The NBA's Most Indispensable Role Players for the 2014-15 Season
It's not all about the star players.
Though the Golden State Warriors wouldn't be winning games without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, those two alone can't carry the team to the top of the Western Conference. The same is true for Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies, who have gotten off to a similarly strong start during the 2014-15 season.
Great teams don't win without great role players, and that's who we're focusing on here.
To be an indispensable role player, a few criteria must be satisfied. The player in question must have one premier calling card, whether it's defensive skill or something more intangible, like versatility or leadership. Beyond that, he must make his team significantly better when he plays and be on the roster of a playoff-bound squad.
Sure, Iman Shumpert is a key role player for the New York Knicks. Nick Young can say the same about his job with the Los Angeles Lakers. Shabazz Muhammad may even be getting there for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But they're not as notable here simply because they aren't going to factor into the title race. The players featured here fit all the criteria, not just some portions of it.
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com and are current as of the beginning of Dec. 2.
Tony Allen
1 of 10
Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Position: SG
Age: 32
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.3 blocks, 13.6 PER
The Memphis Grizzlies consistently boast one of the league's best defenses, and while it's Marc Gasol who has clearly emerged as the centerpiece of that point-preventing unit, it's Tony Allen who still serves as the heart and soul. "Grit and grind" basically exists because Allen is on the roster, locking down his assignment with ferocity each and every time he steps onto the floor.
"He's fundamentally sound defensively and he plays harder than everybody else defensively," Kobe Bryant recently told Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News about Allen. "He has a competitive desire to compete individually. That's very uncommon. Most defensive players I face want help all the time. I've never heard him ask for help. He likes taking the challenge."
Allen only played about 15 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers one night later, but he kept Bryant without a field-goal attempt when they were both on the floor in the first quarter, led off the second half with a steal against his fellow shooting guard and limited him to only two made buckets during the entirety of their mutual playing time.
He's on the roster for more reasons that stopping Bryant, but his desire to take on that defensive burden sums him up rather nicely.
Trevor Ariza
2 of 10
Team: Houston Rockets
Position: SF
Age: 29
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.1 blocks, 13.0 PER
During the 2013-14 season, the Houston Rockets suffered from a complete unwillingness to exert maximum effort on the defensive end. It was a systemic problem, as the team struggled despite having a number of plus defenders on the roster. Allowing 106.3 points per 100 possessions, Houston finished No. 13 in defensive rating, which was by no means indicative of their talent level.
This year, the Rockets are holding opponents to 99.6 points per 100 possessions, a mark that leaves them behind only the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. Everyone has been engaged on the defensive end—even James Harden—and much of the credit has to go to Trevor Ariza, who plays a tough brand of basketball and is one of the better locker room presences out there.
When Ariza has been on the court in 2014-15, Houston has actually given up 10.6 fewer points per 100 possessions, which has allowed him to remain quite indispensable even as his shooting has regressed to the mean. The former Washington Wizard began the season in blazing fashion from beyond the arc, but he's struggled with his shot in recent games.
Still, Ariza could refuse to shoot and still remain a valuable role player for these Rockets, solely because of that defensive mentality he brings to the table.
Jimmy Butler
3 of 10
Team: Chicago Bulls
Position: SG/SF
Age: 25
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.4 blocks, 22.4 PER
"I'm not a star," Jimmy Butler told ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell. "I'm a good role player on a really, really good team. A really, really deep team. I like role players. 'Star' has never been next to Jimmy Butler's name, it never will be. I'll always be just an under-the-radar dog."
He's certainly been playing like a star, but to appease the breakout 2-guard, we'll go ahead and include him among the role players. It might be a bit inaccurate, but Butler deserves to have his wishes fulfilled after his brilliant start to his age-25 campaign.
Not only has he continued to play some fantastic defense, but he's taken his offense to the proverbial next level. Now creating his own shots with aplomb, Butler has become an efficient source of points for the Bulls, regardless of who he's sharing the court with.
As impressive as it is that he's scoring nearly 22 points per game, it's even better that he's doing so while shooting 49.8 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from beyond the arc (on 2.6 shots per contest) and 82.6 percent from the charity stripe. Only three qualified players this year have averaged at least 20 points per game with a true shooting percentage in the 60s: Butler, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis.
