure in the Lakers (James -0.7, Thick Brow -2.4, Westbrook -3.1), which is enough to explain his contribution on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends.
As a second-place with mediocre physical fitness, Rivers is a typical academic basketball representative, playing a board and a glance, almost rarely appearing "on the head", and actively fighting and defending on the court like the former Caruso. But the difference between the two is that Rivers has a personal offensive ability to hold the ball and has a big heart, and has repeatedly saved the Lakers at key moments in the game this season, and the Signing of the Lakers, which has no intention of planting willows, is now thriving.
1. Portis ($4.35 million annual salary)
Season stats: 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 48.2% from the field and 41% from three-point range.
In the 2015 Draft, Portis, who was 2.08 meters tall, with an arm span of 2.18 meters and an outside range, was selected by the Bulls with the 22nd pick in the first round. After two seasons of rookie seasons, Portis gained a foothold in the Bulls, averaging 14+7 per game and secured the team's number four main position.
At this time, Portis thought he would become the core player of the Bulls' rebuilding, but an ankle sprain in late 2018 and a fight with teammate Mirotic made the Bulls management choose to trade it. It is worth mentioning that the Bulls sent Portis, Jabari Parker and a second-round pick that year, only to get the Wizards' Otto Porter.
In the 18-19 season, Portis averaged 14.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for the Wizards, and his excellent performance allowed him to receive a two-year, $31 million extension from the Knicks in the summer of 2019, and the next year as a team option. Coming to the "gold-sucking city" of New York, Portis's performance began to decline, because of the conflict with Randall's position, only one season of playing was abandoned by the Knicks.
In the summer of 2020, Portis chose to join the Bucks for two years of $8 million, averaging 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in the regular season, shooting 47.1% from three-point range, and his outside battery with Lopez The Greater Lopez opened up space for Alphabet Brother to break through the inside line and helped the team win the coveted championship.
Last offseason, Portis, who had a chance to earn tens of millions of dollars in annual salary, accepted a two-year, 86 million contract extension for the Bucks, to which he said: "I prefer the atmosphere of the Bucks to more money!" ”
So far this season, because of the injury of the team's center Lopez, Portis has played the best season of his career, averaging 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game is a career high, and his combination with the alphabet brother can average 20.3 rebounds per game, ensuring the Bucks' advantage in rebounding.
As a space-type number four, Portis can hit nearly two three-pointers per game, and the shooting rate of more than 40% is threatening, because with his presence, the Bucks' interior space is no longer crowded, and the big stride meteor breakthrough that Alphabet Brother is good at has become easier.