- Enemies (4-0):
At this rate it’s hard to think anyone will be able to knock off the defending champions. Enemies continue to take care of business regardless of any team that steps in their way, while getting better each week. Every player scored at least six points this week. But their offense has never been in question and it’s the defensive side where they’ve been more impressive. They’re average margin of victory is nine points and they just held a rolling Tri-State team to their second lowest point total while Jason Richardson was held to just three points. Until any team knocks them off, it’s hard to not see them as the best team in the BIG3.
- Triplets (3-1):
Another week, another shooting clinic put on by the Triplets. In one of the fastest games of the week, the Triplets made quick work on the Aliens and gifted Lisa Leslie with a win for her birthday. Joe Johnson looked like his normal self in his return and the Pargo brothers continue to torch teams from behind the arc. Jannero Pargo leads the league in 3-pointers after scoring just three points all of last season and Jeremy Pargo is on the brink of breaking the 4-pointer record with 4 of them already this summer. Triplets have overwhelmed opponents the past three weeks with victories by 13-plus points but those opponents have a combined record of 4-8 through four weeks. They’re making it look easy but the question is will that continue as they face tougher tests.
- Bivouac (4-0):
It was separation week as we got across the halfway point in the season and Bivouac is still unscathed. After close games in three straight weeks, Gary Payton’s squad dominated the Killer 3’s behind a strong defensive effort. That’s really been the theme of this team alongside strong performances from Corey Brewer and Garlon Green. The two are both top-10 in scoring and rebounding while leading Bivouac to their best record in franchise history. Coming off their most convincing win of the season, they look like contenders and at this point they look like a team that’s going to make their first playoff appearance.
- 3’s Company (3-1):
Outside of their one loss, 3’s Company has been virtually unstoppable. That was evidenced this past week after a 23-point win over the Ghost Ballers. Four players scored in double digits and rookie Nasir Core might be the Rookie of the Year frontrunner after another career game. Core has been in the lineup the past couple weeks to help 3’s Company close it out and this week put on a master class. They’re the most efficient team on offense and they’re only real issue has been around fouls. Consider the fact that he’s a rookie playing alongside Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley, and Reggie Evans and it’s hard to think this team misses the playoffs as of now.
- Tri-State (2-2):
After a couple weeks of looking like a championship contender, Tri-State fell back to Earth this past week. While Kevin Murphy dropped a double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds) and Henry Sims continues to impress on a weekly basis, they struggled to get Jason Richardson going. Richardson was held to just three points and didn’t score a single point in the second half. It’s clear that this team goes as far as Richardson takes them. When he scores under 10 points they’re 0-2 on the year. This is still a well-rounded team though and a team that could very well take home the championship, but they’ll need their captain to have big games if they want to get Dr. J the trophy that’s named after him.
- 3 Headed Monsters (2-2):
It took an 11-0 run late with their opponent one point away from the target score to get back to .500, but a win is a win. Despite the narrow victory, 3 Headed Monsters showed they can play under pressure and Jeff Teague is starting to heat up as the season progresses. Teague scored a BIG3 career-high 17 points and sank the game-winning free throws to get their team another win. Additionally, they’ve been a team that’s allowed big runs but they were able to come up with their own moments when they needed it most. That’ll be key down the stretch as Rashard Lewis’ squad has really only had one bad loss and that was without their captain. Maybe we’re just now starting to see the potential makeup of this team.
- Ghost Ballers (2-2):
Playing in primetime has not been kind to Ghost Ballers. In their two games on CBS, they’re 0-2 and lost by an average of just over 18 points. Darnell Jackson was the only bright as their top-3 scorers entering Week 4 put up a combined 10 points in their latest game. Mike Taylor has averaged just over 8 points a game the past three weeks and Ryan “Hezi God” Carter is averaging just 7 PPG after leading the league in average scoring at 21.8 PPG. Turnovers have been costly and their guards have been inconsistent. Not to mention, they’ve had issues on defense. At 2-2 this team is definitely still in a position to turn things around but they need a clean game along with a win this week to put themselves in a manageable position.
- Ball Hogs (2-2):
Ball Hogs got the win this past week but it wasn’t pretty. Shooting from beyond the 3-point line has still been an issue for them as they shot just 4-of-22 from the perimeter in Week 4. On the plus side, Leandro Barbosa and Jodie Meeks had their best outputs of the season scoring 22 and 21 points, respectively. Last year, they were at their best when their two All-Star guards played off each other so it helps that they both had their season-highs in the same game. That being said, they were also at their best when they moved the ball and found each other on backdoor cuts which we didn’t see a ton of until the second half this past week. If they want to make their first playoff appearance, we’ll need to see a lot more of their second half offense, better play on the defensive side, and improved 3-point shooting.
- Power (1-3):
Not sure if anybody expected Power to be sitting in the bottom tier of the standings through the halfway point in the season. To sum it up, Power has looked disastrous, especially over the past couple games. On the defensive side, they look out of sync every week and offensively the load has been shouldered by Glen Rice Jr. Doesn’t help that he’s been ejected in half of the games played already this season to limit them scoring wise late in ball games. Marcus Foster looked like a star in the making the first couple weeks but has averaged just 5.5 PPG the past two games. Meanwhile, Royce White hasn’t been able to bully defenders to the cup like we’re used to. Typically, this isn’t a team you want to see in the second half of the schedule but this summer’s going to end early for a habitual playoff contender if they can’t figure out how to get more stops consecutively.
- Aliens (1-3):
The underdog story that wasn’t. Aliens looked like a team that could compete after their big win in Week 2 and a close loss in Week 3 but they barely got their shoes on last week before the lead ballooned to 17 against the Triplets. Look, it always felt like a lost season following the loss of their captain in Paul Millsap but Devin Ebanks looked like a revelation his first couple of weeks. That being said, Ebanks had just four points in Week 4, Dusan Bulut has had one of his worst seasons since joining the BIG3, and Al Jefferson looks like a shell of himself. On the brightside, Abraham Millsap had a career-game with 16 points but until they can stop offensives from scoring at an efficient clip, this team has no shot.
- Trilogy (0-4):
Even after scoring a BIG3 single-game record 37 points, Isaiah Briscoe still couldn’t will his squad to their first win. At 0-4, Trilogy might have just let their last hope slip away after conceding a nine-point lead with 49 points on the board. It feels like the same story every week. One player shouldering the offensive load, others players struggling, and solid play defensively. No team has ever made the playoffs after starting the season 0-3 (let alone 0-4) and now the BIG3 community is left wondering if this is the end of the league’s first ever dynasty.
- Killer 3’s (0-4):
Another team that we might be watching take their last breath with the same core. Killer 3’s group of Franklin Session, Donte Greene, Josh Powell, and Dominique Johnson has been one that has given teams fits the past three years. They’ve managed to be a contender over that time frame and finish with at least 5 wins every year. That’ll change this year after dropping their fourth straight game to start the year and their second consecutive loss of 15-plus. They’re arguably the worst defensive team in the league and can’t seem to find a consistent go-to scorer on a weekly basis. They don’t have a single player shooting over 40 percent from the field and Session is the only player shooting at least 40 percent from beyond the arc In addition, they’ve always been a hard-nosed team finding ways to win through their efforts. That was showcased by their squad being the best rebounding team through the first couple of weeks but they haven’t won on the glass or the 50-50 balls in Weeks 3 and 4. At this point, Killer 3’s hopes to play spoiler as their playoff hopes are slim to none.