Jordan is the standard in the NBA’s all-time ecosystem for a myriad of reasons. However, this isn’t going to be a breakdown of his G.O.A.T. candidacy or any other comparison-driven discussion (since the media has given us more than enough of those).

Instead, I wanted to take a look at two well-known, yet uniquely unfathomable records the legend set during his playing career. These are two achievements that may never be matched again - the modern NBA culture doesn’t foster the environment for them to be achieved anymore, and if they were to be, it would have to come from a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

Now, you may be wondering what those two records are. Let’s take a look…

10x Scoring Titles

Michael Jordan is the owner of an NBA-record 10 scoring titles, which he achieved nearly consecutively - from the ‘87 to ‘98 seasons, he led the NBA in scoring for each year he played except the ‘95 year. He only played 20% of that season, making him ineligible.

Now, on paper, some may argue that this record isn’t unachievable. It just requires a dominant shot creator whose pure skill can will them to a scoring title every season, right?

Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.

To give an idea of why it’s more complex than that, here’s a list of the next-highest players in scoring championship count:

• 2nd Place | 7x | Wilt Chamberlain

• 3rd Place | 4x | George Mikan*, George Gervin, Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant

Note: George Mikan won one scoring title in the NBL, one in the BAA, and two in the NBA.

So, of the next five historic “contenders”, only one - Wilt Chamberlain - even had half of the scoring titles Jordan did. And only two of these five players come from this century, which is a testament to how hard it is to attain repeated scoring titles.

In the modern NBA, being a PPG leader is often associated with unsustainable offense. Only two players this century have led the league in scoring and won a championship in the same season: ‘00 Shaquille O’Neal and ‘25 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Because of a shift towards egalitarian offenses and the improvement of bench versatility league-wide, defenses typically have an easier time scheming for an offense that relies on one player for a great deal of volume. As a result, general managers attempt to avoid that style of team construction through prioritizing scoring depth.

And, naturally: more teammates that can score = less opportunities for a star to accrue volume = low chance of a scoring title. The Bulls only let Jordan do it because he was that dominant - when he shot less, the offense declined.

6x Finals MVPs

If you know me well, you’ll know that I don’t care for the Finals MVP as an award. I think it’s flawed for many reasons (which is a different discussion), but regardless of my own personal take, it’s objectively impressive to be the best player in six championship series. That level of resilience in what is such a mentally-taxing environment is incredible.

And what makes this record of Michael Jordan’s even more incredible is not only the fact that nobody else has reached it, but nobody has even achieved 75% of it. LeBron James, who has the next-highest number of Finals MVPs, would still need to get two more at the rip age of 42+ to even tie Jordan, nevermind pass him.

Now, there is an asterisk worth mentioning…

The Finals MVP award was only introduced in 1969, which means that notorious old-school champions like Bill Russell and George Mikan never had a chance to win one.

It is widely acknowledged that both of these legends were the best players on 6+ title teams (Mikan’s eligibility depends on how you view the NBL/BAA), and would likely have just as many, if not more, Finals MVPs than Jordan had the award existed.

Regardless of semantics, however, Jordan’s possession of this postseason bragging right is part of why he’s so unanimously respected in not only basketball discourse, but sports discourse as a whole.

And considering the modern NBA is firmly in an era of parity (8 different champions in the last 8 years), it may be a while before we see a player reach even half of Jordan’s Finals MVP count. The only player to even grab multiple in the past decade is Kevin Durant, who capped out at two.

So, Which Record is Harder to Break?

Even after typing all of this, I can’t say I’ve come to a comfortable conclusion.

If I had to lean towards one, I may argue the Finals MVP record is the more “attainable” one - it would take a lot of structural change in the league, though. A handful of things would have to coincide:

• An overcorrection to the CBA that encourages dynasty-building over parity

• A generational talent with durability

• A great front office that makes beneficial short-term and long-term moves

• High-quality co-stars / rotational players that grow alongside the generational talent

It’s near-impossible, but I can at least imagine it. I can’t, on the other hand, see a player be the best scorer in the league for over a decade while also being in a situation that enables an extreme shot volume. Even if a guy in basketball purgatory put up 22+ shots a game for several years, he would eventually leave the situation for one where his obligations are less taxing (and winning a title was more possible).

So, now I must ask - which record do you think is harder to break? Answer in the poll below!

Want to See More?

Is the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year a Cursed Award?

