NBA Superstar Rankings: Playoffs Edition
The NBA playoffs are upon us, and that means a number of established stars are no longer relevant.
As we update the March 28 edition, we're no longer concerned with players whose campaigns came to a close at the end of the regular-season: John Wall won't get any credit at point guard, nor will Jimmy Butler at shooting guard. You can forget about seeing Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins or any of the other frontcourt studs on lottery-bound squads.
As always, we're looking at the players who have made the biggest on-court impacts while establishing themselves as household names—or at least getting on track to do so in the near future. How that impact is achieved is irrelevant. An offensive stud can be just as valuable as a defensive anchor, and some mixture of the two diametric opposites is viable as well.
Basically, be the best at basketball, and you'll be rewarded here.
Also note that for the second time, we're replacing player efficiency rating (PER) with total points added (TPA) in each star's statistical line. The new metric estimates how many more points someone has contributed than an average player would, and it has the added benefit of factoring in both playing time and per-possession effectiveness. A full explanation can be found throughout this article.
No. 5 Point Guard: Kemba Walker (Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention)
1 of 25
Team: Charlotte Hornets
Age: 25
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds 5.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, 230.08 TPA
This won't be Kemba Walker's first foray into postseason basketball. In 2014 he thrived for the Charlotte Bobcats during an opening-round sweep at the hands of LeBron James' Miami Heat, averaging 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
But Walker is so much better now.
Not only has he improved on the defensive end, but he's also learned how to pick his shots more successfully. It's why he was able to post career highs in every relevant shooting percentage during the regular season, all while averaging over 20 points for the first time in his NBA tenure.
Damian Lillard might be the bigger name at point guard, but Walker enjoyed a slightly superior campaign, largely because of that increased efficiency and ability to hold his own against other floor generals.
Honorable Mentions: Reggie Jackson, Damian Lillard, Isaiah Thomas
No. 4 Point Guard: Kyle Lowry (Previous Ranking: No. 4)
2 of 25
Team: Toronto Raptors
Age: 30
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 21.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.4 blocks, 375.23 TPA
Apparently, late declines are things of the past for Kyle Lowry. His much-ballyhooed offseason conditioning paid off throughout the season, as it was only during a meaningless five-game stretch in April that he took his foot off the proverbial gas pedal, potentially because his Toronto Raptors were already locked into the East's No. 2 seed.
Last year, his scoring dipped as the season progressed. That wasn't the case in 2015-16:
| October | 11.0 | 18.5 |
| November | 19.7 | 21.0 |
| December | 22.3 | 20.5 |
| January | 16.6 | 21.7 |
| February | 11.9 | 23.6 |
| March | 16.8 | 21.9 |
| April | 16.0 | 17.0 |
Lowry struggled immensely during last year's first-round exit, averaging only 12.3 points against the Washington Wizards while shooting 31.6 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from downtown. He'll need to do a lot more if the Raptors are going to hold off the Indiana Pacers.
No. 3 Point Guard: Chris Paul (Previous Ranking: No. 3)
3 of 25
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Age: 30
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 19.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.2 blocks, 376.74 TPA
Through Chris Paul fell just short of joining the 20/10 club, he still put together yet another fantastic campaign as he continues to ascend his position's all-time hierarchy.
Before Blake Griffin went down on Christmas Day, the point guard played great basketball and settled in as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers' Big Three. When the power forward was injured, Paul took on a larger offensive role and kept his team rolling through the Western Conference en route to an eventual No. 4 seed.
Now in his 30s, Paul remains staggeringly efficient. He exhibits complete control over the rock at all times, torturing defenders and throwing them off balance with a dizzying array of hesitation moves, eye fakes and quick crossovers. Despite his heavy involvement, he manages to limit his turnovers at all times.
During the regular season, Paul paced the Association with a 52.7 assist percentage, indicating that more than half of the shots his teammates made while he was on the floor came after one of his feeds. He's one of only four players in league history to have an assist percentage north of 50, joining Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo and John Stockton. And of the 12 qualified seasons by the other three, none featured a lower turnover percentage than Stockton's 19.7 in 1989-90.
In 2008-09, Paul coughed the ball up on just 13.5 percent of his possessions. One year prior, the rate was all the way down at 12.1. This season, he posted a 13.4 turnover percentage.
