NBA Regular-Season Stats 2014-15: Tracking Scoring Leaders and More
The 2014-15 NBA season is over and each team's achievements—playoff spots being chief among them—are already decided.
So too are the individual honors.
Here, we've kept tabs on key statistical races as the campaign came to an end.
Did Russell Westbrook or James Harden take home the scoring crown? Could John Wall catch Chris Paul for the assists lead? Did anyone have a chance to threaten DeAndre Jordan as the NBA's greediest board-hoarder?
Here are all your answers.
Points
| 1. Russell Westbrook | 28.1 |
| 2. James Harden | 27.4 |
| 3. LeBron James | 25.3 |
| 4. Anthony Davis | 24.4 |
| 5. DeMarcus Cousins | 24.1 |
Our two leaders here, Westbrook and Harden, have had little choice but to score in bunches. Injuries to key players on both teams have forced takeover efforts from the two superstars that have lasted months.
Westbrook had already taken a comfortable lead thanks to his 54-point outburst on April 12, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
But Westbrook clinched the honor on Wednesday night with 37 points in a one-sided 138-113 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That news was, however, overshadowed by OKC's failure to qualify for the postseason in light of the New Orleans Pelicans' win against the San Antonio Spurs. Russ was in no mood to celebrate his impressive individual achievement.
Bad news aside, Westbrook did everything he could to salvage OKC's injury-riddled season. And it certainly showed up in the box scores.
Rebounds
Having 19 consecutive games with at least 14 boards is one good way to assure yourself a spot atop the season leaders in rebounds per game. Jordan pulled off that remarkable feat over a six-week span in February and March, kicking it off with a ridiculous 27-board effort Feb. 9.
| 1. DeAndre Jordan | 15.0 |
| 2. Andre Drummond | 13.5 |
| 3. DeMarcus Cousins | 12.7 |
| 4. Pau Gasol | 11.8 |
| 5. Tyson Chandler | 11.5 |
Matt Barnes touched on Jordan's rebound hunt in a conversation with Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated:
Drummond finishes in second place, but it's worth noting that the Detroit Pistons center leads the NBA with an incredible 4.8 offensive rebounds per game.
Assists
| 1. Chris Paul | 10.2 |
| 2. John Wall | 10.0 |
| 3. Ty Lawson | 9.6 |
| 4. Russell Westbrook | 8.6 |
| 5. Rajon Rondo | 7.9 |
Chris Paul, Point God that he is, resides rightfully atop the assists leaderboard this season. Facilitation isn't his only skill, though; CP3 has combined big scoring nights with plenty of assists at a historic clip this year, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Both of Paul's 40-15 games came this year.
Wall had an outside shot to catch the Los Angeles Clippers' chief assist officer prior to his final game of the season (an 11-assist outing in a double-overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers), but he still wouldn't put that crown ahead of larger team goals, as he explained to Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post on April 7: "I see where it is, how close we are. But I’m not going to be the one that’s going to go thirsting for it and try not to shoot the ball to get a million assists. I’m just going to play the right way and play the way I’ve been playing lately."
Final note here: That's a sneakily high assists-per-game average from Ty Lawson. Who knew?
Steals
We have stats that show us how effective rim protectors are at deterring opponents from even attempting to shoot, and they help clarify who the best interior defenders really are without focusing solely on blocks.
Consider this a wager that when we find a statistical equivalent for perimeter defenders—a way to measure which ball hawks are so terrifying that opponents don't even try to dribble—Kawhi Leonard will lead the field by a mile.
| 1. Kawhi Leonard | 2.3 |
| 2. Russell Westbrook | 2.1 |
| 3. Tony Allen | 2.0 |
| 3. Stephen Curry | 2.0 |
| 4. Trevor Ariza | 1.9 |
| 4. Chris Paul | 1.9 |
| 4. James Harden | 1.9 |
Nobody is scarier on the ball than Leonard is.
Until such a metric arrives, Kawhi will have to settle for the steals title.
Blocks
You can't just say Anthony Davis belongs in a class by himself without qualifying it anymore. He's set himself apart from the competition in so many different areas that we now have to be more specific.
He has more raw talent than any player on the planet, his ceiling is the most difficult to forecast and his player-efficiency rating is about to put him in a stratosphere only Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain have ever touched.
So let's get specific: As a shot-blocker, Anthony Davis is in a class by himself. Specific enough?
| 1. Anthony Davis | 2.9 |
| 2. Hassan Whiteside | 2.6 |
| 3. Serge Ibaka | 2.4 |
| 4. Rudy Gobert | 2.3 |
| 5. DeAndre Jordan | 2.2 |
Length, quickness and uncanny timing make Davis the most dynamic, versatile shot-stuffer in the league. His lead is significant for a reason.
If Rudy Gobert hadn't been a reserve for half the season, the story might be different. And we should expect him to contend for the shot-block title next season.
Unless Davis takes another leap and swats five shots per game, which—you know—will probably happen.
*Stats accurate through games played April 15.
