NBA Restart: Why T.J. Warren is the 'Bubble King'

There's an interesting "ad hoc" title being thrown around by NBA analysts, players, and sportscasters lately: "Bubble King." It refers to the individual player dominating the league in the NBA-Disney bubble in Florida. That person is T.J. Warren of the Indiana Pacers.

Surprised? You are not alone. When talking about the most dominant player in the league, we should be discussing MVP candidates like Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, James Harden and Luka Doncic. Other superstars come to mind such as Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, or Damian Lillard. But that isn't the case. According to Sporting News, Warren has tongues wagging for good reason.

Inside the bubble, he is averaging 34.8 points a game. That's way above his 18.7 average outside the bubble. To put that in perspective, if Warren had actually been averaging 34.8 points a game this regular season even before the hiatus, he will win this year's scoring champion award.

The Indiana Pacers have one of the best records in the Orlando bubble with 4-1. Their 114-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns is considered a fluke after a 21-0 run by the Suns late in the third quarter. But in reality, it's the Pacers that looked sluggish in that game. TJ Warren only scored 16 points then and they were also out-rebounded 53-38.

In their last game against the championship contender Los Angeles Lakers, TJ Warren scored a clutch game-winning 3-point shot that reminded Pacers fans of their last hero, Reggie Miller. Warren scored 39 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in that game.

How is it possible? Why is Warren suddenly a basketball superman overnight? The answer is simple, Warren is playing in his natural position as a power forward. That spot is usually reserved for Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis, who's currently injured and out of the Pacers roster. Due to the unique nature of the bubble where a player can't simply be declared "day-to-day," Sabonis is now recovering outside the bubble and needs to submit to a long quarantine if the Pacers plan to bring him back.

Needless to say, if Warren continues to play the way he is playing now, the Pacers will have hard choices to make once Sabonis returns to their active roster.