In the absence of his team’s other star guard, 1949’s Max Heidegger stepped up in a big way in the team’s 84-78 victory over Public Enemy. Already known for both his sharpshooting touch and his eyebrow-raising swagger on the court, the American-Israeli Los Angeles native embraced the attention. He made himself unforgettable on Saturday, turning in a 21-point, 10-rebound performance, ending the game just one assist shy of a triple-double.

In the process, he also helped 1949 become the first team to clinch a playoff berth with 5 wins. While doing so, he had to fight through an onslaught of double teams as Public Enemy loaded up on him and went to great lengths to keep him out of the paint.

Where plenty of players would fold, Max adapts. Instead of turning in another splashy scoring game as he did in his week 4 debut, he turned to opening up the floor for his teammates. This led to 22 points for AJ West, 29 points for Malik Anderson, and one of the most complete games we’ve seen this season. Heidegger was already in the MVP debate after his first two games; it’s fitting that his first Player Of The Week stat line is so similar to presumptive MVP candidate Frank Sessions’ line in week 1.

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