8 Biggest Game-Changers in the NBA
Basketball may be considered a team sport, but that doesn't mean players with game-changing talent can't make a huge difference.
The transition from some of the "older" stars to this new generation has been exhilarating to watch. John Wall, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis and more have begun to take their rightful places as the league's best players.
With so many game-changers around, we have gone out and broken down eight of the very best. Using traditional statistics, advanced metrics and, of course, live-game action as a barometer, we were able to find these guys and shine a light on them.
Here's what we came up with.
Stephen Curry
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The NBA has seen its fair share of athletes over the years—you know, guys who can elevate and rattle the rim without any issues.
But where the NBA really thrives is around excellent shooters.
Today, there aren't many shooters out there who can score like Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
Curry has become the most important piece of the Warriors' high-powered attack. Averaging 23.1 points per game, he's scoring at an efficient and important rate.
His .488 field-goal percentage is second among points guards, trailing only Tony Parker's staggering rate of .512. Mixing that barrage of points with 7.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game has turned Curry into an all-around offensive machine.
ESPN's Hollinger NBA player statistics (Insider subscription required) have Curry ranked as the sixth-most efficient player in the league at this moment in time.
Scoring at a high clip and creating opportunities for his teammates proves that this former Davidson hardwood sniper is the glue of the No. 1 team in the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis
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The NBA hasn't seen many shot-blockers that are as dominant and scary as Anthony Davis.
Emerging as the man who should be able to take LeBron James' crown away from him, Davis has become a franchise player in just his third season.
Unlike guards, or even forwards to a certain extent, coming across a game-changing big man is rare. There aren't many around.
The statistical climb Davis made in just one season has been huge. His points-per-game average jumped from 20.3 points to 24.4, and that's great. But it's his jump in efficiency that makes him such a transcendent talent.
Davis is shooting .573 percent from the field in 2014. The year before, he finished at the .519 mark. A deeper arsenal of moves in the post and a renewed sense to shoot the mid-range jumper has fueled this bump.
His Player Efficiency Rating has also taken a leap forward.
As you know by now, his 2013-14 season was great. Davis' 26.54 PER average was good enough to rank him fourth in the league behind Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. This year, he's pushed that number up to 32.57 in 28 games.
If it weren't for Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and his ridiculous 33.40 grade, Davis would be No. 1 in the always important PER category.
Still, he's a beast. Watch him anytime you get the chance, because 10 years down the road we could be talking about Davis securing his spot in the Hall of Fame.
John Wall
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The engine that drives the Washington Wizards is their standout point guard, John Wall.
Wall's quickly become one of the top players at the position with his ferocious style of play and his love of getting his teammates involved in the action.
Scoring 18 points and dishing out 10.5 assists per game, he's a huge reason why the Wizards have already won 20 games this season.
In an attempt to showcase his talents, the NBA equipped Wall with a microphone during his Christmas Day game against the New York Knicks. What you saw was Wall's true leadership put on display. Leadership like that is what helps make a game-changing player.
At 6'4", 195 pounds, Wall is a handful to deal with. As he matures and continues to develop his offensive repertoire, he's going to become nearly impossibly to contain.
LeBron James
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Reading this slideshow, you knew that it was only a matter of time before LeBron James got some love.
It's time to face facts: LeBron is still the premier source of production in the NBA.
The jelling process the Cleveland Cavaliers have undergone is built around James' abilities. Sure, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are big parts of the process, but it all circles back to James at the end of the day.
Averaging 25.5 points, 7.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game, he's stayed sharp even without a Miami Heat uniform strapped to his back.
On December 30, James celebrated his 30th birthday. With two NBA titles, four Most Valuable Player awards and 10 All-Star game appearances already under his belt, despite the constant wave of criticism he faces, King James is still the creme de la creme of the basketball world.
He's been the glue of every single team he's ever played for, and that fact alone defines who he is as a player.
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant
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Man, did fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder miss the tandem of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Arguably two of the top five players in the NBA, this pair was forced to miss extensive time earlier this season due to injuries. Now that they've returned, the Thunder have started to claw their way back into the Western Conference playoff picture.
Durant and Westbrook are both abnormal, game-changing performers. The sheer explosiveness and the ability to slice to the basket and score so effortlessly is rare for one player to have. When two guys can do that on the same team, well, that's championship material right there.
The Hollinger rankings are a great source of information when it comes to measuring how important a player is to his team. In 17 games registered, Westbrook leads all players with a PER of 33.40.
For the nine games he played, Durant has moved to third on that list, checking in with a 28.30 PER.
Having two players in the top five? That's flat-out nuts.
Hopefully the point guard and forward can keep their health in check. Because the Western Conference doesn't look the same when they aren't around.
Chris Paul
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No point guard in the NBA can control an offense like Chris Paul. His 18.3 points, 9.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his value.
He may not be able to penetrate to the hoop and shatter rims like Russell Westbrook or shoot from deep like Stephen Curry, but that doesn't take away from all of the other great things he's done for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Before Paul came to town in 2011, the Clippers were a lost franchise. Prior to his arrival, they finished 32-50. That inaugural season he took control of the offense and the team flipped the script, finishing with 40 wins and 26 losses.
Since the 2011-12 season, he's guided the Clippers to the playoffs each year. And with a 20-10 record right now, they are well on their way to returning to the postseason.
Credit his ability to facilitate an offense and make everyone around him better. In that respect, he's probably the best point guard we've seen since Steve Nash's days with the Phoenix Suns.
A game-changer is traditionally a player who can turn things around in hurry on the hardwood. Judging by the Clippers' overall record and their quest to become the real kings of Los Angeles, Paul definitely fits that description.
James Harden
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The old adage "James Harden can't play defense" is fading away. The tide of YouTube videos showing Harden's careless defensive prowess has turned this year, as the shooting guard is part of the league's second-ranked team defense.
As he improves on that side of the ball, offensively speaking, this guy is still a geyser of basketball wealth.
Harden's 27.2 points and 7.1 assists per game are beyond impressive. Scoring in that type of way is special. Adding seven assists onto that total yields even better results.
If you think Harden hasn't been efficient, you're wrong. His Hollinger PER of 26.54 is better than Chris Paul, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
All that he's done this season has thrust his name into the MVP discussion. The Rockets have won 21 games, and Harden is a huge reason why.
DeMarcus Cousins
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Two seasons ago, you wouldn't have dreamed DeMarcus Cousins would see his name on this kind of list.
When he came out of Kentucky, Cousins had some major flaws that he had to answer for. On NBADraft.net, they explained some those in great detail:
"Cousins' lack of maturity and mental focus is evident in his negative body language and lack of composure ... He tends to lose his head, looking disinterested or frustrated if things don't go his way," Jonathan Wasserman wrote.
This season, Cousins has taken all of his negative notions and thrown them to the wolves.
He's been scoring at an alarming rate, posting up 23.9 points per game. But it doesn't stop there. His 12.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game are also big-time numbers.
Cousins is a very good player with a ton of talent to boot. When he gets it all going, you've seen the type of damage he can create on the court.
If that's not a game-changing player, I don't know what is.
All NBA information and stats provided by ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.