Welcome to Binging the NBA! A passion project where you’ll join me on a season-by-season “watch” of the league’s history, learning, understanding, and appreciating the context that helped build today’s game.

This page will serve as an archive of the series’ episodes, for easy access.

Episode Archive

• Introduction

1950s Decade

• 1950: The Birth of the NBA

• 1951: Remember the Kings’ Championship?

• 1952: The Lakers Strike Back

• 1953: A Finals Rematch

• 1954: The NBA on TV

If you’ve stumbled upon my Binging the NBA series (or if you’re one of a dozen friends I’ve harassed for thoughts on my statistical work), you may know Identity + Success Grade (ISG), a metric I’ve developed for evaluating NBA team quality.

Influenced by stats such as Simple Rating System (SRS), it aims to condense a team’s quality into a digestible metric, showcasing what teams were the best in any given season and why. As with most of my statistical work, it is era-scalable, and teams are divided into categories based on their ISG ratings.

To skip to certain parts of the stat’s explanation, click the anchor links below.

• Step 1 | Determining Offensive + Defensive Quality

• Step 2 | Determining Regular Season + Playoff Quality

• Step 3 | Determining ISG

To see the results of ISG through each NBA season (up to where I have studied for Binging the NBA), visit here.

Formula Process

Step 1: Determining Offensive + Defensive Quality

Full-Picture Offense (FPO)

Uses a variety of offensive statistics to determine the quality of a team’s offense, with attention to variety and how they conduct themselves to reach effectiveness.

Formula: (True Shooting-Adjusted PPG * 0.5) + (APG * 0.35) + (ORPG * 0.25) - (TPG * 0.35)

• FPO considers scoring, ball movement, generating extra possessions, and ball security as four vital aspects of a good offense. It measures a team’s effectiveness in these areas with efficiency-adjusted PPG, APG, ORPG, and TPG.

• If an era is missing one of these four statistics, it is removed from the FPO formula outright.

• All stats are calculated relative to the league average for historic scaling.

• Playoff Full-Picture Offense (Playoff FPO) adds the following variable to the formula: * (0.5 + 0.5* (Games Played / 15)). This is done to inflate or deflate values based on the number of games played, with the intent of honoring sample size.

• It does not calculate statistics on a per-possession basis, as part of determining a team’s identity is also respecting their approach to offense. Pace is a dynamic variable that per-possession calculations often diminish, as generating more possessions can often outweigh maximizing the result of each one.

• FPO values a team’s scoring output most, but does so while observing its fluidity (ball movement + protection). Sloppy offenses are firmly penalized. Offensive rebounding is not considered a must-have, but is rewarded if present, as it can make up for poor efficiency.

Full-Picture Defense (FPD)

Uses a variety of defensive statistics to determine the quality of a team’s defense, with attention to variety and how they conduct themselves to reach effectiveness.

Formula: (Opponent True Shooting-Adjusted PPG * 0.5) + (Opponent APG * 0.35) - (DRPG * 0.25) - (SPG * 0.1) - (BPG * 0.15) - (TPG * 0.25)

• FPD rewards forcing bad opponent scoring + playmaking habits, protecting the defensive glass, and generating live ball stops (steals + blocks) as four vital aspects of a good defense. It measures a team’s effectiveness in these areas with efficiency-adjusted oPPG, oAPG, DRPG, SPG, BPG, and TPG.

• Much like FPO, if an era is missing one of these four statistics, it is removed from the formula outright. It is also calculated relative to the league average and does not use per-possession data for the same reasons FPO does not.

• Playoff FPD uses the same inflation variable that Playoff FPO does.

• The reason live ball stops are valued at a very light level is that steals and blocks are often correlated with poor discipline and defensive positioning, even if they can be valuable.

True Shooting-Adjusted PPG

PPG adjusted for efficiency.

Formula: PPG * ((TS% / League Average TS%) ^ 0.5)

• tsPPG accounts for the fact that a team’s efficiency plays into its overall scoring effectiveness. Teams with below-average TS% have their PPG numbers deflated, and vice versa. Opponent tsPPG (which is used for FPD) is calculated the exact same way.

• It uses an exponent to highlight the dynamic extremes that an abnormally high or low relative TS% will cause.

• For instances of incomplete game log data, which is common in early NBA seasons, TS% calculations are purely based on games with FGA, FTA, and total points recorded.

Step 2: Determining Regular Season + Playoff Quality

Regular Season Identity + Success Grade (RS ISG)

Uses regular season record, Full-Picture Offense, and Full-Picture Defense to determine the strength of a team's regular season.

