NBA Power Rankings: Kevin Durant and the Most Efficient Scorer From Every Team
There is nothing better in the NBA than a man who can put the ball into the basket. I love a great defender better than anyone else.
Look at a guy like Bruce Bowen. The man was known for shutting down the best scorers in the NBA and he loved to do it night in and night out. Same thing when the corpse of Ron Artest was still alive and had no problem defending anyone on the court.
Now Ron Artest plays defense like a five year old girl plays tea party.
Point is there is nothing better than an offensive player matching up with the other teams best defender and dropping forty on them, but not because they shot the ball fifty times, but because they played within the offense, took great shots, got to the line, got their teammates involved.
So we are going to look at players who score, but efficiently and we're going to do it in alphabetical order per team.
Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
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Joe Johnson may lead the team in scoring, but he takes more shots than anyone else on the team.
Al Horford doesn't have a lot of plays run for him. He does a lot of his work off getting offensive rebounds and the occasional fast break.
He only shoots a little over 12 times a game, makes 57% of the shots he takes, makes 82% of his free throws and has a 22.6 Player Efficiency Rating and that is over three points better than anyone else on the team.
Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce and Ray Allen
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It was extremely tough to pick just one of these guys for the most efficient on the Celtics. Pierce does score more points, but Allen has a better shooting percentage.
Pierce has a better PER average, but Ray Allen shoots half a shot less and scores only a point and a half less.
Again it was really tough to pick their most efficient scorer because either one can take over on any given night and just own a game.
Charlotte Bobcats: Stephen Jackson
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The only thing that I could really knock Captain Jack on was his field goal percentage. Jackson shot just a little over 40% from the field, but he commanded a lot of other shooting statistics for the Bobcats.
He shoots 82% from the line and 35% from three and those are pretty respectable numbers from a guy on a team that is the third worst offense in all of the NBA.
Definitely a far cry from what we saw of him when it was a wide open offense in Golden State.
Chicago Bulls: Carlos Boozer
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Yes, Carlos Boozer.
There is a part of me who wanted to put Derrick Rose here because he never went to Duke. Rose however averages puts up a 9-20 shooting performance a night for a 45% FG.
Boozer does shoot 15% less at the line than Rose, but his Adjusted Shooting Percentage far outreaches Rose's (55-49).
If Rose can turn that 9-20 into a 12 or 13-20 a night, then we'll be seeing Rose in this spot next year. Until then, Boozer is the most efficient guy on the Bulls roster.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Ramon Sessions
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Ramon Sessions is your winner by default. Sure he doesn't score a lot, but he's just as good as everyone else. He shoots decently from the field and from the line, but his PER is almost two points higher than Antawn Jamison's.
Let's move on because well... I'm pretty sure Ohio State (-4) could be Cleveland right now. I know a college team isn't supposed to be able to beat a pro team, but I think if the game was played in Columbus, Ohio State wins.
Yes, I am also favoring Ohio State by four points.
Tell me you wouldn't take that action.
Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki
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To me there is no more beautiful shot in all of the league than Dirk Notwitzki. His shot is pure perfection. High release point, great follow though, always squared to the basket and under control with his body.
Dallas is a great offensive team and Dirk is the key to it. He leads the team in just about every offensive category: FG%, 3P%, FT%, PER, etc.
I could really go on and on about Dirk, but this isn't an article about him, but I could make a strong case for him to be a top five MVP candidate.
Denver Nuggets: Arron Afflalo
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With out Carmelo Anthony the Denver Nuggets would end up looking more like the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Chauncey Billups is ten times better than any player on the Cavs.
This is where the flip comes in though.
Afflalo shoots over 50% from the field, 45% from three and 85% from the line.
Melo or Anthony wouldn't have been second on my list either.
Nene would have been. He was very close to beating at Afflalo.
Detroit Pistons: Tayshaun Prince
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Rodney Stuckey has a higher PER, FT% and PPG average, but Tayshaun Prince leads the team in just about every other shooting statistical category.
The only real downside to Prince is his free throw shooting. He only shoots 68% from the stripe and trails just about half the team in that stat.
Inside 15 feet though he is absolutely deadly.
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry
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Monta Ellis should be an MVP candidate, but won't be considered because he plays for the Warriors.
That and Stephen Curry would shoot his pants off in a contest.
Curry is an offensive savant and he does things that only I've seen Oscar Robertson do at the the point guard position.
Now, he is no Oscar Robertson in terms of talent, few point guards not named Magic Johnson or Gary Payton aren't. Even those guys might not be on the same plain. Oscar was Oscar. Magic was Magic. Gary was Gary and Stephen is Stephen.