That's not exactly bad company for a star role player previously thought of as a defensive specialist.
Jamal Crawford
4 of 10
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: SG
Age: 34
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 17.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 21.0 PER
The Los Angeles Clippers have to roster someone who can create his own shots. Other than Chris Paul, of course.
For the third season in a row, that would be Jamal Crawford, who remains one of the best in the business at using his handles to open up space before knocking down the ensuing shot. Even in his mid-30s, Crawford's dribbling remains quite impressive, and he's never hesitant to create individual offense when the Clippers so desperately need it.
Only 27.3 percent of his makes from inside the arc have been the result of assists, and just 70.3 percent of his triples fall into the same category. How rare is that on the LAC roster? Exceedingly.
Paul (13.8), Crawford (27.3), Jordan Farmar (30) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (zero) are the only players who have required assists on fewer than 60 percent of their two-point buckets, and Douglas-Roberts shouldn't count since he's made only one shot all year. So why is Crawford featured and not Farmar?
The former is scoring 17.7 points per game with a 60.5 true shooting percentage. The latter is averaging 4.4 points per contest with a 53 true shooting percentage.
I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
Boris Diaw
5 of 10
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Position: PF
Age: 32
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 9.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, 13.0 PER
Bill Walton may have delivered the quote of the season when he talked about Boris Diaw to a Toronto crowd, per James Herbert of CBS Sports:
"I love to watch Boris Diaw play. It's an honor and privilege to be his friend, to be his fan, and I'm just thrilled that he's on the Spurs because that's the perfect team for him. And with the perfect coach, perfect culture. Boris Diaw, he does remind me of the great pianists and the Age of the Romantics because he's beautiful. And his game flows like Liszt on the piano, and when need be, he's able to come up with a little bit of the crashing thunder. But that's not his game. But he's able to do enough.
"
I'm not entirely sure how to follow that up, but it's worth noting just how versatile Diaw is for the Spurs. No matter what type of production Gregg Popovich needs from the French forward, he's typically capable of providing his team with that manner of positive play night in and night out.
Diaw's ability to distribute the ball from the 4 has been indispensable for the movement-heavy nature of the Spurs offense, and when he's playing with peak form, his passing becomes a thing of beauty. There's just no way to defend him in those situations, as was the case during the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat this past season.
The 32-year-old is still playing his way into shape during the 2014-15 campaign, but there's no doubt how valuable he is to the defending champions.
Draymond Green
6 of 10
Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: SF/PF
Age: 24
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.0 blocks, 14.3 PER
It seems as though just about everyone in the Golden State Warriors organization is now fully on board the Draymond Green train. Stephen Curry certainly is, as relayed by Eric Woodyard of MLive.com:
"Plays like those [a pre-halftime floater against the Detroit Pistons] are what make Green so valuable to the Golden State organization and his teammates feed off his intensity. Those intangibles he brings to the table don't go unnoticed even from the star of the team.
'He's just found ways to help the team out,' said Curry, an early MVP favorite. 'Earlier in his career it wasn't a lot of stats it was just defensive plays and little things to help the team win. But now he's expanded his game, he's shooting 3s and playmaking.
'Obviously we know he's going to bring the toughness and defensively every night. He's a huge catalyst with what we're trying to do and a big piece to the puzzle.'
"
"He's in a lot of ways our heart and soul and just plays with such passion at both ends," first-year head coach Steve Kerr said prior to that same game against Detroit, per the San Jose Mercury News' Diamond Leung. "I think it's contagious."
Green's game has expanded throughout the season, allowing him to step into a starting role for the team and start contributing more on the offensive end. But it's still his defensive presence and unrelenting intensity that make him so key for a Dubs team that has a serious case to be called the league's best during the opening portion of the 2014-15 campaign.
Chris Kaman
7 of 10
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Position: C
Age: 32
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 11.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.2 steals, 1.1 blocks, 20.0 PER
The Portland Trail Blazers have to be able to get at least some production off the bench. While the starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez is a fantastic one, capable of carrying Rip City to one win after another, the team's ceiling is ultimately limited if the second unit can't do anything.