Formula: (((FPO - 0) + (FPD - 0))/2) * 0.8 + ((Win% - 0.5) * 10) * 0.2

• Everything in ISG is relative. It compares a team’s FPO, FPD, and record to the league average (0.0 for the stats and 0.5 for records). This makes ISG results scalable between different years.

• This statistic is weighted so a team’s identity (FPO / FPD) matters more than its record. The goal is to incentivize a clear identity that wins games versus scanning game results for judgment.

• A win is a win, but in the regular season, developing good habits and process is more important so a team can function come playoff time. As a result, RS ISG diminishes the impact of luck-based or unsustainable winning patterns.

• Think of it this way: in the regular season, how it happened > what happened.

Playoff Identity + Success Grade (Playoff ISG)

Uses playoff record, Playoff Full-Picture Offense, and Playoff Full-Picture Defense to determine the strength of a team's postseason.

Formula: ((((FPO - 0) + (FPD - 0))/2) * 0.5 + ((Win% - 0.5) * 10) * 0.5)

• Playoff ISG has a nearly identical formula to RS ISG, but is weighted so that record matters slightly more.

• In the playoffs, results do outweigh process in the conquest of pursuing a championship. This formula accounts for that principle.

Step 3: Determining ISG

Identity + Success Grade (ISG)

A measure of a team's overall effectiveness, based on record, offensive quality, and defensive quality through both the regular season and playoffs.

Formula: RS ISG + IF (Playoff ISG < 0, Playoff ISG * 0.05, Playoff ISG * 0.5)

• ISG’s two components are added up for the final value. RS ISG is always valued at a flat rate. Playoff ISG is dependent on whether it is a positive or negative value.

• If it is positive, it adds half of itself to the final total. If it is negative, it is dramatically weakened to avoid over-penalizing teams with poor playoff performances.

• The purpose of this formula is to value a strong regular season campaign first and foremost, but to also reward a great postseason as an additive bonus. Poor playoff play is penalized, but not enough to devalue a great regular season.

ISG Scale

To see the results of ISG through each NBA season (up to where I have studied for Binging the NBA), visit here.

Table of Contents

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Team Metrics | Statistical Leaders | Live Reaction Feed | Awards Night | Player Tiers | Top Players | The Long View | Episode Rating

Season 1, Episode 5 | 1953-54 Season

Welcome to Binging the NBA! This is a passion project where you’ll join me on a season-by-season “watch” of the league’s history, learning, understanding, and appreciating the context that helped build today’s game.

Previously On Binging the NBA…

• Paul Arizin was called into the military, stripping the NBA of one of its MVP-caliber talents.

• His teammate Neil Johnston stepped up in his place, jumping 6.0 PPG to 22.3 PPG, but the Warriors declined from 33 wins to 12.

• The Fort Wayne Pistons pushed the Minneapolis Lakers to the tiebreaker game of the Western Division Finals, but ultimately lost.

• Minneapolis won their fifth championship in six years after beating the New York Knicks in a rematch of the 1952 Finals.

Team Metrics

Teams are organized by their status within the league hierarchy, based on three of my handmade analytical statistics: FPO, FPD, and ISG, which rate offensive, defensive, and overall team quality.

For more information on all three, visit here.

Regular Season

Playoffs

🏆 Won championship
🥈 Finals appearance
🥉 Conference Finals / Division Finals appearance

Overall

Statistical Leaders

I’m not a living calculator, but there’s no harm in sharing who ruled the box score. For a more detailed look at the best stat-stackers this year, I recommend looking here.

• Advanced Metric Leaders (ADV): PER + WS * 2 + VORP * 3

  • The league’s top performers in three major Basketball Reference statistics - Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Win Shares (WS), and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).

    • While these statistics are on the dated side (and I don’t always agree with them), they do produce decent results when combined. They also scale historically, which is vital for a project of this nature.

Live Reaction Feed

Pre-Season

• The Baltimore Bullets selected Ray Felix from LIU with the first overall pick, making him the first African-American to go #1 overall in NBA draft history. ✊🏾

• The Indianapolis Olympians have officially folded, meaning the league is down to just 9 teams.

• The NBA just signed its first national TV deal, with DuMont Television Network! This is so exciting. 📺

• Fort Wayne just bought Mel Hutchins from the Milwaukee Hawks…PHENOMENAL pickup. That guy is the best defender in the NBA, and people are about to realize that now that he’s on a respectable team.