Though in today's current NBA I'd take Curry over just about any point guard in the league. He's team first and dishes first rather than looking to score like a Rose or Westbrook.
Curry shoots 48% from the field, 41% from three point land, 94% from the charity stripe.
Sure he's missed a few games, but it's so hard to argue with those numbers.
Houston Rockets: Kevin Martin
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Kevin Martin I think is one of the league's best, yet mostly unknown players.
Yet, his 45% from the field, 41% from three point land and 89% from the line needs to count from something and be payed attention to.
You could think of Martin as a poor man's Stephen Curry, but with a different type of shot. Sometimes I think Martin's shot looks normal, but then sometimes I think there is something off with it.
Either way he shoots really good from the field and also keeps the Rockets in most games because he is a threat to score 40 on any night.
Indiana Pacers: Danny Granger
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When Danny Granger first came into the league I thought he had the potential to be almost as good as Kevin Durant is now.
I did say almost.
I look at Danny Granger as a homeless man's Kevin Durant.
Granger shoots 42% from the floor, 39% from three and a little over 85% from the free throw line. He does lead the team in scoring and in PER, but he gets there without completely hogging the ball and does his scoring rather quietly.
I almost pay attention to other Pacer players more son than Granger. Which is weird because I love Danny Granger. I would love to potentially see him move to a team that would let him go wide open.
Denver?
Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon
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There is pretty much nothing more efficient than a Blake Griffin dunk.
Eric Gordon does it from everywhere a little bit better. His overall FG% is lower than Blake's (51-49), but his three point percentage (36), free throw percentage (82) and his PER (21.2) are pretty solid and the Clippers are definitely missing his scoring right now, though Randy Foye is doing the best he possibly can to fill the void.
Clippers did miss everything that Blake Griffin did do last year, but Eric Gordon is the superior overall scorer for the Clippers.
...for now.
Los Angeles Lakers: Pau Gasol
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Yep, Pau and not Kobe.
Pau shoots better from the field by 6.5% (52.5-46), only shoots two percent less from the line (83-81). Pau doesn't have to shoot 30 times a game to be effective like Kobe and when the Lakers are doing their best Pau tends to be the focal point of the offense down the stretch.
Not Kobe taking contested jumper after contested jumper as the Lakers fall out of the game.
Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Randolph
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Zach Randolph has been such a pleasant surprise since becoming a Grizzly. Always considered a head case up until he arrived in Memphis.
Randolph is a in a full on competition to be Memphis' best player with Rudy Gay.
Randolph and Gay shoot just about the same the same amount of shots, Randolph makes just about one more shot a game, while shooting just about two percent more from the field (49-47).
Randolph isn't as good from the line percentage wise, but does make just about a half a free throw more a game than Gay does. So he does get to the line quite often, just a bit more than Gay.
Miami Heat: LeBron James and Dwayne Wade
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The stats between these two are so close that you can't give one or the other a huge advantage to say who is really better.
Lebron does lead Wade in most shooting categories.
PPG - Lebron: 26.4 to Wade: 25.2
FG% - LeBron: 49 to Wade: 50
3P% - LeBron: 36 to Wade: 31
FT% - LeBron: 76 to Wade: 73
PER - LeBron: 27.1. to Wade: 25.3
LeBron does lead most stats, but any one of them can shoot 80% from the field, while the other goes 6-24, then the next night a complete inverse.
Had to give it to both.
Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut
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Andrew Bogut might be the deadliest guy on the low block in all of the NBA. He seems to always be able to get his shot off when it's needed and he works hard for each shot and just about makes 50% of them.
He's terrible from the free throw line and has yet to jack up a three, so we're basically basing this all off of his ability within in six feet.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love
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Is Kevin Love the best overall, pound for pound player in the NBA?
You could make an argument, but ultimately you could end up with no as your answer. A well aimed argument could win though and I could be convinced that he is. He's so effective when he's out there.
47% from the field, 87% from the free throw line, 44% from three. Two of those are better than Kevin Durant, while he trails Durant by only a single percentage point at the free throw line.
That's not too bad from Mr. Love now is it?
New Jersey Nets: Brook Lopez
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Brook Lopez has taken a step back this year and just doesn't seem like the same player he was last year. I think he could have already hit his ceiling, but hopefully it's just a case of a sophomore slump.
He shoots 49% from the field and 80% from the line, while leading the team with an 18.5 PER.
Devin Harris could have had this spot if he shot the three better than I do.
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul
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Chris Paul is having the best seasons than any one player could have playing on one leg. The Hornets are playing far better with him this season with him at the point rather than Darren Collison.
Paul is shooting 50% from the field, 90% from the line and 46% from behind the three point arc. His PER is an amazing 26.1.
