Downright Offensive: The Top 10 Point Producers in the NBA
I know what you're thinking, what's a picture of Sydney Crosby doing on an NBA article. Well, it's because he's the NHL point leader. In the NHL they count the points leader as the player who has the most combined goals and assists.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the NBA has a similar stat?
Today I did. I got to wondering what it would like if the NBA had a stat line for Offensive Production, which would combine assists and scoring to form a single stat, (Assists per game * 2) + Points per game. The result would show which players have produced the most offense for their teams.
Keep in mind this is not intended to be a complete stat, nor a stat of who is best or most valuable players in the NBA; it's merely a different way of comparing players to see who produces the most offense. As you might expect there's an inherent advantage to point guards as the offense normally goes through them.
Here's a look at the top 10 players in terms of offensive production in the NBA.
10: Kobe Bryant—35.9 Points Produced
1 of 10
With 25.7 points and 5.1 assists Kobe's tenth on the list.
Kobe's numbers are down slightly this year, but that has more to do with him playing less minutes than playing less effectively.
His 33 minutes a game are down five minutes from last year, while his per minute production 1.08, good for fifth overall and the highest of any non-point guard in the NBA.
9: Monta Ellis—36.1 Points Produced
2 of 10
Currently second in the NBA in scoring with 26.5 points per game, Ellis also has 4.8 assists per game bringing his production to 36.1.
Ellis is still only 25 years old and improving. He's having a career high in scoring this year, and along with teammate Steph Curry (14th on the list) forms one of the most exciting young duos in the NBA today.
8: John Walll—37.7 Points Prodcued
3 of 10
When the Wizards selected John Wall as the number one pick in last year's NBA draft it was almost as big of a shock as the sun rising. With 18.1 points and 9.8 assists per game, Wall is certainly living up to the billing.
Wall also already has a triple double on his resume, and can't even buy a beer yet. Wall also leads the NBA in steals with 3.2 per game.
7: Chris Paul—37.8 Points Produced
4 of 10
Chris Paul is among the early season frontrunners for MVP. Considering he's averaging 17.6 points and 10.1 assists per game, while leading the Hornets to the NBA's best record—it's not surprising.
There can be no doubt that the Hornets postseason hopes rest on Paul's shoulders. He is also getting it done defensively, as he is third in the NBA in defensive rating and second in steals per game.
6: Steve Nash—38.7 Points Produced
5 of 10
No one ever accused Steve Nash of great defense, but he's always been an amazing producer on the offensive end of the court. This year is no different. Like Kobe, in spite of playing fewer minutes than most on the list, he's still among the most productive.
In fact with 19.5 PPG and 9.6 APG in only a little over 33 minutes per game, no one produces more per minute than Nash. Even without Amare, Nash is still finding a way to get it done.
5: Russell Westbrook—38.9 Points Prodcued
6 of 10
Westbrook's fellow-phenom teammate Kevin Durant is getting all of the MVP attention, and as the NBA's leading scorer that's understandable. In fact, Durant just missed this list, but not Westbrook.
The "other" Thunder isn't too shabby either, scoring 23.5 points and dishing out 7.7 assists per game. Could Westbrook actually be the Thunder's MVP?
Probably not, but they sure do make a lethal combination. No pair in the NBA, not even James and Wade combine to produce more points than Westbrook and Durant.
4: LeBron James—40.1 Points Produced
7 of 10
It took James all of four games to start adjusting to his new team. Through the first four games he averaged six assists per game. Since then he's been averaging over 10, while adding 23.5 points.
In each of his last six he's scored at least 20 and dished out at least nine assists. Perhaps it's not really a question of whether, but when the Miami Thrice start living up to their promise. As they learn to play together the team can only get better.
3: Rajon Rondo—41.0 Points Produced
8 of 10
It's no longer the Big Three (and Rondo). Now it's Rondo (and the Big Three).
Rajon Rondo has started the season at an incredible 15.1 assists per game, a rate which if he were to maintain would be an NBA record, a full .6 assists more than the present record held by John Stockton.
That's why he's able to be on the list in spite of only scoring 10.8 points per game. The lowest points per game by any MVP in history is 15.5 when Steve Nash won in '04-''05.
Can Rondo beat that?
2: Deron Williams—42.8 Points Produced
9 of 10
Among the dumber picks in NBA history has to be when the Atlanta Hawks with the second pick took Marvin Williams. The next two picks were Deron Williams and Chris Paul. I bet they wish they could have that one back.
The Utah Jazz benefited from that particular act of ineptitude, picking up what many now consider to be the best point guard in the NBA. Williams is the only player in the NBA averaging over 20 points and 10 assists per game with 22.2 and 10.3 respectively.
The departure of Carlos Boozer seems moot to Williams, who is having a career high in scoring while maintain his impressive assist totals in double digits.
1: Derrick Rose—43.1 Points Produced
10 of 10
Only three players in NBA history have scored 25 points and averaged 10 assists per game, Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald and Michael Adams.
Derrick Rose is just barely outside of both those numbers with 24.7 points and 9.2 assists per game. At the beginning of the season Derrick Rose said there was no reason he "couldn't win the MVP." If he becomes the fourth it's going to be hard to deny him. Right now he's the most offensive player in the league. Just don't expect him on the Good Wife any time soon.