• Boston just traded for Don Barksdale, a move I really like. He was a legitimate two-way star for the Bullets last year and now he’ll get a chance to showcase his worth on a team with actual playoff aspirations. 🔥

• The belief is that unless the team increases attendance this year, the Rochester Royals will probably have to relocate. 😳

Regular Season

• I’m seeing some talk about disarray in the Lakers locker room…😬 there are some questions around Jim Pollard being elected captain over George Mikan, and apparently Slater Martin is the only guy getting Mikan the ball.

• Despite only existing for four years and counting, even one of the NBA’s coaching elites - Joe Lapchick - is reminiscing on the pre-NBA world. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug. 😂

  • He mentions missing the jump ball rule after every possession, believing bigger players have become more skilled, and claiming undersized guys have been phased out of the league, among other things.

• Pretty cool to see NBA conferences developing their own identities…seems like the East is considered the speedster division, whereas the West adopts a more old-school, pivot based style.

• Attendance is dropping league-wide, and pundits blame it on a few things - the removal of the center tap, fouls being too plentiful, and the favoritism towards bigs. 🤔

• Seems like height has become such a controversial talking point in the NBA that even Nationals Coach Al Cervi suggested a limit on tall players.

• It isn’t a pretty year for the Celtics. 😣 As they sit at 16-15 for the season and are only two games ahead of the mediocre Warriors, I’m hearing a couple reports:

  • Bob Cousy wants to be traded, partially because owner Walter A. Brown doesn’t want to pay him unless the team’s results improve.

  • Red Auerbach has also threatened to bench Cousy this season, even though a nagging knee injury is bothering him. 🤕

  • Red Auerbach is criticizing Cousy for playing selfishly, Sharman for shooting too much, and Macauley for being soft.

  • But petty arguments are petty arguments because…they resolve themselves fast.

• Word is Ralph Beard is still working out to get back into the NBA, despite being banned years ago. 😭 It’s time to let it go bro.

• The Knicks’ Ernie Vandeweghe has been away from the team to pursue a career in medicine, which has been a massive loss.

  • And as someone who considered him the Sixth Man of the Year last season…I can see why his absence is felt. He was such a good defender and extra scorer.

• The Pistons’ fourth overall pick, Jack Molinas, just got suspended for betting on games. 🙄 So messy…it feels like this keeps happening with fresh talent.

• I find it hilarious that Coach Red Auerbach, whose Celtics are notoriously awful defensively, believes that the game has become too offense-oriented. Be the change you want to see!

• Word is Paul Arizin is going to return to the Warriors once he’s done with his military duties…him and Johnston are going to be a LETHAL offensive duo. 😮‍💨

• Fouls are such a hot topic of discussion that even Warriors Coach Eddie Gottlieb thinks that the NBA format should be redone entirely. He’s suggesting an innings format similar to baseball, with twelve innings of two minutes each.

• I will say - after all the Bob Cousy drama, Boston turned things around fast. A 26-14 finish to the season and a +7.0 FPO (the best offense of all-time, so far) is pretty great. MVP? ☘️

Playoffs

• For this postseason, the NBA is adopting a round-robin format. 🚨 This means each playoff team plays four games - two against each of the other playoff teams in the division. The two teams with the best records out of 4 are who makes the Division Finals. Here’s what happened:

  • Syracuse and Minneapolis both swept their round-robins, going 4-0 and 3-0, respectively. I’m not sure why the Lakers didn’t have to play an extra game. 🤷🏾‍♂️

  • Boston tied their games 2-2 to finish second place in the East, and Rochester went 2-1 in the West.

  • Both New York and Fort Wayne failed to win a single game. Really embarrassing for the Knicks especially…winning 0 playoff games as a 1-seed is crazy. 😭

• Syracuse just swept Boston in the Division Finals. After a pretty great round-robin stretch with 25/5/7, Bob Cousy follows up with 13.5 PPG on -40 TS this series…ouch. Not to mention Ed Macauley was injured. It’s another premature exit for the Celtics…do things need to change?

• The Royals and Lakers have now played each other in five of the last seven playoffs (dating back to the BAA/NBL), and once again, Minneapolis wins…they’re 4-1 against Rochester in all-time playoff series. Proper ownership. 💀

• I’m so glad I got to attend an NBA Finals game…Dolph Schayes’ injury is gut-wrenching, but Syracuse did a solid job of keeping things close. Mikan also looked pretty bad, honestly. 15 points on 15 attempts, almost fouled out, and the Nats were targeting him on defense all night because he can’t cover space anymore.

