As week 22 in the JBL wraps up, we are looking at a very tight race a top the standings. Maui is at 1177 and Bangkok is at 1135. The gap is just 42 and in fact, at one point, was just 29 points as Kok hit 1148 briefly.
Can the Kok do it? A few weeks ago I would have said probably not. But now, with the stars aligning, I definitely believe the Kok can do it. Will he? Well, let's see what the final 3 weeks bring.
How does the Kok reach the top of the mountain? Well, there are actually lots of avenues which has to be concerning for Maui. What categories should we be watching for the final weeks?
3PT%
Currently, the Kok sits 3rd (36.5%) but has room to gain 26 points with some continued to good shooting from deep. Look at these 3% numbers from last week. Hart 46%, Mitchell 47%, Edwards 52%, Rozier 44% and JJJ 46%. Can they keep it up or will they regress to the norm? For the season - Hart 34%, Mitchell 36%, Edwards 35%, Rozier 38% and JJJ 32%. Whether this bunch stays hot from downtown or not could mean some additional points for the Kok.
Maui sits at 36.2% but could be a hot streak away from getting back in the mix.
ATO
Kok and Bellingham are essentially tied at 2.067 but Kok gets the nod based on percentage points. That's a big 13 points for Kok to hold onto. And Maui is lurking behind at 2.041 so it's not out of the question that they make a late run. Draymond is back and FVV should help. Maui sure could use Lonzo about now but he doesn't appear close to returning.
BLOCKS
The Kok could gain 52 points in a perfect world. There are 5 teams within 10 blocks so I think we should see some movement here in the coming weeks.
FG%
The Kok (47.7%) had caught Cali (47.8%) briefly last night so this is another potential 13 points for the Kok. Of course, Golden (47.6%) is right on the Kok's heels and might be a concern.
Maui and Seoul are deadlocked (Seoul ahead by fractions) at 46.4% and Maui could use a +13 here.
POINTS
Bangkok is now within 100 points of Golden which would give him another +20 in the standings. The Wack is just 46 points behind the Kok though so there is some movement possibilities here both ways for the Kok.
STEALS
Bangkok has a 15 steal lead on Maui. That might be too large a gap to make up but you never know these days. That's a 26 point swing if Maui could somehow catch the Kok.
REBOUNDS
Maui is just 4 rebounds ahead of the Kok now. This would be a 30 point swing if it happens. Just this category alone would move the current standings to 1162 to 1150 for Maui - meaning the Kok would only need 13 more points to get into the lead.
Kok and Maui were the top rebounding teams last week (273 to 248) so the Kok does have the horses to out-rebound the Ribs.
For me, it's 3PT%, Blocks and Rebounds that will decide the title now. If Kok stays hot, there's over 100 points available to him still. That would obviously put him in rarified air and well over 1200 points. Can they do it? Only time will tell.
What I do know is that 2 things will likely happen this season....
1) We will see another NEW 1st time JBL title winner
2) French's streak of 7 consecutive 1st or 2nd finishes will come to an end.
Buckle up...the last few weeks should be very entertaining.
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