Pistons < Spurs
12-13-2007, 10:17 PM
Scoring is easy in the NBA, particularly when you’re putting up more than twenty shots a game (that means you LBJ). I’ve always been a proponent of efficient scorers, guys who make each of their shot attempts count, because they help their teams in more ways than one. Not only do they provide an offensive punch, but they also allow leave more shot attempts from their teammates.
One would imagine that post players like Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire would dominate a statistic like points-per-shot. Well, you’re right (Dwight and Amare appear in the top three), but when calculating the points-per-shot average for the NBA’s top fifty scorers in 2007-08 (through Dec. 12’s games) there were more backcourt players (35) than frontcourt performers (14).
The Top Five
Dwight Howard, ORL (C) – 1.77
Manu Ginobili, SA (SG) – 1.55
Amare Stoudemire, PHX (C) – 1.53
Kevin Martin, SAC (SG) – 1.49
Steve Nash, PHX (PG) – 1.48
It’s no wonder Howard and Stoudemire appear in the top-five, with an enormous amount of their points coming on dunks (Howard especially). The efficiency of Martin is most surprising, considering that thirty-percent of his field goal attempts have come from behind the three-point line. It’s reminiscent of Reggie Miller, the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made, who consistently averaged more than 1.5 points per shot in his career.
The Top Three PGs
Steve Nash, PHX – 1.48
Deron Williams, UTA – 1.40
Chris Paul, NO – 1.34
The Spurs’ Tony Parker just missed the top-three, coming in fourth with 1.26 points-per-shot. Paul is the only one not shooting the ball over fifty percent, at 49.2 percent this season. Nash shoots nearly fifty-three percent, amazing for a point guard who was never considered to be a shooter earlier in his career. Williams and Paul are considered to be the future of the NBA, but this season they have cemented themselves as two of the best points in the league.
The Top Three SGs
Manu Ginobili, SA – 1.55
Kevin Martin, SAC – 1.49
Michael Redd, MIL – 1.41
Redd’s offseason conditioning program, and the supporting cast around him in Milwaukee, have allowed him to enjoy the most proficient season of his high-scoring career. Back in 2003-04 his points-per-shot total was a paltry 1.21, when he averaged 21.7 points on 17.6 shots per game. Ginobili has always been a tremendously efficient scorer, especially considering that he has only started one game for San Antonio this season. Even still, he’s having the best season of his heralded career.
The Top Three SFs
Corey Maggette, LAC – 1.47
Richard Jefferson, NJ – 1.45
LeBron James, CLE – 1.41
James leads the league in both scoring average and shots per game, allowing him to still place among the most proficient scorers at his position. Jefferson has always been a handy scorer, because Jason Kidd always gets him the ball in the perfect position to score. Maggette is helped by the nine free throw attempts he averages per game (he makes them at an 83.4 percent clip). Corey is on pace to shoot 730 times from the charity stripe this season, which would be a career-high by nearly 100 attempts.
The Top Three PFs
Chris Bosh, TOR – 1.39
Carlos Boozer, UTH – 1.37
Kevin Garnett, BOS – 1.37
Power forward is the hardest position to post a high points-per-shot average. Players like Bosh and Garnett often find themselves stuck playing a mid-range game, while guards can take open shots from the perimeter and centers can get as close to the rim as humanly possible if they choose. Boozer bangs inside like a bruiser, allowing him to shoot at a 57 percent clip, and Boston’s high-powered offense has allowed KG to score easily in transition as he has shot 55 percent in his first twenty games with the Celtics. Bosh does it the hard way, getting to the foul line 7.2 times a night.
The Top Three Cs
Dwight Howard, ORL – 1.77
Amare Stoudemire, PHX – 1.53
Yao Ming, HOU – 1.37
The dunk is a beautiful thing, which makes Howard and Stoudemire the NBA’s version of Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria. Howard is shooting 61 percent from the field, scoring 23 points on just 13 shots per game. He gets to the line 12 times a night, but shoots worse from the charity stripe than he does from the floor. If he was able to get his free throw percentage up ten points to 70 percent, his points per shot would increase from a league-leading 1.77 to 1.85. Then again, teams may not look to foul him as often which would either decrease his scoring, or allow him more opportunities closer to the basket.
The Bottom Five
Ben Gordon, CHI (SG) – 1.05
David West, NO (PF) – 1.09
Luol Deng, CHI (SF) – 1.11
Zach Randolph, NYK (PF) – 1.12
Joe Johnson, ATL (SG) – 1.12
Remember, this is the bottom five from the league’s top-fifty scorers – not the entire league. It’s not surprising, considering the Bulls’ struggles, that their top-two scorers fall in the bottom of this category. Gordon, who’s never been an above average shooter, is making just 38.4 percent of his shots in 2007-08, a career-low. He’s also settling for jump shots, instead of driving to the basket in hopes of getting to the foul line (he makes just 3.6 trips per game).