• As it continues, this NBA Finals has been incredible. The Lakers and Nats have gone back and forth the entire time. Literally no one has won consecutive games as we head into Game 7.

  • I think what makes this even more impressive on Syracuse’s part is that they are injured to death right now:

    • Dolph Schayes and Earl Lloyd both broke their hands and are playing in casts.

    • Paul Seymour has a sprained thumb.

    • Wally Osterkorn has a thigh injury.

    • George King has both hurt his heel and broke his wrist.

    • Bill Gabor is ruled out for the series with a pulled cartilage in his knee.

    • And despite all of that, they’ve kept the Lakers on their toes…

• Even though he’s been quiet this series, Jim Pollard just came up huge in this Game 7 win for the Lakers with 21 points on 58% TS. The Kangaroo Kid is always clutch. 🎯

  • Give me Mikan’s 18.1p/13.1r on 52% TS for the Finals MVP though. He hasn’t been too consistent, but definitely turned the clock back a couple times to keep the series going.🔥

• It’s hilarious that even after 6 championships, there still isn’t a consensus on which Lakers rings count. This source claims they’ve won 4 in 5 years, whereas this source says they’ve won 6 in 7 years. It’s a mess (and shouldn’t be - they have six rings 😂). But anywho…

Awards Night

These are my personal award picks for this season. The official NBA selections are also included for comparison.

Player Tiers

Players are organized alphabetically within tiers.

Top Players

The Long View

This season followed the chase of the grand question - could the Lakers pull off the NBA’s first three-peat? The team already did it from 1948-50, but it was across three different leagues that were all amidst transitional periods.

…And as we now know, it’s safe to say Minneapolis earned their place in the history books.

Aside from the dominant outing by Mikan and co., the NBA was similar to the previous season in a lot of ways - the same teams were successful, the same teams struggled, and the same teams were expected to be contenders. What made this year far more interesting than ‘53, however, was the prevalence of internal conflict among multiple top teams (namely the Celtics and Lakers), creating some interesting storylines to follow.

Aside from that, there was a decline in talent, with this being one of the weaker MVP races yet. The playoffs were also a bit fleeting due to the round-robin format, although the Finals were incredible and arguably the best yet. Syracuse even pushing the Lakers to 7 games with the injuries the roster possessed was legendary in itself (and I’d argue this was the second Finals they’d have lost if both teams were healthy - but the best ability is availability).

And of course, nobody knew it was Mikan’s final (full) season yet…but if there’s ever a way to go out, it’s that way.

Episode Rating

• Historical Significance: B+

• Entertainment Value: B

• Star Power: D

• Competitive Balance: B

Table of Contents

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Team Metrics | Statistical Leaders | Live Reaction Feed | Awards Night | Player Tiers | Top Players | The Long View | Episode Rating

Season 1, Episode 4 | 1952-53 Season

Welcome to Binging the NBA! This is a passion project where you’ll join me on a season-by-season “watch” of the league’s history, learning, understanding, and appreciating the context that helped build today’s game.

Previously On Binging the NBA…

• The NBA widened the foul lane from six feet to twelve feet to limit post scoring stars like George Mikan.

• A gambling scandal caused 1st-overall pick Gene Melchiorre to be banned from the league, stripping the Baltimore Bullets of a potential game-changing talent.

• After a tumultuous regular season, the New York Knicks clicked hard enough to reach Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

• The Minneapolis Lakers won their fourth championship in five years.

Team Metrics

Teams are organized by their status within the league hierarchy, based on three of my handmade analytical statistics: FPO, FPD, and ISG, which rate offensive, defensive, and overall team quality.

For more information on all three, visit here.

Regular Season

Playoffs

🏆 Won championship
🥈 Finals appearance
🥉 Conference Finals / Division Finals appearance

Overall

Statistical Leaders

I’m not a living calculator, but there’s no harm in sharing who ruled the box score. For a more detailed look at the best stat-stackers this year, I recommend looking here.

• Advanced Metric Leaders (ADV): PER + WS * 2 + VORP * 3

  • The league’s top performers in three major Basketball Reference statistics - Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Win Shares (WS), and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).

    • While these statistics are on the dated side (and I don’t always agree with them), they do produce decent results when combined. They also scale historically, which is vital for a project of this nature.

