T.J. Warren Has Turned Into ‘Bubble’ Superman
When it was announced that the NBA was going to go to the “bubble”, not many knew what to expect. Are teams going to start slow? Fast? Is bucket after bucket going to be scored? Any players going to be rusty?
Some teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies haven’t been good. Others -like the Phoenix Suns- have been on fire.
As for players, there are a lot of guys that have been playing well. But one man in particular has appeared to be on a mission. That man is Indiana Pacers forward T.J. Warren, who appears to have turned into Superman during his time of quarantine.
My grandfather had Kareem
My dad had Jordan
I have Orlando Bubble TJ Warren
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) August 5, 2020
Warren, 26, is in his first season with the Pacers after being traded by the Phoenix Suns this past offseason for cash considerations.
Over his 61 games with Indiana before the bubble, Warren averaged 18.7 points per game on 52.9% shooting. Not bad at all, but compared to his stats in the bubble, they look like a load of horse manure.
What TJ Warren is doing in the bubble is insane. Reminder this is a guy who was traded for “cash considerations.”
– 53 points (win)
– 34 points (win)
– 32 points (win)
– 16 points (loss)
– 39 points (win)Combined stats: 34.8 PPG, 60% FG pic.twitter.com/c6NDzO0mGp
— Kendall Baker (@TheKendallBaker) August 9, 2020
Warren has been playing like a man possessed and looks to continue his roll as Indy heads toward the postseason. The Pacers currently sit at 43-27, good for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
It may be unsustainable what Warren has been doing (especially his 60% thee-point clip), but if he can keep up what he has been doing in the bubble, the Pacers could be threats to take out some of the big teams in the east.
Expectations shouldn’t be too high with Indy’s star forward Domantas Sabonis sidelined, but their combo of Malcolm Brogdon, Victor Oladipo, and the now scorching hot Warren is more than enough to make some teams sweat.
The 4-1 bubble Pacers have three games left in their season. One of those games is tonight with Warren and co. set to take on the Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
So, even though the Eastern Conference is pretty much all set, these three games definitely have some meaning to the Pacers. That is especially the case for Warren, who matches up with the aforementioned Butler (who once upon a time said Warren wasn’t “in his league”). So get your popcorn ready: Pacers and Heat tip of at 8:00 pm / ET.
Jimmy Butler is on course to play Monday against Indiana, per @TheSteinLine
Bubble Warren vs Jimmy Buckets 🍿
Here’s what he said about TJ Warren last time: pic.twitter.com/4BN5yMkYIM
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) August 9, 2020
– Jarrod Ribaudo (@Jribs53)
Featured image courtesy of Twitter / @RTNBA