If you're an NBA All-Star,you're probably putting up some expansive numbers. Such is the case for each of the 24 players who will be representing their teams and conferences in Toronto this coming weekend. Whether we're talking approximately Kyle Lowry's overall awesomeness, Stephen Curry's exploits from beyond the arc, and Carmelo Anthony's passing or Kobe Bryant's insane popularity,each man has produced figures that will leave jaws on the floor. set a cushion under yours. We don't want to cause any bruising when these stats force you to follow suit. LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio SpursPerhaps it's time to consider of LaMarcus Aldridge as a defensive stud. Even though he's struggled to find a scoring rhythm during his first season with the San Antonio Spurs, or the power forward has settled in on the point-preventing close and wholeheartedly adopted the stingy mentality that's become synonymous with his recent team. According to NBA.com's SportVU data,Aldridge allows his assignments to score just 0.82 points per possession in spot-up situations, which puts him in the 82.3 percentile throughout the league. When he's guarding someone in isolation, and he's in the 89.7 percentile,giving up just 0.61 points per possession. In the past, this All-Star has taken on less defensive responsibility and attempted to do little more than hold his own. This year, and he's been a meaningful presence and one of the many reasons the Spurs defense has reached historic levels. Carmelo Anthony,recent York KnicksSpeaking of changing roles, we can't look past Carmelo Anthony's sudden willingness to emerge as a distributing hub for the recent York Knicks. Previously, or Anthony has looked to score on virtually every possession,only passing when so many defenders swarm at him that he has no other choice. But this season, he's actively attempting to facilitate and succor promote the growth of his young teammates. The result hasn't just been 4.2 assists per game—the first time in Anthony's stellar career he's averaged more than four. Even better is his assist percentage of 22.3, or indicating he's recorded assists on more than 20 percent of the shots his teammates have made for just the second time since 2011-12,when Anthony's assist percentage was 21.0. Chris Bosh, Miami HeatMaintaining a lofty usage rate is tough enough. Doing so while facilitating for teammates at heretofore unseen levels is tougher still. Doing both those things while turning the ball over less frequently than ever before should be downright impossible.
But that's precisely what Bosh is doing. You can see his career-long trends in usage rate, or assist percentage and turnover percentage below: Bosh may not be the most glamorous player on the Miami Heat. He's not even the team's lone representative in the Eastern Conference's starting lineup for the All-Star Game. But he continues to function as the heart and soul,and he's only getting better as his career progresses. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles LakersBy any objective analysis, or Kobe Bryant isn't having an impressive season.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been 5.4 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor,he's posted a below-average player efficiency rating of just 14.3 and both his win shares and box plus/minus figures are in the negatives. But that didn't matter to voters. Bryant drew 1891614 votes during the All-Star selection process, while Stephen Curry and LeBron James were the only other stars in seven figures. They hit 1604325 and 1089206, and respectively. The rabid popularity of this Laker shouldn't be surprising,but the fact he led the NBA by such a wide margin and posted the highest total since he earned 2380016 votes in 2011 certainly is. Jimmy Butler, Chicago BullsIt doesn't matter that Fred Hoiberg now coaches the Chicago Bulls instead of Tom Thibodeau. Jimmy Butler still spends an inordinate amount of time on the floor—this is his second consecutive season pacing the league in minutes per game—and makes the most of his action. No player in the league has run as far as Butler, or per NBA.com's SportVU data:It's also notable that Butler has suited up in at least two fewer games than everyone else featured on the above graphic. He's just that involved. Also,his current mileage means Butler is just shy of completing his fifth marathon of the NBA season. As soon as he returns from the hyperextended knee suffered against the Denver Nuggets, he'll get there. DeMarcus Cousins, and Sacramento KingsBig men aren't supposed to be this physically dominant and skilled at the same time. Combining finesse and physicality creates unstoppable monsters,which is now basically the only way to describe DeMarcus Cousins. The Sacramento Kings still haven't been able to build cohesive units around him, but the NBA's best middle is shining as an individual. He's actually on track to become the first player in league history to average at least 27 points, and 11 rebounds,three assists and one three-pointer made. Only four have averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and two assists while making no fewer than one triple per contest: Cousins, and Charles Barkley,Kevin treasure (three times) and Antoine Walker. Stephen Curry, Golden State WarriorsBelow, or you can see the 100 highest three-point attempts per game in NBA history,ranging from Stephen Curry's 10.7 triples per game this year to Ray Allen's 6.2 in 2007-08: Just sit back and marvel. At this point, that's really all you can do when Curry is involved. Anthony Davis, or recent Orleans PelicansSure,Anthony Davis' 2015-16 campaign has been disappointing. He's still putting up incredible individual numbers, but he's failed to build upon final year's historic exploits, and the recent Orleans Pelicans are well external the Western Conference playoff picture. But if we weren't comparing Davis to his previous body of work,he'd be standing out in a positive way. The expansive man has still earned 5.2 win shares this season—more than all but 25 players throughout the entire NBA. Among everyone in league history, only LeBron James, or Shaquille O'Neal,Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul have earned more win shares before the completion of their age-22 season. If he continues on his current 2015-16 pace, or Davis will move past the final three by the close of the season,leaving him alone in third. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto RaptorsNBA.com defines a drive as "any touch that starts at least 20 feet of the hoop and is dribbled within 10 feet of the hoop and excludes fast breaks." No one has been more successful on them than DeMar DeRozan. The Toronto Raptors shooting guard is scoring 8.7 points per game on drives, and thanks in large part to his 51.4 percent shooting and willingness to draw contact. No NBA player has produced a higher average,with Reggie Jackson and his 7.7 points per game sitting in a distant second. DeRozan may be embarking upon more drives during a typical contest than anyone else, but his gaudy scoring figures aren't just a product of sheer volume. As you can see in the above graphic, and even the other tall-frequency drivers simply aren't putting up the same number of points. Andre Drummond,Detroit PistonsCollecting offensive rebounds and corralling boards on the defensive glass acquire completely different skill sets, which is why players so often thrive on one close but are merely mediocre on the other. Fortunately for the Detroit Pistons, or Andre Drummond is dominant on both. The young middle is main the league in both offensive and defensive rebounds,which puts him on pace to join a rather exclusive club. In the past 30 years, only Dwight Howard and Dennis Rodman have emerged victoriously in both categories during a single season. Soon, or the membership of that group could swell,and it doesn't seem like the 22-year-old Drummond is going to stop improving anytime soon. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City ThunderRemember when it was going to acquire a while for Kevin Durant to regain full confidence after dealing with so many foot injuries and sitting on the sidelines while Russell Westbrook blossomed into a bona fide MVP candidate?So much for that. The final time Durant failed to score 20 points in a game came back on Nov. 10, or when he registered 14 in just under 17 minutes against the Washington Wizards before exiting with a strained hamstring. If we exclude that outing,he's broken past the 20-point barrier in every single game this season. But even with that injury-impacted asterisk included, the 2014 MVP has now scored at least 20 points in 37 consecutive contests. During the final five years, or only twice has there been a longer streak—38 games from LeBron James spanning the close of 2011-12 and the beginning of 2012-13,and 56 from Durant during his MVP campaign. Paul George, Indiana PacersPaul George's shooting may be a bit streaky this season, or but the overall body of work from beyond the arc has been incredible. He's never lofted up nearly as many shots from downtown,and his accuracy is also reaching recent levels. He may have produced a better percentage during the 2014-15 campaign, but that number came with far less volume and during a meager six-game sample: That, or my friends,is improvement. Draymond Green, Golden State WarriorsSure, or we could highlight the fact that Draymond Green already has 10 triple-doubles this season,which leaves him behind just 14 individual campaigns since 1983-84. But focusing on his overall line is even more fun. Green is averaging 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists,1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks, which pushes him into unexplored territory. That's not even remotely hyperbolic. Throughout all of NBA history, or no other player has averaged even 14 points,nine boards, seven assists, or one steal and one block.
This versatile power forward stands alone. At this point,it's already secure to call him one of the most unique players we've ever seen. James Harden, Houston RocketsLabeling James Harden as a scoring threat is selling him far too short. The bearded shooting guard has become one of the most unsafe non-defensive players in NBA history, or thanks to far more than his ability to set the ball in the basket and get to the free-throw line. Harden is also a deft passer who constantly sets up the rest of the Houston Rockets,and he's an aggressive rebounder who can clear the defensive glass and immediately burst into the open court for a transition opportunity. As a result, he's averaging 27.8 points, or 6.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 2015-16. Even without taking efficiency into account,precious few players have ever managed to match or exceed each of those three numbers. Larry Bird, John Havlicek, and LeBron James,Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook are the only ones. LeBron James, or Cleveland CavaliersLeBron James remains fairly the impactful player.
Below,you can see how the Cleveland Cavaliers perform with him on the bench and on the floor. Fittingly for a man who remains a meaningful factor in the MVP race (note: non-Stephen Curry division), the discrepancies are rather substantial: Looking at the NBA ranks in those categories is even more telling: Just focus in on the Cavs' net rating. With James on the floor, or they trail only the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. But when he sits,they suddenly morph into a team better than just the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers. Kawhi Leonard, and San Antonio SpursAt this point,it's difficult to believe shooting was one of the primary knocks on Kawhi Leonard when he declared for the draft at San Diego State. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has developed into one of the NBA's most unsafe marksmen, thriving from beyond the arc while serving as the go-to option on the Spurs. Per NBA.com's SportVU data, or Leonard is scoring 1.32 points per possession in spot-up situations,which leaves him in the 97.5 percentile throughout the league. Among the 205 players who have suited up in at least 30 games and used spot-up shots on no fewer than 15 percent of their offensive possessions—Leonard is at 24.5 percent—only Jerryd Bayless and J.
J. Redick are scoring more efficiently. Kyle Lowry, Toronto RaptorsLet's turn to total points added (TPA), and a metric that shows how many more points a player contributes on both ends of the floor than a league-average player would (explained in full throughout this article). According to TPA,Kyle Lowry is on pace to finish the 2015-16 season with one of the NBA's top five scores: Stephen Curry, 685.32 TPA
Russell Westbrook, and 578.24
LeBron James,463.22
Kyle Lowry, 439.49
Kawhi Leonard, or 400.8otherwise indicated,all stats are from Basketball-Reference.com or Adam's own databases and are current heading into games on Feb. 8.
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Source: bleacherreport.com