Paul is a machine.
No. 2 Point Guard: Russell Westbrook (Previous Ranking: No. 2)
4 of 25
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Age: 27
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 553.8 TPA
During the 2015-16 season, only a dozen players managed to throw up at least two triple-doubles. Draymond Green ended up finishing at No. 2 on the leaderboard with 13 such performances, and that still left him five behind Russell Westbrook's jaw-dropping total.
Since 1983-84, no one else has 18 triple-doubles in a single year:
- Russell Westbrook (2015-16): 18
- Magic Johnson (1988-89): 17
- Fat Lever (1986-87): 16
- Michael Jordan (1988-89): 15
- Draymond Green (2015-16), Grant Hill (1996-97), Magic Johnson (1990-91), Jason Kidd (2007-08): 13
Westbrook didn't average a triple-double, but don't make the mistake of assuming that automatically indicates Oscar Robertson's record-setting year in 1961-62 was superior. The NBA was an entirely different league back then, playing at a breakneck tempo that created plenty more possessions during the average outing.
If we adjust each team's pace to include exactly 100 possessions per 48 minutes—the Cincinnati Royals were at a below-average 124.9 in '62, while this year's Thunder stood at an above-average 96.7—we can get a more accurate picture:
| Russell Westbrook, 2015-16 | 24.3 | 8.1 | 10.8 |
| Oscar Robertson, 1961-62 | 24.7 | 10.0 | 9.1 |
Beyond that, Robertson logged an additional 9.9 minutes per contest, giving him more opportunities to post gaudy statistics. If it weren't for the No. 1 point guard in our countdown, the historic nature of Westbrook's season would be receiving far more attention.
No. 1 Point Guard: Stephen Curry (Previous Ranking: No. 1)
5 of 25
Team: Golden State Warriors
Age: 28
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.2 blocks, 698.25 TPA
Thanks to his 10-triple explosion against the Memphis Grizzlies during the Golden State Warriors' 73rd win of the season, Stephen Curry finished the 2015-16 campaign with a mind-boggling 402 three-pointers. He didn't just break his previous record of 286; he shattered it, posting an increase of 40.6 percent over the old high-water mark total.
FiveThirtyEight's Ian Levy looked at Curry's pace earlier in the season and determined it was the equivalent of the Golden State point guard's hitting 102 home runs—29 more than Barry Bonds' actual record of 73.
Let's embark down the same path, though we're limiting our scope to other notable basketball records.
- Wilt Chamberlain's 50.36 points per game in 1961-62 would become 70.8.
- Chamberlain's 27.2 rebounds per contest one year earlier would become 38.2.
- John Stockton's 14.54 assists per outing in 1989-90 would become 20.4.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 25.37 win shares in 1971-72 would become 35.67.
- Chamberlain's 31.82 player efficiency rating in 1962-63 would become 44.74.
No. 5 Shooting Guard: C.J. McCollum (Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention)
6 of 25
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Age: 24
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 20.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks, 27.8 TPA
We know C.J. McCollum can provide offensive contributions for the Portland Trail Blazers. The 24-year-old guard was one of only 20 qualified players to average at least 20 points during the 2015-16 season, and just nine members of that exclusive club were able to record more assists.
Offense won't be the issue as Rip City looks to pull off a first-round upset of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Instead, McCollum will need to acquit himself on the point-preventing end, as he often resembled a sieve during his third professional go-round. The scoring ability and willingness to assert himself as a playmaker are keeping him alive in the quest for the No. 5 spot on the shooting guard countdown, but he'll quickly find himself under siege from a solid list of honorable mentions who can contribute on both ends.
For that reason (among others), keep a close eye on the head-to-head matchup between this young guard and J.J. Redick.
If McCollum is able to chase Redick around the court and prevent him from connecting on too many open jumpers, it can tip the scales in Portland's favor. But per NBA.com's SportVU databases, McCollum was only in the 24.8 percentile when defending spot-up possessions this season, so that's going to be a tall task.
Honorable Mentions: Avery Bradley, Danny Green, J.J. Redick
No. 4 Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade (Previous Ranking: No. 5)
7 of 25
Team: Miami Heat
Age: 34
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 19.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, 35.23 TPA
Forget about Dwyane Wade's overall statistics. The Miami Heat shooting guard was quite impressive offensively and looked as if he'd turned back the clock a bit on the defensive end, but he was even better when contests were close.
