Is Brandon Roy a NBA Superstar?

After making the All-Star team the past couple of seasons, Portland's Brandon Roy has gained national recognition for his play and the regular season success of his team.  

Some would argue that he has become a superstar in his own right, owing that to several clutch performances, his leadership, and overall excellent basketball skills. Others would say that while he is worthy of being an all-star and is the unquestioned leader of his team, he isn't on the same level of the current group of superstars in the NBA.

But who is right?

There are a couple different ways that this question can be answered, but a lot of it has to do with a players' portrayal in the media, and the subsequent public perception of that player. 

LeBron James, for example, is clearly a great player, maybe the best in the NBA right now. He has been able to build a superstar image primarily upon his individual exploits, without having led his team to an NBA championship.  

Kobe Bryant is a player who, while less heralded coming into the league, has been able to build his own superstar legacy based more on championships than on individual success.  He could also be know as the league's current greatest player, but his image is built differently than that of James.  Each great player has his own story.

So how does Brandon Roy fit into this conversation?  Or does he even belong in the conversation at all?  To examine the issue further, we can look at his individual and team accomplishments on their own merit, and then see how they compare to the current stars of the NBA.

This coming season will be Brandon Roy's fifth in the NBA, and at age 26, he is entering what should be the prime years of his career.  But already, he has shown that he can put up excellent numbers on a good team, and make his team better.

He has career averages of 20.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game, as well as averaging just better than a steal per game.  His field goal percentage is 46.7 percent, and while not a great three point shooter, he averages a decent 35.4 percent for his career.  He also averages nearly 80 percent on free-throws.

Thus far, his best season was in 2008-09, when he reached levels higher than his career averages in every major category.  That season he also played in a career-high 78 games. The last two seasons he has led his team to the playoffs, both times losing against teams that would later push the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in very close playoff series.

The statistics are good by themselves, but how does Roy compare when measured against an NBA superstar at his position, such as Kobe Bryant?  Most will not argue that he is better than Bryant, but the point here is to see how comparable his statistics are to arguably the best player, and shooting guard, in the NBA.

Player comparisons are difficult because there are so many variables that can contribute to their effectiveness and productivity.  For the purpose of this article, I've decided to first compare Roy's most recent season, his fourth, with the fourth season of Bryant's career.

In Kobe Bryant's fourth NBA season, he averaged 22.5 points, 4.9 assists, and 6.3 rebounds, in just over 38 minutes each contest.  He played in 66 games that year, with a field goal percentage of 46.8 percent and a three point percentage of 31.9 percent for the season.  He also averaged nearly two turnovers per game.

By comparison, Roy averaged 21.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds last season, playing 37.2 minutes per game and appearing in 65 games.  His field goal percentage was 47.3 percent and he shot 33 percent from three point range, with two turnovers per game.

Seeing this surprised me a little bit, as I didn't expect the numbers to be quite that close. Once again, I acknowledge the difficulty in making this type of comparison, but the point is to emphasize that both Bryant and Roy put up similar numbers in their fourth seasons as NBA players.

We can see that, by the numbers, Brandon Roy should be considered among the league's elite.  But what about the intangible things?

He is an excellent playmaker, and averages a surprisingly low number of turnovers for being one of his team's primary ball-handlers.  He isn't afraid to lead his team both on the court and off, through his words and his positive example.

Roy has never made life difficult on his coach or his teammates.  He doesn't have tattoos, doesn't do drugs, and has served as a very good role model for Trail Blazers fans, kids, and adults alike.  He is good for the league and its image.

The one thing he has struggled with in his career is being injured.  Last season, it was especially problematic, as he wasn't able to do much at all to prevent his team from another first round exit.  But all players struggle with injuries and, referring to the above comparison with Bryant, both players missed a similar number of games during their first four seasons.

Brandon Roy is a superstar, any way you look at it.  He has performed at a high level the past four seasons, and should continue to do so for the next several years.  

He hasn't yet received much national recognition, but that will come with more wins and playoff success for he and his team.  He is doing his part, and now he needs teammates to be healthy and to step up in order to take that next step.  After all, where was Kobe before Pau Gasol?  Where was Carmelo Anthony before Chauncey Billups?  

Don't do Brandon Roy a disservice by calling him anything less than a superstar.  He deserves credit for being able to play his game at an NBA level and for being the leader of a team that, if healthy, has a legitimate chance at competing for a conference championship this year.