He still can get anywhere on the floor he wants and will disappear from the scoreboard to get his teammates involved.
New York Knicks: Amare Stoudemire
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Amare is definitely the reason that the Knicks are going to be back in the playoffs this year. Raymond Felton can also make a case for the help in the turn around and you also you have Landry Fields.
Amare is shooting 51% from the floor and just about 80% from the line.
Amare does tend to mostly stay within the offense and doesn't put up too many shots that are forced. He will force a shot from time to time, but he usually takes a very high percentage shot.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant is almost a super star (has to win a playoff series or two first) and on the verge of being a top three player in the league. LeBron is going to have to retire for Durant to ever steal the number one spot.
Durant shoots 47% from the field, 88% from the line and 35% from line.
I think Durant would have better numbers than this if Russell Westbrook didn't forget that he was on his team for 4-5 minute stretches.
Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard
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Dwight Howard shoots an amazing 58% from the field, but most of his shots come within about four feet of the basketball and I think most people with any basketball skill should be able to do that. I don't think it's too much to expect.
But to shoot 58% from the field when he gets hit more than Jay Cutler?
If Howard could make 75% of his free throws he'd come close to scoring over 30 a game.
Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand
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Elton Brand is shooting 53% from the field, 80% from the line and leads the team in scoring. Philadelphia doesn't have a whole lot more than that to be excited about sadly and Brand is just that much better than the rest of his teammates.
Sure there is AI, but he's a much better defender than he is a scorer.
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash
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Steve Nash is the best player in the NBA to never win a ring and he deserves to win a ring or two more than anyone else.
Nash is still shooting at a great clip of 52% from the field, 40% from three and 91% from the line. He averages over 11 assists a game and has a pretty solid 23.4 PER.
How he continues to be so effective at this age with a bad back is amazing to me. 10 years ago he'd be retired and it also goes to show how amazing the Phoenix training staff is.
Portland Trailblazers: LaMarcus Aldridge
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If it wasn't for LaMarcus Aldridge the Blazers would be looking at a top five lottery pick and thinking about another complete overhaul of the team. Something an organization should try to avoid doing twice in under a ten year span.
Alridge is shooting 49% from the field and 78% from the line. For a seven footer not named Dirk Nowitzki that is pretty impressive.
Aldridge has stepped up and carried the Blazers and kept them as the eighth seed in the playoffs. He never takes a bad shot and always seems to be in control.
Sacramento Kings: Beno Udrih
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Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins are probably the two best players on the team, but Udrih is by far the most efficient.
Udrih shoots just about 7 points better from the field (50% to 43% and 41%). He shoots 36% from behind the arc and 85% from the line.
He's a great compliment to the younger Evan and Cousins, but he doesn't need the ball in his hands for 20 seconds to be effective on the offensive end.
San Antonio Spurs: Richard Jefferson
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Richard Jefferson went from having one of the worst contracts in the NBA last year with his production to being one of the better ones after his deal got restructured in the off season.
He's probably the fourth or fifth best player on the team, but he is more efficient overall.
He shoots 49% from the field, 43% from three and 74% from the line.
Ginobili, Parker and Duncan all put up better numbers, but it takes them a few more shots and a bit lesser percentage to get there.
Well Parker does shoot a big percent more from the field, but his overall efficiency isn't that of Jefferson's.
Toronto Raptors: Amir Johnson
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Amir Johnson isn't living up to his contract, but he is putting up efficient numbers during the course of his 26 minutes he plays during the course of a game.
Johnson is shooting 59% from the field and 80% from the line. He leads the team PER at 18.8 and also has yet to shoot a three pointer.
I know Toronto, I'm sorry, but I bet the Blue Jays beat out the Yankees in the standings this year.
Utah Jazz: Deron Williams
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Tonight Williams didn't look really efficient, but he is the teams most efficient and best player.
He is shooting 47% from the field, 35% from three and 85% from the line. He does get to the line more than anyone else on his team and runs the offense with precision that Jerry Sloan requires.
To have that much pressure on him every night and still perform the way he does is saying a lot about how good of a player he really is.
Washington Wizards: Rashard Lewis
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Going with Sonic ties on this one. Nick Young was close, but he was only better than Lewis from the three point land.
Lewis is shooting 47% from the floor, 86% from the line and 34% from three.
Lewis has only been on the team for a few weeks now and is still melding into the team, but he has quickly become one of their better players (which isn't saying much) and definitely carrying a bit of the scoring load that was desperately needed.
He has championship experience and is a veteran which is something the Wizards are sorely lacking.
He also gets the spot because he let me shoot around with the Sonics before games while he was still in Seattle.