NBA.com defines clutch situations as anything that occurs in the final minutes of games separated by five points or fewer, but it might as well refer to such moments as "Wade time." He was that good.
Wade made clutch appearances in 38 contests throughout the regular season, and he averaged a stellar 35.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Even more impressive, he coughed the ball up only 2.2 times per 36 minutes in those same situations.
The 2-guard also passes the advanced-metric test in crunch time. With Wade on the floor during the last five minutes of those close contests, the Heat scored 117.3 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com's statistics. Better still, they allowed just 97.6 points during the same average stretch, giving them a staggering net rating of 19.8.
No. 3 Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson (Previous Ranking: No. 2)
8 of 25
Team: Golden State Warriors
Age: 26
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 22.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, 38.61 TPA
There's no denying Klay Thompson is an incredible shooter. After all, he's now made more threes in a single season than anyone in NBA history other than Curry. But that marksmanship has also distracted from the holes in his game.
After spending the 2014-15 campaign improving as a shot-creating guard and a facilitating presence for the Warriors, Thompson regressed in both areas. He needed assists on an additional 16.9 percent of his two-point makes and another 1.2 percent of his triples. His passing numbers all trended in the wrong direction. Plus, for a player with his 6'7" frame, he continued to make a stunning lack of impact on the glass.
Additionally, Thompson's defense doesn't get unanimously positive reviews.
Though he often passes the eye test and takes on tough backcourt assignments, his defensive box plus/minus stood at minus-2.2 in 2015-16—the worst mark since his rookie season. ESPN.com's defensive real plus/minus has the Warriors 2-guard as the No. 47 defender at his position, putting him directly between Eric Gordon and James Harden.
Thompson likely isn't as bad as those numbers might indicate. Again, he does look the part of a quality defender. But his game still wasn't well-rounded enough for him to beat out the No. 2 shooting guard in our countdown.
No. 2 Shooting Guard: DeMar DeRozan (Previous Ranking: No. 3)
9 of 25
Team: Toronto Raptors
Age: 26
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 81.41 TPA
As DeMar DeRozan said about Vince Carter after moving past him for No. 2 on the Toronto Raptors' all-time scoring leaderboard, per Ryan Wolstat of the National Post, his predecessor also served as an idol:
"I grew up watching Vince, imitating a lot of things I saw him do as a kid.
He was one of the first dudes I learned from. Being in this organization and to be able to pass him and records that he set — there's never no topping Vince, because we all had to learn from Vince. People always say, "You’ll be a better Raptor than Vince," nah, Vince started everything and I got everything from Vince.
"
According to my TPA databases, DeRozan contributed 81.41 more points than an average player would throughout the 2015-16 campaign, leaving him at No. 50 in the Association and No. 4 at his position, behind only Danny Green, Jimmy Butler and James Harden.
However, that doesn't stack up with Carter's best days in a Raptors uniform. He hit triple digits during four different seasons in Toronto, highlighted by his career-best 400.51 TPA in 2000-01.
But DeRozan doesn't have to be Carter. That's an unrealistic standard. Being DeRozan is just fine, especially since the current crop of playoff shooting guards is woefully lacking in the two-way department.
No. 1 Shooting Guard: James Harden (Previous Ranking: No. 1)
10 of 25
Team: Houston Rockets
Age: 26
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 29.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, 425.71 TPA
The bearded shooting guard is so good on the offensive end that his uninspired defense is almost completely irrelevant.
Could James Harden be better on the point-preventing side? Absolutely.
But he could also sit down and refuse to help his teammates each and every possession, and his offense would still make him more of an asset than a detriment. According to offensive points added (one of the components of TPA), Harden produced 451.13 points on offense in 2015-16—the No. 29 single-season mark since 1973.
