10 Sports Stars Ending the Year with a Bang
It's all about hot streaks in sports. You have to love them. Athletes tend to catch fire at random times, providing fans with an out-of-body experience.
With 2016 slowly winding its way down, picking and choosing 10 particular athletes who have ended the year with a bang seems like a logical decision. Utilizing stats and overall performances, we compiled a global list of sports stars to fit this narrative.
Click below and find out who made the final cut.
Honorable Mentions
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Who else is leaving 2016 with a bang? Besides the list of 10 names we selected, this honorable-mentions panel was conceived to pay our respect to those who barely missed the cut.
- Anthony Davis, F, New Orleans Pelicans
- Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
- Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons
- Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Alexis Sanchez, MF, Arsenal
- DeMar DeRozan, G, Toronto Raptors
Le'Veon Bell
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Thou shall not shred like Le'Veon Bell. The Pittsburgh Steelers dual-threat halfback has etched his name into the imaginary "top players" mantle this season by turning into a one-man band.
What makes Bell incredibly lethal is his vision and pass-catching ability. Between those two features, he's been able to carve up the NFL, despite missing the first three games of the season.
On 241 attempts, Bell has rushed for 1,146 yards, including a 236-yard performance versus the Buffalo Bills on December 11. On the receiving end, he's nabbed 72 passes for 601 yards.
Bell hasn't slowed down, and Pittsburgh has to be grateful for it. He's helped this team formulate a 9-5 record, good enough for tops in the AFC North.
Russell Westbrook
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When Kevin Durant left town for Golden State Warriors' garments, the notion was established Oklahoma City had to turn to Russell Westbrook for solace.
They've done that, and it's been a magical ride. Admits an unforgiving Western Conference, the Westbrook-led Thunder have pieced together a 16-12 record, good enough for the No. 7 seed.
Life hasn't been easy. But Westbrook has done everything he possibly can to give Oklahoma City a chance at restoring greatness. He's averaging a triple-double with 30.9 points, 10.9 assists and 10.5 rebounds per game. Russ is playing at a rate we rarely see in today's game.
Ending the year with a bang has been a gross understatement. Westbrook has spent December keeping his totals prolific, averaging 30.4 points, 10 assists and 10.8 rebounds per game.
He's become a front-runner for the NBA's MVP Award and has done it all without the likes of Durant. Not a bad way to end 2016.
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Braun Strowman
4 of 11Character development in WWE has been key to building up performers. You can point to Daniel Bryan's ascension, culminating at WrestleMania 30, as a success or Roman Reigns' fall as champion last summer for a failure.
To end 2016, WWE's Raw brand has began placing a bigger spotlight on Braun Strowman. This mountain of man has all the tools needed to succeed. His athletic ability, personality and sheer sense of terror could turn Strowman into one of WWE's top marketing weapons in '17.
After laying waste to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins on the December 19 episode of WWE Raw, per WWE's Twitter account, Strowman perfectly capped off a remarkable year of development with the company.
James Harden
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James Harden gets buckets. Can you hear me? I said, James Harden gets buckets. The Houston Rockets guard has continued to do what he does best, shattering expectations and carrying Houston to a 21-8 record.
This Rockets team appears to be the best one we've seen in a while, as Harden has gained control of his game. In a post-Dwight Howard world, the Rockets are thriving. In December alone, Harden hasn't scored less than 15 points in a single game.
He's averaging 26.3 points, 11.2 assists and 9.4 rebounds per game this month alone. Russell Westbrook looks like the MVP this season. But Harden shouldn't be swept under the rug. The bearded 2-guard has unleashed himself on the NBA, becoming an efficient, unstoppable machine.
Aaron Rodgers
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After an uncharacteristically slow start, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been his usual dominant self on the field to end the year.
Rodgers' has turned up the heat dating back to an October 30 loss against the Atlanta Falcons and hasn't looked back, tossing 22 touchdowns and three interceptions over that timeframe.
Lucky for him—and the coaching staff—the Packers have also responded, peeling off four straight wins since November 28. The team looks poised for a playoff push thanks to his calm, cool demeanor and control of this offense.
Rodgers looks like his MVP self once again, and that's great for the Packers. They need No. 12 to continue to keep up his torrid pace if they have any hope of sneaking into the postseason.
Artemi Panarin
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Filtering down to the last few weeks of action in the NHL brings you directly to the feet of Chicago Blackhawks winger Artemi Panarin.
He's spent just under two weeks putting serious year-end point totals on the board. In 10 days, Panarin has scored four times and winged out seven assists. He now ranks fifth in total points scored for the season.
Can Panarin keep up this pace and vault forward in the MVP conversation? Anything is feasible. He's looked brilliant controlling the tempo of the game and finding his teammates from the left-wing slot.
David Johnson
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The Arizona Cardinals certainly have themselves a good one in the form of running back David Johnson. Similar to Le'Veon Bell, Johnson is a multiple-threat tailback with extraordinary vision.
He's spent the 2016 season setting NFL records and establishing himself as a true superstar. After he picked up 108 total yards from scrimmage against the New Orleans Saints in Week 15, Johnson became the first player in NFL history to gain 100 yards from scrimmage in the first 14 games of any season, per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss.
It's remarkable to watch what he does on film. The shiftiness, the raw power, the awareness. Few players in the league stack up to Johnson.
A tough year for the Cardinals shouldn't take away what Johnson has accomplished. He started hot and has remained hot heading into 2017.
Diego Costa
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Diego Costa cannot be stopped. There's no need to sugarcoat it or even politic about it. When we're talking about the Premier League, Costa is the man.
The Chelsea forward has encompassed every quality you'd want in a star player. He's physical, always finds himself in great position and has fueled Chelsea's run atop the table thanks to timely goal scoring.
Bleacher Report's Garry Hayes tweeted that Costa "has directly won 16 points" for his club. He's torched the rest of the league, setting fire to the field. He now leads all other combatants in scoring with 13 goals, per ESPN FC.
Ending the year with a bang has directly led to Costa's name being pressed onto this list. Perhaps no one, in any sport, has done as much as the Chelsea star.
Zach Ertz
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Zach Ertz looks like he's developing into the All-Pro tight end we thought he could be coming out of the 2013 NFL draft. The fourth-year man has turned into the Philadelphia Eagles' top weapon and a late-season surge has fueled his success.
Since the start of December, quarterback Carson Wentz has looked Ertz's way 36 times. He's used that grandiose number of targets to haul in 25 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown.
Touchdowns or not, he's been productive. Flipping on the film shows Ertz has found a way to create immense separation from defenders and give his quarterback another downfield threat on just about every play.
It's crazy it took four seasons for Ertz to finally relish in this role. But moving forward, the Eagles know they have a genuine weapon who can help move the chains and create big plays.
DeMarcus Cousins
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Boogie came, Boogie saw, Boogie conquered. On December 20, he laced a career-high 55 points, to go along with 13 rebounds, against the Portland Trail Blazers.
It was a microcosm of sorts of what we've seen from the 26-year-old power forward all season long. A motivated DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best players in basketball. For the season, he's ranked third in scoring, averaging 29.3 points per game.
December has been good to Boogie. His 30.3 points-per-game average and 11.4 rebounds have put the league on notice. Ending the year with a bang was capped off by the 55-point savage beating of the Trail Blazers.
Cousins is remarkably good. Hopefully he plays for NBA-title contention sometime in the future—whether it's with the Sacramento Kings or another franchise.
All stats, box scores and information via Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
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