Live Reaction Feed

Pre-Season

• After his phenomenal sophomore season, it has been announced that Paul Arizin is required to serve in the Marine Corps. Big hit for the NBA’s talent circuit…

• In other news, on today’s episode ridiculous off-season news…the Philadelphia Warriors offered to trade their entire team minus Paul Arizin for George Mikan…

  • I’m guessing they didn’t take the playoff exit so well. 😭

Regular Season

• We’ve hit a point where Bob Cousy is seen as the absolute top attraction in basketball alongside George Mikan. What a name this kid has made for himself.

• This Hawks team is…wild. They’re 6-14 through 20 games. The offense isn’t as bad as last year, but it’s still awful.

  • Aye, the defense is even better though…I think Mel Hutchins might get his second-straight DPOY pick from me. 👀

• Pundits believe that pivot play is dead in basketball, and George Mikan is the only one keeping it going.

  • And even Lakers Coach John Kundla thinks that’ll change soon, because he only expects Mikan to play 2 more seasons. 😳

• Going into the All-Star Break, the Eastern Division race is CRAZY. Syracuse, Boston, and New York have all won two-thirds of their games or more, and are separated by 0.5 games. 😮‍💨

• It seems like the Knicks have eyes on Walter Dukes, Seton Hall’s monstrous big man, who would fix some of their problems inside. And shoot, the kid is averaging 27.7 PPG and upwards of 20 boards a game…I’d want to draft him, too.

  • Only issue is…he wants to go to law school. I wonder if his heart is truly in basketball. 🤔

• Apparently, the league polled six veterans to vote on who would make an all-time NBA team. The results…

  • Jim Pollard was a unanimous selection. 🏆

  • Ed Macauley and George Mikan were near-unanimous.

  • Bob Cousy, Joe Fulks, Paul Arizin, and Bob Davies also received votes.

  • Something I also noticed…they mentioned the voters were players who have been in the league “six full seasons”, even though the NBA is only in its fourth. It sounds like they’re going all-in on this “BAA counts as the NBA” thing. 🙄

    • I don’t like it, though. Why erase NBL history…? The NBA owes so much to that league.

• A cool interview with Al Cervi, the Nationals’ coach, just came out. Here are some of the legend’s thoughts…

  • He thinks the NBA is on a good trajectory, but needs improvement in scouting and officiating, should explore more TV deals, and focus less on scoring.

  • He thinks the Warriors’ Neil Johnston, the Hawks’ Dave Minor, and his own lead guard Paul Seymour, are the biggest candidates for Most Improved Player.

    • Agreed on Johnston…the guy averaged 6.0 PPG last year and now he’s sitting at 22.2 PPG (and 12.3 RPG!) so far this season… 🔥

  • He mentioned Bob Cousy, Ed Macauley, George Mikan, Jim Pollard, and Harry Gallatin as his top picks for MVP.

  • His dream starting five also includes four of those guys: Bob Cousy, Andy Phillip, Jim Pollard, Harry Gallatin, and George Mikan.

    • Love the Andy Phillip selection. It’s not a coincidence that the Pistons are 24-18 since getting him. 🙂‍↕️ They were 5-7 before that, by the way.

  • Arnie Risen of the Royals thinks the NBA should try a tournament where players are divided by their home state. Could be fun, honestly…

  • Over the last two years, Philly has declined by 28 games, which is just…depressing. 😭

    • I guess that’s what happens when you lose your MVP-caliber star and trade his right-hand man. At least they’ll have a nice one-two punch with Arizin and Johnston down the line, I guess…

Playoffs

• The balance in the NBA is pretty bad right now…because there’s NO reason the 28-win Olympians and 16-win Bullets should be in the playoffs. 😭 But here we are.

  • Unsurprisingly, both were swept…so it looks like the Lakers and Knicks won’t have much to do to get to the Finals again.

• Metrics did say the Royals declined, but them losing to the Pistons was…not on my bingo card.

• Bob Cousy with 50 points and 30 free throws made to close out the series against the Nationals. 😅 Absolutely insane for so many reasons.

• Unfortunately, the Knicks continue to be his biggest nightmare. After a hot Game 1, Cooz proceeded to average 18.3 PPG on -10 TS the rest of the series. 😬 Knicks beat Celtics 3-1 to advance to the NBA Finals.

  • Once again, I blame Cousy’s reckless shot volume on some of these losses…I’m not the biggest Ed Macauley guy, but there’s no reason for Cooz to go 5/19 from the field when Easy Ed is shooting 50% on 20 shots. Feed your big man!!

