Mid Season Heroes

[quady]

This article is both a list of the best performers at their positions so far, and a teaser for the coming worst performers list. I’ve composed these in largely the same format and with the same metrics as the last couple of lists I posted last season (see original here for more information), with one minor tweak. It made sense to me to want players to be comparable both inside and across position groups. I’ve tried to achieve that by using league average PPP as my baseline scoring coefficient, but have stuck with the positional medians for the defensive box score statistics. I think this makes the most sense as an approach, since at the team level, an offensive possession used could be allocated to any other player, but defensively, opportunities are clearly not allocated evenly.

A thing I have not done here that I still want to is to layer in a pace adjustment for the defensive stats. My final output currently is a per-game plus minus metric, and I’m also including the per-minute version. Pace in large part seems to balance out across the league unless you’re an outlier team - if that’s the case, build in a mental adjustment until I update my methodology.

Without further ado:

Point Guards

Name	Possessions Used	Total Points	Raw PPP	Points Gained Offense	Points Gained Defense	D Points Gained Per Min	Total Points Gained	Points Gained per Minute	Total Points Gained per Game
Kyrie Irving	1064.58	1176	1.104660993	164.649	10.80954191	0.00793943585	175.4585419	0.1288714961	5.013101197
Jamal Murray	1360.04	1466.3	1.078130055	174.262	4.030472957	0.002499518113	178.292473	0.1105689755	4.14633658
Jrue Holiday	984.82	1072.5	1.089031498	136.921	21.04068181	0.01372785399	157.9616818	0.1030610568	4.050299534
James Harden	1305.14	1353	1.036670396	113.117	40.69306379	0.02564635015	153.8100638	0.09693707934	3.75146497
Lou Williams	1483.08	1554.8	1.048358821	145.874	-10.45628299	-0.006331768795	135.417717	0.08200176639	2.943863413
Markelle Fultz	906.04	961.8	1.061542537	101.062	17.39074048	0.01250952415	118.4527405	0.08520553912	2.820303345
Steph Curry	553.1	581.4	1.051166154	55.955	-4.167935656	-0.005553545179	51.78706434	0.06900341685	2.725634965
LeBron James	1162.6	1120	0.9633579907	15.53	84.54576218	0.05433532274	100.0757622	0.06431604253	2.501894055
Langston Galloway	805.2	817	1.014654744	52.06	7.614131704	0.005088299722	59.6741317	0.03987846278	1.387770505

A couple notes here - recent tradees FVV and Dejounte Murray would have a pretty good chance to crack this list if they started enough at PG to be classified here. After starting the season at the top of this list, Jrue has been overtaken by Kyrie (could see that one coming I think) and now by Jamal Murray, who has taken a GIGANTIC leap year over year, in basically all stats across the board.



Shooting Guards

Name	Possessions Used	Total Points	Raw PPP	Points Gained Offense	Points Gained Defense	D Points Gained Per Min	Total Points Gained	Points Gained per Minute	Total Points Gained per Game
Devin Booker	971.16	1083.6	1.115779068	160.998	-6.516460328	-0.004986578152	154.4815397	0.1182136055	4.29115388
Monta Ellis	1075	1175	1.093023256	153.75	43.19589217	0.02633414142	196.9458922	0.1200669952	4.190338131
Rudy Gay	1003.32	1049.2	1.045728182	96.046	65.37159479	0.04119971941	161.4175948	0.101731641	3.753897553
Donovan Mitchell	1393.2	1469.6	1.054837784	146.06	9.804718569	0.00584867488	155.8647186	0.09297585216	3.542379967
Deron Williams	936.04	1020.6	1.09033802	131.362	8.376164378	0.005304055457	139.7381644	0.08848667957	3.327099152
Gordon Hayward	817.84	856.8	1.04763768	79.852	24.83477344	0.01917150953	104.6867734	0.08081424536	3.079022748
Buddy Hield	886.6	991.6	1.118429957	149.33	-39.88989828	-0.03247305298	109.4401017	0.08909158395	2.957840587
Derrick Rose	955.56	1012.2	1.059274143	104.418	15.34853284	0.01222211566	119.7665328	0.0953707062	2.851584115
Klay Thompson	933.9	1015	1.086840133	127.795	-31.18111979	-0.02394863271	96.61388021	0.07420420907	2.760396577
Tyreke Evans	1185.24	1249.6	1.054301239	123.622	-9.416473404	-0.00581550976	114.2055266	0.07053206929	2.59558015

