THE momentum of teams and players success is a constant yo-yo, with some elevating to incredibly high levels and other deflating to the bottom of the pecking order. Stock Up/Stock Down takes a look at the trends in the sporting world both good and bad.

Stock Up

Russell Westbrook’s Triple Double Quest

BACK in 1961-62 Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for the entire season. For over half a century this feat has been unmatched. Until now. At the time of writing, Russell Westbrook is coming off a 41 point, 11 assist, 11 rebound performance giving him 29 triple doubles for the year.  His averages of 30.8 points, 10.2 assists and 10.6 rebounds put him in good stead to average a triple double for the entire 2016-17 season. What a time to be alive.

Utah Jazz

FRESH off a convincing win against the Wizards in DC, Utah are rolling. Led by All-Star Gordon Hayward and man mountain Rudy Gobert the Jazz are on a three game W streak and have a better record than the Clippers, the Raptors and the Grizzlies. Many people picked them as a fast riser this off-season and as we approach the home stretch of the season they are living up to the hype.

Lonzo Ball Going #1

FOR month’s NBA draft experts have haggled over who deserves to be the first pick on draft night. Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball have separated themselves from the rest of the heard, but Ball has propelled himself to the top of the food chain. The UCLA freshman is now leading the country in assists per game (7.6) and continues to wow crowds on a nightly basis with his incredible skill set. If I was drafting 1st in June I would be taking Lonzo Ball.

Image from insidesocal.com

Stock Down

Florida State

FSU has looked very uninspiring since a win over Louisville a month ago. They were ranked 10th at that time with an 18-2 record, but now sit 19th after going 5-4 in their past nine. Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac have been somewhat flat in those games against inferior competition, and a match up with Duke Tuesday could be a real make or break game for this squad mentally.

Brooklyn Nets Streak

IT comes as no surprise to anyone who is even slightly NBA literate that the Brooklyn Nets are bad this season. So how can the worst team in the league be getting worse? Despite some smart moves at the deadline for their future, they are currently on a 16 game losing streak and play their next six games on the road. Even though they are talent thin the idea of losing a month and a half straight of games is depressing as f*ck for any franchise.

Image from usatoday.com

New Pelicans Duo

BOOGIE and the Brow are a superstar tandem on paper, but their elite talent hasn’t translated into a win yet. The new Pelicans pair are 0-3 in their short careers together so far losing to the Rockets, Mavs and Thunder. The duo are putting up huge numbers with DeMarcus Cousins averaging 23.3ppg and 13rpg while Anthony Davis has given the team 35.3ppg and 10rpg. New Orleans fans will be hoping their dominance translates to more team success sooner rather than later.