Dec 12, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (8) and Portland Trail Blazers center Mason Plumlee (24) fight for position at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
6. Mason Plumlee (Last Month: 3)
December Stats: 7.0 PPG/2.3 APG/6.0 RPG
Best Game of December (so far): 12/3 vs. IND – 12 points/10 rebounds/1 block
The big man out of Duke has not been nearly as effective as he was in late November. Up until December 5th, Plumlee had averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds over 7 games. Since then, he has only got a double-double in one of the past 5 games. Passion is never the issue for Plumlee, who plays wholeheartedly each night. The problem is that his offense game is almost completely predicated on what the guards do. He can’t really create his own shot, so there are games where he disappears entirely on the offensive side of the ball . For example: against the Bucks, Plumlee only took 4 shots and scored a whopping 3 points. Before we can herald him as an improvement over Robin Lopez, Plumlee has to show a more steady and determined approach on offense (much like Lopez did in his tenure here).