To be clear, it's not like 28 different players have topped this year's offensive contributions. Only 15 have, though some of them appear ahead of him on the historic leaderboard multiple times. Here's a full breakdown of the players involved in the top 30:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (twice)
- Gilbert Arenas
- Charles Barkley (three times)
- Larry Bird
- Kobe Bryant
- Stephen Curry (twice)
- Adrian Dantley
- Kevin Durant
- James Harden
- LeBron James (five times)
- Magic Johnson (twice)
- Michael Jordan (six times)
- Tracy McGrady
- Chris Paul (twice)
- Dwyane Wade
Making it onto that 15-man list is special. Even when coupled with zero defensive presence, that placement shouldn't be taken lightly.
No. 5 Small Forward: Jae Crowder (Previous Ranking: Injured)
11 of 25
Team: Boston Celtics
Age: 25
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.5 blocks, 132.61 TPA
When Jae Crowder is on the floor, the Boston Celtics' net rating goes up by 3.4 points per 100 possessions.
Given his versatility, that shouldn't be particularly surprising. The breakout star at small forward can impact in a variety of ways, whether he's knocking down perimeter jumpers and spacing out the court, doing all the little things in glue-guy fashion or locking down a tough opponent.
"He's a good player that has opened a lot of eyes since he left Dallas," an anonymous league executive told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com about Crowder. "That contract, his talent...he's not untradeable, but he's about as close to being untradeable on that team."
Even removing the contract (five years and $35 million, per Spotrac.com) from the equation, Crowder should be an untradeable commodity in Beantown. He's the tone-setter on the defensive end, and he truly embodies the team-wide mentality that together, they can all operate as a singular superstar.
Limiting our field to only playoff-bound players takes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony and Gordon Hayward (among others) out of consideration. But Crowder is playing so well this season that it doesn't even matter. When he's been healthy, he’s been a mainstay in our positional top fives.
Honorable Mentions: Nicolas Batum, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala
No. 4 Small Forward: Paul George (Previous Ranking: No. 4)
12 of 25
Team: Indiana Pacers
Age: 25
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 23.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.4 blocks, 255.29 TPA
As Bob Kravitz wrote for WTHR.com, Paul George isn't a finished product yet, and the best hasn't arrived:
"The larger point is, appreciate what you have in George because there aren't a lot of players who have his talent and his numbers. He is not a finished product, but at this point in a career, he shouldn't be expected to be a finished product. We saw who the Pacers were last season without George: A lottery team.
The best of George is yet to come. Give it time. Be patient.
"
The Indiana Pacers have to hope the best arrives soon. They're in for a tough first-round matchup against the Raptors, and they've tended to ride highs and lows right along with their best individual player.
During Indiana victories, George has averaged 23.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists. In losses, those per-game marks stand at 23.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists. When leading his team to a win, this forward is shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point territory. But when he's on the losing side, those percentages fall to 39.9 and 35.0, respectively.
George has carried an immense offensive responsibility during his true return from the broken leg suffered two offseasons ago while training with Team USA. The Pacers don't have the secondary scorers necessary to take pressure off him, but he's largely lived up to the challenge.
No. 3 Small Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Previous Ranking: No. 3)
13 of 25
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Age: 24
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks, 386.04 TPA
This isn't an insult.
Kawhi Leonard might be disappointed to trail two players at his position, but that's only happening because small forward is ridiculously stacked at the top. His placement at No. 3 doesn't take away from his status as one of the best two-way players in the NBA.
If you need proof, just look at Leonard's TPA.
A mark of 386.04 leaves him as the No. 6 finisher throughout the league and narrowly outside the top 120 individual seasons since 1973. Even more impressive, that number comes even though he sat out 10 games for the San Antonio Spurs while nursing various maladies and buying in to head coach Gregg Popovich's desire to keep everyone fresh for the inevitable playoff run.
Feel free to call Leonard one of the Association's five best players. You won't get any arguments here, even if he's down at No. 3 among contributors who typically suit up as 3s.
No. 2 Small Forward: Kevin Durant (Previous Ranking: No. 2)
14 of 25
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Age: 27
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.2 blocks, 410.33 TPA
Curry caused plenty of individual seasons to fly well beneath the radar, and Kevin Durant was one of the victims.
Let's begin with the per-game stats, as averaging at least 28 points and five assists is already tough enough. Throughout the entirety of NBA history, only 24 different players have done so, and this was Durant's second time joining the club—the first was during his MVP campaign in 2013-14.
However, Durant's ridiculous levels of efficiency are just as impressive as the volume of his contributions.