Fortunately, Chris Kaman is refusing to let that be the case.
In just under 20 minutes per game, the veteran center has played some fantastic basketball, thriving on the glass and using his creative and wily offense to provide some scoring punch for the Portland backups. That 20.0 player efficiency rating is actually the third-best mark on the team, behind only Lillard (22.9) and Aldridge (22.3).
Plus, he's played some quality defense. When Kaman is on the floor, the Blazers have allowed only 98.6 points per 100 possessions. But when he sits, that number goes all the way up to 105.1.
This two-way impact might be rather unexpected from Kaman, but it's allowed the starters to breathe easier when they have to spend some time on the pine.
Kyle Korver
8 of 10
Team: Atlanta Hawks
Position: SG/SF
Age: 33
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.7 blocks, 16.0 PER
Kyle Korver is basically a shooting god.
Fifteen games into his latest season with the Atlanta Hawks, the 33-year-old has taken 5.1 three-point attempts per contest and is still hitting 55.3 percent of them. That's a mind-boggling combination of numbers, one that wouldn't seem even remotely sustainable if it were anyone but Korver producing them. But at this point, would you be surprised if Korver kept shooting so frequently and continued to make over half of his downtown attempts?
Korver's shooting is crucial for the Hawks, as his presence on the court completely changes how defenses are forced to handle Atlanta's offense. He can't be left alone, and his constant movement without the ball in his hands opens up so much room for his teammates, especially now that everyone is comfortable moving the rock for Mike Budenholzer.
It shouldn't be even remotely surprising that Atlanta is scoring an additional 14.1 points per 100 possessions when this marksman is playing.
When he's on the floor, the Hawks are putting up a 114.6 offensive rating, which would leave them ranked No. 2 throughout the Association, trailing just the unstoppable Dallas Mavericks. And when he's on the bench, that number declines to 100.5, which would beat out only five teams.
That's impact right there.
Paul Pierce
9 of 10
Team: Washington Wizards
Position: SF
Age: 37
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 15.8 PER
Paul Pierce is by no means the star player he once was for the Boston Celtics, but he's remained quite valuable for the Washington Wizards by providing some creative offense, underrated perimeter defense and undying leadership skills.
"He doesn't get excited," head coach Randy Wittman said about the 37-year-old veteran after Pierce's late-game heroics helped the Wizards get past the New Orleans Pelicans, per Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. "That’s what Paul kind of gives us, a little calming influence in those situations. He was big."
Though there are plenty of experienced players on the roster—Andre Miller, Marcin Gortat, Nene and more—it's still Pierce who has taken on the role of savvy veteran. And that's crucial for a team still learning how to win at an elite level, as the Wizards should remain in competition for the top spot in the Eastern Conference throughout the season.
Plus, his offense is only going to get better as the year progresses.
Thus far, Pierce has hit only 41.3 percent of his shots from the field and 34.5 percent of his three-point attempts. Both those numbers are the lowest this small forward has posted since 2003-04, when he averaged 23 points per game for the C's.
Lou Williams
10 of 10
Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: SG
Age: 28
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 14.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.1 blocks, 23.2 PER
The Atlanta Hawks have to regret essentially trading Lou Williams for cap space this past offseason.
The 28-year-old guard has been sensational coming off the bench for the Toronto Raptors, providing plenty of offensive production as soon as he steps onto the court. He's actually averaging 24.9 points per 36 minutes thus far, doing so while shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 40 percent from downtown and 84 percent at the free-throw line.
Williams gives Toronto another player who can create shots off the bounce and score in isolation situations, which alleviates some of the pressure that Kyle Lowry has to face on a nightly basis. And by filling that role, the former Hawk has drastically increased the Raptors' offensive capabilities when he's on the court, allowing them to score an additional 5.1 points per 100 possessions.
But somewhat unexpectedly, Williams has also helped Toronto on the defensive end. He's made the team stronger on that side of the ball, and 82games.com shows that he's held opposing 2s to an 8.5 PER. Plus, when he's slid over to the 3, he's allowing just a 12.2 PER.
Fortunately, his contributions aren't exactly going unnoticed, as Williams was named the Eastern Conference's Player of the Week prior to Thanksgiving.
