By Ethan Barlow

In a week where the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament competition knockout matches took centre stage, here are the best performers across the week:

PG - Tyrese Haliburton

Haliburton playing for the Pacers (Image: Getty Images)

With the Indiana Pacers making it to the in-season tournament finals, it was only right to include their now superstar guard, Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers started their week with a regular season win at Miami, before their two in-season knockout round wins against the two Eastern Conference teams with the best records so far this season, the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers will have to take care of a high-flying LeBron James and LA Lakers team, to have their name be the first on an in-season tournament cup. Haliburton’s performances so far this season have put him well on track to winning the Most Improved Player award, and he is now undoubtedly one of the best point guards in the league. He could help the Pacers achieve great things this season, beyond this tournament. Across the Pacers’ two in-season tournament wins this week (Haliburton didn’t play against Miami Heat), Haliburton averaged: 26.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and a ridiculously impressive 14 assists. The 2020 rookie shot: 57% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 100% from his three, free-throws.

SG - Desmond Bane

Bane has been magnificent for the Memphis Grizzlies (Image: Getty Images)

After being the second seed in the Western Conference last season, the Memphis Grizzlies have started this campaign terribly. Missing key players like Steve Adams due to injury and Ja Morant through off-court issues. They had picked up just four wins from 17 matches before this week. The Grizzlies completed wins in two of their three matches this week, and the man at the heart of this was another 2020 rookie, Desmond Bane. Bane starred in an impressive win at a Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks, he also put up a respectable 27 points in a defeat at the Phoenix Suns. But the highlight of his week was his 49-point haul, at the Detroit Pistons. With the Grizzlies main man, Ja Morant being available for selection in six matches, could they make an outsider’s run for the Play-ins? Across the three matches, Bane averaged: 35.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks. He shot: 59% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 83% from free-throws.

C - Giannis Antetokounmpo

It’s a second team of the week in a row for “The Greek Freak” (Image: Getty Images)

Giannis deservedly makes the team of the week for the second week running. He helped the Bucks to a win at home to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, contributing a 32-point triple-double. Antetokounmpo then helped Milwaukee reach the in-season tournament Eastern Conference Final with a home win against the New York Knicks. Despite the Bucks losing to the Pacers, was excellent, as he scored 37 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks as his team fell just short of a chance at silverware, but there’s no doubt Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will be back to compete for the Championship by the end of the season. Across the week Antetokounmpo averaged: 34.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1 block. The 2019 and 2020 MVP shot, 69% from the field, 33% from three-point range and 70% from free-throws.

SF - Mikal Bridges

The Nets star in action for the USA (Image: Getty Images)

Mikal Bridges was unfortunate to miss out on last week's Team of the Week as he helped the Brooklyn Nets to three wins from four, but this week, he had to be included after the Nets picked up two wins from two. Across their two victories, Bridges grabbed the headlines in two different ways. On Saturday, he had 26 first-quarter points (yes, you read that right, 26 first-quarter points), which was more than the entirety of the Eastern Conference’s second-seed team, Orlando Magic. Bridges couldn’t keep up his ridiculous scoring rate in the match, as he finished up with a still very impressive 42 points, which helped the New York side to a remarkably easy victory against one of the league's most in-form teams. On Wednesday, Bridges hit the winning shot with five seconds on the clock to beat the Hawks 114-113 as the former Sun came up in clutch. Across these two wins, the Nets’ standout had averaged 37 points, five rebounds, 4.5 assists and two blocks. Bridges shot very well with 62% from the field, 60% from three-point range and 87% from free-throws.

PF - LeBron James

Age is just a number for the Lakers star (Image: Getty Images)

LeBron turns 39 at the end of this month and across his career, he has won: four NBA championships, four MVPs, four NBA Finals MVPs and two Olympic gold medals, and yet he seems like he’s still not finished, as he looks desperate to have his name on the inaugural in-season tournament cup. LeBron put up a quite usual performance from a 38-year-old version of someone, many call the greatest of all-time, in the Lakers' win against the Houston Rockets in a regular season match on Saturday. But in this increasingly competitive in-season tournament and their two wins against the Suns and the New Orleans Pelicans, it’s like King James smells a cup and has rolled back the years to do anything he can to take this Lakers team to glory. If the Lakers can overcome the Pacers on Saturday, LeBron would be likely to pick up the first-ever in-season tournament MVP award, which is history in itself, but were he to win it, would we ever see another 38-year-old pick up that award? It’s very unlikely. LeBron was a stellar performer across the two in-season tournament matches and here are his averages across those two games specifically: 30.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.5 blocks. He shot, 57% from the field, 75% from three-point range and 93% from free-throws.

6th Man of the week - Austin Reaves

LeBron James isn’t the only Lakers player to do well this week - Austin Reaves also caught the eye (Image: Getty Images)

Rookie of the week - Keyonte George

NBA team of the week