In 2015-16, the 27-year-old shot 50.5 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from beyond the arc and 89.8 percent from the charity stripe. Though he fell just shy of the vaunted 50/40/90 club, that combination still gave him a true shooting percentage of 63.4 percent, leaving him behind only his '14 season and Curry's just-finished campaign in that aforementioned 24-man club.
This dude can score with the best of them. And by "them," we're referring to everyone who's ever worn an NBA uniform.
No. 1 Small Forward: LeBron James (Previous Ranking: No. 1)
15 of 25
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Age: 31
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, 484.47 TPA
As LeBron James recently hinted, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, he's been in "playoff mode" for quite some time:
"It's a mind switch, a mind switch. I've been going to the gym even more, dialed in more on what needs to be done and what needs to be better. I've been in this league a long time and I know what I need to do for my game to be even more sharp, so I'm glad I was able to deliver and not just talk about it, be able to deliver for my teammates because that's what means more to me than anything.
"
Since the beginning of March—an admittedly arbitrary starting point—James has torched opponents to the tune of 26.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Better yet, he's shot 56.9 percent from the field and shrugged off criticisms of his shaky jumper by drilling 39.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
McMenamin wrote that head coach Tyronn Lue challenged James "to be better in everything he does—both on and off the court. Lue's message resonated, and James not only internalized the mission, but put it out there for the public to hold him accountable, declaring he had entered a so-called 'playoff mode' early."
James wasn't lying, and that's terrifying for anyone who has to face him during the postseason. Lest we forget, this four-time MVP can still look like the world's best player for rather prolonged stretches.
No. 5 Power Forward: Marvin Williams (Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention)
16 of 25
Team: Charlotte Hornets
Age: 29
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 11.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, 125.85 TPA
Hold your laughter. This 29-year-old simply isn't the same player he used to be.
Even though you're about to see some bigger names in the list of honorable mentions, Marvin Williams has been one of the most crucial pieces behind the Charlotte Hornets' second-half success. Head coach Steve Clifford has unlocked his potential, leaving the old Atlanta Hawks version well behind by lining him up exclusively at power forward and torch defenses that dare sag off.
The Hornets have been 4.9 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the floor, and it's not just because he spends plenty of minutes operating with the starters. ESPN.com's RPM has him trailing only Draymond Green, Kevin Love and Paul Millsap at the position—the product of a No. 3 finish in ORPM and a slightly above-average score in the defensive counterpart.
He understands his role on both ends, and he's put in a position to succeed rather than being asked to operate as an overmatched wing. Plus, he's fine-tuned his jump-shooting form, and the result has been a career-best 40.2 percent clip from downtown.
Williams' per-game stats won't blow you away, but it's the efficiency and the ability to avoid mistakes that has made him so valuable for Buzz City.
Honorable Mentions: Amir Johnson, Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki
No. 4 Power Forward: Blake Griffin (Previous Ranking: Injured)
17 of 25
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Age: 27
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, 77.06 TPA
It took a while for Blake Griffin to let his quadriceps injury heal, his hand recover and his suspension expire, but he finally returned to the Los Angeles Clippers lineup before the end of the regular season. The results were mixed, as you might expect from a star player who had so much time off and was rejoining a team that had coalesced in his absence.
It had previously appeared that Griffin resumed his previous status as an offensive hub, distributing the ball with aplomb and racking up assists. But over the course of his five total outings after returning, he averaged just 10.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 40 percent from the field.
Despite the limited nature of the power forward's statistics, optimism prevails. Per the Washington Post's Josh Planos:
"After recalibrating the offense for three months, [head coach Doc] Rivers has reintroduced him to the rotation and the move is already paying dividends on both ends of the floor. With Los Angeles staring down a postseason run that could lead to the dissolving of its core, Griffin is providing a healthy dose of optimism for Rivers, at least thus far. The Clippers are turning over the ball less, finding a higher portion of assisted buckets and holding teams to low point totals.
"With Blake, there's endless possibilities," Paul correctly told Sports Illustrated.
"
The biggest concern isn't what Griffin can do, but rather how quickly his teammates will adjust to his presence. With a first-round matchup against Lillard and the Trail Blazers looming, there won't be much margin for error or time to spare.
