NBA teams that are wed to the idea of winning at the highest levels, have an elite "Best Man" baller right?
So I went to a wedding this weekend, hung out with lots of longtime friends, including the best man. And that got me thinking about who the "Best Man" ballers are in the NBA. Who did I miss?
So I spent this weekend attending the wedding of Boston Globe columnist Gary Washburn, a wedding that I pulled double-duty at as the emcee and as one of Gary’s groomsmen.
Courtesy of A. Sherrod Blakely
As enjoyable as the laughs and libations were, at some point I had to get back to reality and, you know, write a little somethin’ somethin’ about the NBA.
The more I thought about what to write, the more I kept flashing back to the wedding which brought together so many of my sports journo brothers from another mother.
Among them was one of the first people I met in the business years ago, James Black, who is Director of Sports Programming, Strategy with Yahoo! Sports.
It was cool to see JB who was Gary’s best man which got me thinking…
Who are the NBA’s best, “Best Man” ballers?
You know, the guy who is kind of a big deal, but is a clear No. 2 to that team’s main event/superstar.
There’s a lot of guys who fit the mold, but only a handful are truly “Best Man” ballers.
Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
The 6-foot-8 Middleton does exactly what a Best Man should do, and that is to make sure he does his part to make sure the main attraction (Giannis Antetokounmpo) gets the ring. As great as Antetokounmpo has been in the league, the Bucks would not be the defending NBA champions if it wasn’t for Middleton’s steady-as-she-goes brand of basketball. He’s never going to wow you with fast-break dunks on anyone. He’s not going to hit you with a killer-crossover, either. What he does as good as any second option in the NBA, is get buckets. He’s so good that in what has been a relatively down year for him, he’s still dropping 18.5 points per game while dishing out five assists and grabbing 5.6 rebounds, numbers that only 12 other players in the league average as much or more than, this season. But what really put him on the top of this list? What else? The ring, people.
Rudy Gobert, Utah
Gobert has won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards, but the Jazz is led by Donovan Mitchell. Gobert has been a reliable number two option to Mitchell, steadily becoming more impactful offensively which makes Utah a much tougher foe. This season, Gobert is averaging a double-double of 14.6 points and 15.1 rebounds to go with 2.2 blocks per game.
Tobias Harris, Philadelphia
Even before Ben Simmons’ future in Philly was on the outs, Harris was doing his part to play that “Best Man” role to Joel Embiid. And with Simmons out of the picture indefinitely, Harris’ status with the team is not in question anymore. He is the next best thing on this Sixers roster, to Embiid. His shooting numbers are slightly down this season, but he’s still chipping in 18.9 points along with 8.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game with the latter two categories close to being career-best numbers. He would rank higher if the Sixers (15-12, sixth in the East) had a better record.
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland
One of the early leaders for the league’s Most Improved Player award, Allen has played well enough to where he will get serious All-Star consideration this season. He’s not just playing well, but playing at a near-historic level when you consider he’s averaging 17.3 points per game while shooting 70.3 percent from the field to go with 11.2 rebounds. No player in NBA history has ever averaged 15 or more points and 10 or more rebounds while shooting better than 70 percent from the field. As well as he has played, point guard Darius Garland is the straw that has been stirring up one win after another for the Cavs this season.
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota
On the majority of the teams in the NBA, Anthony Edwards would be must-see basketball on a nightly basis. But the Timberwolves are led by Karl-Anthony Towns with Edwards more than comfortable being at his side. But as important as the 21.5 points and 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists Edwards brings to the game on a nightly basis, one of the keys to being a good “Best Man” baller in the NBA, is speaking out from time to time to remind your main guy how amazingly awesome he is. “He’s the best player on the floor every night. He’s gotta kill ‘em,” Edwards said.