Notes: Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell have both spend a little bit of time at SF, which would inflate their defensive stats here a little bit but thought ultimately they should be classified with the SGs. Buddy Hield has done a bit of time off the bench in Sacramento as well, but he's ultimately played the majority of his minutes at SG so I stuck him here as well



Small Forwards

Name	Possessions Used	Total Points	Raw PPP	Points Gained Offense	Points Gained Defense	D Points Gained Per Min	Total Points Gained	Points Gained per Minute	Total Points Gained per Game
Kevin Durant	1262.62	1500.6	1.188481095	301.111	49.92645843	0.03264660853	351.0374584	0.2295412662	8.56188923
Myles Turner	1071.56	1242.7	1.159711075	224.718	35.99304606	0.02364541194	260.7110461	0.1712725306	6.063047583
Kawhi Leonard	830.44	936	1.127113338	147.082	43.80290618	0.03370491396	190.8849062	0.146879737	5.302358505
Otto Porter Jr	1097.16	1214.4	1.106857705	172.098	2.893529346	0.001889713522	174.9915293	0.1142839141	3.977080212
Paul George	731.38	780.5	1.06716071	85.689	27.01915689	0.02126655403	112.7081569	0.08871165438	3.220233054
Carmelo Anthony	1087.54	1197	1.100649172	163.837	-27.61950041	-0.01738715796	136.2174996	0.08575228177	3.027055546
Marvin Williams	852.6	905.2	1.061693643	95.23	-21.16801221	-0.01750869497	74.06198779	0.06125888154	2.38909638
Jimmy Butler	1001.12	1096	1.094773853	144.936	-50.59410425	-0.03503746832	94.34189575	0.06533372282	2.358547394
Henry Ellenson	738.48	740	1.002058282	38.444	34.3162452	0.02840748775	72.7602452	0.06023199106	1.81900613
Lauri Markkanen	587.44	588	1.000953289	29.932	11.91370629	0.01360012133	41.84570629	0.0477690711	1.743571095

Notes:

Kawhi has moved around a bit in Orlando's offense, but has mostly started at SF. The same is true of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Aaron Gordon, Semi Ojeleye, and Devin Booker would have all made this list if they could have been classified as SFs. I was really pleased to see Lauri just squeak in. Not sure what the league consensus is on Otto, but that looks like a very nice pickup for Denver. Finally, Kevin Durant. Look at god.



Power Forwards

Name	Possessions Used	Total Points	Raw PPP	Points Gained Offense	Points Gained Defense	D Points Gained Per Min	Total Points Gained	Points Gained per Minute	Total Points Gained per Game
Kristaps Porzingis	1063.58	1102.9	1.03696948	92.499	14.7253134	0.01050157852	107.2243134	0.0764686303	2.615227156
Semi Ojeleye	1074.18	1161	1.080824443	140.529	-45.36900458	-0.0350529279	95.15999542	0.07352236376	2.213023149
Aaron Gordon	866.2	952	1.099053336	129.11	-47.02747098	-0.03541225224	82.08252902	0.0618091333	2.052063226
Al Jefferson	698.84	706.8	1.011390304	42.902	13.91031791	0.01112647409	56.81231791	0.04544258351	1.495060998
Boban Marjanovic	728.58	759	1.04175245	66.849	-29.07481257	-0.02669863413	37.77418743	0.0346870408	1.144672346
Arsalan Kazemi	440.5	436.6	0.9911464245	18.125	11.48479474	0.009885345794	29.60979474	0.02548613767	0.8002647228
Julius Randle	895	923.4	1.031731844	73.15	-53.98014344	-0.04165777392	19.16985656	0.01479383899	0.5044699094
Giannis Antetokounmpo	1085.72	1024	0.9431529308	-7.434	22.13288549	0.01608494585	14.69888549	0.01068232957	0.3674721373
LaMarcus Aldridge	938.08	946	1.008442777	54.824	-44.79570559	-0.03252665233	10.02829441	0.007281654375	0.2279157819
Andre Drummond	587.96	515.2	0.876250085	-43.362	47.39154667	0.04355840687	4.029546669	0.003703627454	0.1259233334