No. 3 Power Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge (Previous Ranking: No. 3)
18 of 25
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Age: 30
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.1 blocks, 79.53 TPA
Everything has clicked for LaMarcus Aldridge.
The 2015-16 season has been filled with adjustments. Aldridge needed to get used to his new stomping grounds with the San Antonio Spurs, especially because the team wasn't likely to let him commandeer possessions and hold the ball while the shot clock dwindled.
More importantly, the Spurs needed to adjust to having a go-to option who thrived with his mid-range shooting—something that typically doesn't fly in Popovich's vaunted system.
Consider the adjustments made: From the beginning of March through the end of the regular season, Aldridge averaged 21.3 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor. The team made no attempts to transform him into a stretch 4, and he looked fully comfortable in his role as an interior stopper.
It all worked.
No. 2 Power Forward: Paul Millsap (Previous Ranking: No. 2)
19 of 25
Team: Atlanta Hawks
Age: 31
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 17.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.7 blocks, 283.82 TPA
Paul Millsap may not look the part of a lockdown defensive player given his undersized frame and lack of ridiculous shot-blocking totals. But he should be a strong candidate to win the point-preventing award, and not just because he was the only qualified player to average at least 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks or because he finished second to Draymond Green in the defensive portion of TPA.
As Zach Lowe detailed for ESPN.com, Millsap's ridiculously quick and active hands are crucial to head coach Mike Budenholzer's schemes for the Atlanta Hawks:
"[Al] Horford and Millsap have quick hands, and good instincts for those millisecond openings when they might reach in for a steal. Millsap is one of the great big man thieves in NBA history. "Paul has [expletive] amazing hands," Budenholzer said. "Just amazing."
"Best hands in the league for a big," [Kent] Bazemore said.
"
Of course, he's also one of the key offensive players for the surging Hawks, making plenty of lineups work because he can do so many things with the ball. Though it's a bit strange to consider someone of his ilk a "glue guy," his knack for perimeter shooting, pump fakes, quick skip passes and plenty more truly brings the team together.
No. 1 Power Forward: Draymond Green (Previous Ranking: No. 1)
20 of 25
Team: Golden State Warriors
Age: 26
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks, 342.73 TPA
We've never seen a season like this before.
Draymond Green should be one of the favorites to win Defensive Player of the Year given his ability to anchor the Golden State Warriors while showcasing versatility to switch onto smaller players no matter how many screens are thrown in his direction. He's also a capable three-point marksman who sets hard (yes, sometimes illegal) picks and leads his team in assists.
Beyond that, he can shift over to center in the small-ball lineups that helped lead the Dubs to a record-setting 73rd win.
It's Curry who is deservedly earning all the MVP hype, but the Warriors' on/off differential is actually larger when Green sits. The team's net rating dips by 22.2 points per 100 possessions when Curry goes to the bench yet drops by 25.6 when this power forward gets to rest.
We don't have to think deeply about his role on the team, his impact on a historically great squad or his knack for playing with so many different sets of Dubs. He's literally the first player in NBA history to average at least 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block for an entire season.
No. 5 Center: Tim Duncan (Previous Ranking: Unranked)
21 of 25
Team: San Antonio Spurs
Age: 39
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 blocks, 126.08 TPA
Don't make the mistake of thinking Tim Duncan is only here because we're rewarding his legacy.
Nothing could be further from the truth, as the veteran big man has remained a dominant presence on defense for the San Antonio Spurs, holding his own against players who are sometimes young enough that they weren't finished with elementary school when he entered the league.
Despite grading him as a slight negative on the offensive end, ESPN.com's RPM has him as the NBA's No. 13 player. His 5.14 DRPM actually leads the Association, though it has to be mentioned that he accumulated this rate statistic while playing far fewer minutes than many of professional basketball's best defenders.
Still, Duncan remains an absolute force.
He's not matchup-proof at this stage—the Warriors exposed his diminishing mobility by thrusting him into one pick-and-roll coverage after another. It's also a bit depressing to see him struggle on the offensive end to the point that he sometimes remains entirely uninvolved in San Antonio's play-calling.
But Duncan knows his role, and he's willing to fill it at all times. He remains the physical manifestation of unselfish play, and he makes the Spurs that much better for it.