• Meanwhile, in the West, Minneapolis and Fort Wayne are going band for band. The Lakers went up 2-0, but the Pistons fought right back with 2 wins of their own…so it’s tiebreaker time! 🔥

  • Ultimately, depth won this matchup for the Lakers. Mikan didn’t even have a big game on offense, but his roster showed up.

    • It didn’t help the Pistons that Larry Foust had such a rough game, though…16 points and 24 rebounds is a great statline, but 4/15 from the field makes that look a little less impressive.

    • Still, what a run from Fort Wayne this was. Upset Rochester and took the defending champs to the absolute limit. I have a feeling this team will be a force in a couple years. 📝

• We are back to the NBA Finals, and for the first time in league history, we have a rematch! The Knicks are looking to get revenge on Minneapolis for that heartbreaking Game 7 loss last season.

  • In a shocker, the Knicks win Game 1 on the road behind Harry Gallatin and Carl Braun’s combined 43 points. 🎯

  • …Too bad the Lakers shut their party down fast, proceeding to win the next 4 games in a reverse sweep. My goodness. 😭

    • What’s crazy about this is that Mikan wasn’t even good. He fouled out in 2 of these 4 wins, and the Knicks still couldn’t get a victory. New York lost two of these games by 2 points as well.

    • This is beyond sad for NY…three lost Finals in a row is disturbing. 🤢

• I’m not really sure who the Finals MVP was…Mikan had the highest stats, but his efficiency and foul discipline were awful. I’m thinking we may have to give Jim Pollard this one…he just shows up big when needed.

Awards Night

These are my personal awards picks for this season. The official NBA selections are also included for comparison.

Player Tiers

Players are organized alphabetically within tiers.

Top Players

The Long View

There aren’t really “filler” years in the NBA’s history, but if there had to be one, this season is a pretty good contender. It underwhelmed because the narratives were the same as last year - it had the same contender pool, same top players, and the same Finals matchup and outcome (with even less suspense).

The deconstruction of the Philadelphia Warriors was an interesting narrative, but also bad for basketball. The loss of Paul Arizin was a nasty hit to the NBA’s talent pool - this is an MVP-caliber guy lost to the void of military duty. Sure, Neil Johnston’s rise in his place was cool, but the Warriors’ 12-win outcome proved that he lacked the same impact, even if the numbers were comparable.

If there was any exciting thing to follow, it was the rise of the Fort Wayne Pistons from a mediocre team to a legitimate dark horse. The Pistons showed no signs of being championship contenders for most of the year at first glance, but the improvements were written on the wall. A better offense, wealth of talent, and favorable schematic matchup against the West’s top teams helped them nearly make the NBA Finals. And even if Larry Foust was a somewhat weak “4th-best player” for all-time standards, the fact that he even made it that high was cool to see.

But all in all, the ‘53 season doesn’t hold a very special place in the history books. It also raised a couple of questions, and not necessarily the type of questions I’d like to be asking. Things like…when would the NBA hierarchy change? Was it destined to be ruled by the Lakers forever?

Because as it stands, the potential for some change in the NBA seems pretty low.

Episode Rating

• Historical Significance: D

• Entertainment Value: D+

• Star Power: C

• Competitive Balance: D

As I’m watching the NBA Finals, I can’t help but notice something perplexing. Keldon Johnson, the 2026 Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging 4.3 PPG for the series.

Now, this can be explained by plenty of things. Bad matchups.

Inexperience.

Psychology.

Maybe it’s just a slump.

But the real takeaway I had was…

When was the last time a Sixth Man of the Year winner looked like he was putting fear into the hearts of opponents during the playoffs?

After looking into it, I realized - the award has not gone to many scalable impact players in recent years. Long gone are the days of Manu Ginóbili and Kevin McHale-type winners, who were still terrorizing 2nd units come June. And here’s why.

Studying 6MOY Dropoff Patterns

Before we even dissect the prestige and meaning attached to the Sixth Man of the Year (6MOY) award, it’s best that we observe why this observation is being made. As aforementioned, Keldon Johnson was a thought-provoking subject, but I’ve noticed these tendencies with other recipients as well. As a Celtics fan, ‘25 Pritchard didn’t quite wow me in the playoffs. I don’t remember Naz Reid being the best a couple of years ago. And Montrezl Harrell was unplayable in the bubble. (Which I say with respect - I understand his circumstances were rough.)