Notes: With more games starting at PF, Mo Bamba would have made this list. Ojeleye, Gordon, and Marjanovic have moved around a bit, but mostly seemed to start at PF. The first honorable mention besides Bamba is Blake Griffin.



Centers

Name	Possessions Used	Total Points	Raw PPP	Points Gained Offense	Points Gained Defense	D Points Gained Per Min	Total Points Gained	Points Gained per Minute	Total Points Gained per Game
Nikola Jokic	706.9	758.7	1.073277691	87.145	-36.54354543	-0.04016215566	50.60145457	0.05561210525	1.874127947
DeMarcus Cousins	1046.92	1056	1.00867306	61.426	1.01643956	0.0007302008336	62.44243956	0.0448580744	1.561060989
Karl Anthony-Towns	901.4	880	0.9762591524	23.67	37.59401592	0.02918790056	61.26401592	0.04756522975	1.531600398
Greg Oden	845.12	782.8	0.9262589928	-20.064	51.69234892	0.03842725908	31.62834892	0.02351200485	0.8323249716
Joel Embiid	1048.52	1032	0.9842444589	35.906	-0.7805241379	-0.0004986737401	35.12547586	0.0224415256	0.8168715317
Anthony Davis	1059.08	995.4	0.939872342	-10.726	40.54726154	0.02774169509	29.82126154	0.02040316197	0.7100300366
Jonathan Isaac	500.4	460.1	0.9194644285	-15.28	34.2346219	0.02307692747	18.9546219	0.01277696117	0.4408051605
Greg Monroe	505.16	437	0.8650724523	-42.902	54.53478924	0.04309687786	11.63278924	0.009192973952	0.3061260326
Hassan Whiteside	720.66	664.2	0.9216551494	-20.427	26.47825055	0.01855778704	6.051250549	0.004241134391	0.1475914768
Marcin Gortat	335.92	310.8	0.9252202905	-8.324	13.18766927	0.01233299286	4.863669269	0.004548460926	0.1314505208

Notes: Based on playing time, Jokic lands here (and at the top of the heap). Davis and Isaac have both spent a bit of time at PF as well, so they are probably being underrated by these metrics a tad. The best pure butt by far was Deandre Jordan, but his offense is poor enough to not crack the top 10. I want you all to know that Greg Monroe currently grades out as the second best center in the butt categories, just let that inform any offers you make to me. Also you may notice that only five of these guys even rate as positives on offense, compared with the league-wide per possession figure. I'm positive I don't account for FTs perfectly, but it's worth thinking about.

[quady]

meant to add a link to this earlier post for more background

[raptors]

Great stuff

[Concepts of a Plan]

Hi

[pacers]

paul george top 5 SF? jfc

[quady]

paul george top 5 SF? jfc

kyrie got him going

[rbrown5192]

Otto is only 26 and got the +20 Pot boost

[bpankin]

so many former twolves that i just fumbled the bag on...sad

[raptors]

Ellenson > Lauri

[quady]

Ellenson > Lauri

go to hell