In January, the Bobcats' record slipped compared to December, but they were still the league's second-best team with 14 wins and 3 losses.
Zhang Yang's scoring slightly declined this month, scoring under 30 in 9 out of 17 games, and under 20 in one game, averaging 29.9 points, plus 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.3 steals.
When Zhang Yang's scoring declined and Felton's performance wasn't stable enough, Okafor stepped up in scoring. Having averaged 15.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in the first two months, he averaged 18.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in January.
Both players individually found it challenging to win the best of the month; the Cavaliers were 12-4, with James averaging 27+8+8; the Magic were 12-5, with Howard averaging 22+14+1+1+3.
But together, Okafor + Zhang Yang were the strongest inside-outside combination in the East!
Correspondingly, Duncan + Ginobili were also the best inside-outside combination in the West for January,