These numbers will likely change as the season progresses, look for an updated edition in the coming months.
http://www.realgm.com/src_beyondthearc/106/20071213/calculating_scoring_efficiency/
One would imagine that post players like Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire would dominate a statistic like points-per-shot. Well, you’re right (Dwight and Amare appear in the top three), but when calculating the points-per-shot average for the NBA’s top fifty scorers in 2007-08 (through Dec. 12’s games) there were more backcourt players (35) than frontcourt performers (14).
The Top Five
Dwight Howard, ORL (C) – 1.77
Manu Ginobili, SA (SG) – 1.55
Amare Stoudemire, PHX (C) – 1.53
Kevin Martin, SAC (SG) – 1.49
Steve Nash, PHX (PG) – 1.48
It’s no wonder Howard and Stoudemire appear in the top-five, with an enormous amount of their points coming on dunks (Howard especially). The efficiency of Martin is most surprising, considering that thirty-percent of his field goal attempts have come from behind the three-point line. It’s reminiscent of Reggie Miller, the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made, who consistently averaged more than 1.5 points per shot in his career.
The Top Three PGs
Steve Nash, PHX – 1.48
Deron Williams, UTA – 1.40
Chris Paul, NO – 1.34
The Spurs’ Tony Parker just missed the top-three, coming in fourth with 1.26 points-per-shot. Paul is the only one not shooting the ball over fifty percent, at 49.2 percent this season. Nash shoots nearly fifty-three percent, amazing for a point guard who was never considered to be a shooter earlier in his career. Williams and Paul are considered to be the future of the NBA, but this season they have cemented themselves as two of the best points in the league.
The Top Three SGs
Manu Ginobili, SA – 1.55
Kevin Martin, SAC – 1.49
Michael Redd, MIL – 1.41
Redd’s offseason conditioning program, and the supporting cast around him in Milwaukee, have allowed him to enjoy the most proficient season of his high-scoring career. Back in 2003-04 his points-per-shot total was a paltry 1.21, when he averaged 21.7 points on 17.6 shots per game. Ginobili has always been a tremendously efficient scorer, especially considering that he has only started one game for San Antonio this season. Even still, he’s having the best season of his heralded career.
The Top Three SFs
Corey Maggette, LAC – 1.47
Richard Jefferson, NJ – 1.45
LeBron James, CLE – 1.41
James leads the league in both scoring average and shots per game, allowing him to still place among the most proficient scorers at his position. Jefferson has always been a handy scorer, because Jason Kidd always gets him the ball in the perfect position to score. Maggette is helped by the nine free throw attempts he averages per game (he makes them at an 83.4 percent clip). Corey is on pace to shoot 730 times from the charity stripe this season, which would be a career-high by nearly 100 attempts.
The Top Three PFs
Chris Bosh, TOR – 1.39
Carlos Boozer, UTH – 1.37
Kevin Garnett, BOS – 1.37
Power forward is the hardest position to post a high points-per-shot average. Players like Bosh and Garnett often find themselves stuck playing a mid-range game, while guards can take open shots from the perimeter and centers can get as close to the rim as humanly possible if they choose. Boozer bangs inside like a bruiser, allowing him to shoot at a 57 percent clip, and Boston’s high-powered offense has allowed KG to score easily in transition as he has shot 55 percent in his first twenty games with the Celtics. Bosh does it the hard way, getting to the foul line 7.2 times a night.
The Top Three Cs
Dwight Howard, ORL – 1.77
Amare Stoudemire, PHX – 1.53
Yao Ming, HOU – 1.37
The dunk is a beautiful thing, which makes Howard and Stoudemire the NBA’s version of Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria. Howard is shooting 61 percent from the field, scoring 23 points on just 13 shots per game. He gets to the line 12 times a night, but shoots worse from the charity stripe than he does from the floor. If he was able to get his free throw percentage up ten points to 70 percent, his points per shot would increase from a league-leading 1.77 to 1.85. Then again, teams may not look to foul him as often which would either decrease his scoring, or allow him more opportunities closer to the basket.
The Bottom Five
Ben Gordon, CHI (SG) – 1.05
David West, NO (PF) – 1.09
Luol Deng, CHI (SF) – 1.11
Zach Randolph, NYK (PF) – 1.12
Joe Johnson, ATL (SG) – 1.12
Remember, this is the bottom five from the league’s top-fifty scorers – not the entire league. It’s not surprising, considering the Bulls’ struggles, that their top-two scorers fall in the bottom of this category. Gordon, who’s never been an above average shooter, is making just 38.4 percent of his shots in 2007-08, a career-low. He’s also settling for jump shots, instead of driving to the basket in hopes of getting to the foul line (he makes just 3.6 trips per game).
These numbers will likely change as the season progresses, look for an updated edition in the coming months.
http://www.realgm.com/src_beyondthearc/106/20071213/calculating_scoring_efficiency/