Honorable Mentions: Andrew Bogut, Ian Mahinmi, Mason Plumlee
No. 4 Center: Andre Drummond (Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention)
22 of 25
Team: Detroit Pistons
Age: 22
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 16.2 points, 14.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks, Minus-26.4 TPA
"Man. It makes defense easy," Reggie Jackson said about Andre Drummond's rim protection after the big man dominated the interior in a March 25 contest against the Hornets, per MLive.com's Aaron McMann. "That guy, when he protects the rim like that, you know you just got to get into the ball."
But unfortunately for the Detroit Pistons, that isn't what always happens when Drummond is left alone as the last line of defense.
Per NBA.com's SportVU data, the double-double master allowed opponents to shoot 52.6 percent at the rim in 2015-16 while facing 8.5 attempts per game. Among players who squared off against at least eight close-range shots during the average contest, only Nikola Vucevic was more porous.
Drummond is brimming over with natural talent, and he's no stranger to ridiculous statistical lines. But they also overestimate his actual impact on the proceedings, as he won't be a truly dominant center until his rebounding and garbage-cleaning offense are joined by consistent defense, post-up skills and actual passing ability.
No. 3 Center: Hassan Whiteside (Previous Ranking: No. 3)
23 of 25
Team: Miami Heat
Age: 26
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 3.7 blocks, 103.6 TPA
Which Hassan Whiteside are the Miami Heat going to get during the playoffs? The answer could determine how deep this squad advances.
Offensively, he's a safe bet to throw down at least one powerful slam, and his mid-range jumper has steadily improved throughout the season. The Heat can rely on his limited contributions there, especially now that he's shown some willingness to pass the ball out of the double-teams that are often necessary to negate his incredible physicality.
Defense is where the question mark remains.
Whiteside still has a tendency to chase gaudy block tallies at the expense of making the right basketball play, though he's fared far better since making the transition to the Miami bench. It wasn't a demotion so much as an opportunity for head coach Erik Spoelstra to maximize his impact and keep him hungry, and the decision has clearly worked.
Some nights, he can look like the league's best center. Others, he unintentionally depresses Miami's chances of victory. Lately, we've been getting more of the former than the latter.
No. 2 Center: DeAndre Jordan (Previous Ranking: No. 5)
24 of 25
Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Age: 27
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 12.7 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.3 blocks, 176.29 TPA
We need to take a moment and realize just how unbelievably efficient DeAndre Jordan is during live action. That all goes away when he's laboring at the free-throw line, but Jordan just completed his second consecutive season knocking down at least 70 percent of his field-goal attempts.
The Los Angeles Clippers center hit "only" 70.3 percent of his shots in 2015-16, which represents a bit of a decline from last year's mark. It also prevents him from catching Wilt Chamberlain, who set the all-time record back in 1972-73 with a field-goal percentage of 72.7 for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Still, there have only been three qualified seasons over 70, and Jordan has two of them.
Do all of his shots come from right around the hoop? Sure. But plenty of other players fill a similar role, and none of them are this good at consistently completing pick-and-roll slams or throwing down putback jams with nary a miss.
No. 1 Center: Al Horford (Previous Ranking: No. 4)
25 of 25
Team: Atlanta Hawks
Age: 29
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.5 blocks, 218.2 TPA
Were we including lottery teams in the field, it would be tougher to justify Al Horford at No. 1. DeMarcus Cousins has clearly been the league's best center for a while now, and Karl-Anthony Towns' late-season heroics (as well as his consistent excellence as a rookie) elevated his standing rather significantly.
But given who we have left, Horford is the easy choice. Whereas every other postseason center has significant limitations—Jordan's lack of range, Whiteside's passing, Drummond's rim protection and post game, Duncan's offense and so on—Horford does everything well for the Atlanta Hawks.
If the Hawks need him to settle in as a defensive stopper, he's more than capable of doing so. He finished the season with the No. 9 score in the point-preventing portion of TPA. The big man can also serve as a distributing hub in the movement-heavy offense or do the scoring himself. And it's not like he's a slouch on the boards.
Horford's per-game statistics aren't overwhelming, but his impact during the proceedings is.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
All stats, unless otherwise indicated, are from Basketball-Reference.com or Adam's databases.