Maybe we should look at what the playoff translation says for the last ten 6MOYs to make the playoffs:

I am using scoring output as the primary variable of study because 6MOYs in the modern NBA are often renowned for their shot creation in 2nd units, which is a dynamic that helps team offense sustain while stars rest. And as we can see, there is an especially egregious pattern of postseason scoring drop-off in the last 5 years.

Granted, injuries are sometimes involved - for example, ‘22 Herro and ‘23 Brogdon were both injured in their respective Eastern Conference Finals appearances. However, this was not the sole catalyst of decline:

• Before his injury, Tyler Herro was averaging 13.9 PPG on 51.5% TS (-6.8 PPG, -4.6% TS)

• Before his injury, Malcolm Brogdon was still averaging 14.8 PPG on 57.1% TS (-0.1 PPG, -4.4% TS)

  • Safe to say in this case that Brogdon’s individual playoff resilience was not the issue, although his efficiency still plummeted.

But other than those instances, a lot of these cases are authentic collapses. It’s intriguing to observe, considering so many different player archetypes and environments are covered in this single table. Yet, aside from multiple-time winners Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford, there is a consistent trend of struggle.

And what I’ve realized is that it isn’t only about the players themselves. It’s because the award has been redefined, and for the worse.

A Microwave Scorer’s Trophy

Growing up, I came to associate the Sixth Man of the Year award with players who were not only good scorers off the bench, but provided unique abilities and a brand of versatility that made them the superstars of second-unit duels. Players like Manu Ginóbili, Kevin McHale, Lamar Odom, and Detlef Schrempf.

Granted, the award has still credited scoring-oriented archetypes in the past - word to the Ricky Pierces and Antawn Jamisons of the world - but it feels like in the modern NBA landscape, the award’s nominee process has been watered down to this question…

What guy scores the most off the bench, and plays for a good team?

If you apply that criterion to the 10 winners highlighted above, there is quite literally an 100% match rate for that description.

When you look at some of the runner-ups in recent years, it is clear that the old-school embodiment of a 6MOY is pretty much a dead art:

• Although I’d argue Keldon Johnson deserved it, Jaime Jaquez Jr. was a wonderfully versatile piece of the Miami Heat’s unique offense this year, and certainly operated with more poise and counters than Keldon.

  • My issue isn’t that Jaime was the runner-up, but rather that the support for his case was very quiet.

• It’s arguable that Jordan Clarkson wasn’t even Utah’s best bench player in 2021, with Joe Ingles having a better scoring process on top of super playmaking and defense, despite a lower PPG count.

• Players like Andre Iguodala and Marcus Smart should have probably seen the award at some point, or at least garnered more hype for it. But as defensive specialists and connective pieces, there was never going to be the same level of hype for them as a Lou Williams or Eric Gordon-type player.

Comparatively, some of the award’s early winners were rewarded for completely different reasons:

• Bobby Jones was not a noteworthy scorer by any means, instead beloved for being a lockdown artist.

• Kevin McHale’s defensive versatility and per-minute production on both the scoreboard and glass were where he made his name.

• Roy Tarpley was arguably the best non-starter rebounder of all-time.

• Anthony Mason could literally do anything on the floor, and scoring wasn’t even a top three skill of his.

This article is not a love letter to oldheads who think the current NBA does everything wrong, but I’m also not afraid to say that the media should reconsider what drives 2nd units (hint: it isn’t just PPG).

The Archetype is Predictable

Since the Sixth Man of the Year is a regular-season award, there’s no need to fixate on these players’ struggles in the postseason. None of this intends to take away from their accomplishments, as sustained excellence for 82 games is not an easy feat - especially considering the sacrifice that comes with embracing a bench role.

However, the trends observed above are still unmistakable and can be quickly tied to the modern 6MOY’s archetype, which is scheme-able and predictable.

Bench microwave scorers are best utilized as a way to uphold a team’s offense as the starting lineup rests. Payton Pritchard can’t provide what Jayson Tatum does, but if he manages to sustain or even exceed the Celtics’ momentum through leverage his scoring talent, his net impact is still felt.

However, the issue with this type of player in the playoffs is that it is an environment where rotations are tightened, teams typically possess stronger defensive benches, and top scorers are schemed for. Creating shots at a valuable rate is a harder feat in these high-leverage environments, and since many of these players are rhythm-dependent, their strengths are muted.

This has been the issue with Keldon Johnson this NBA Finals - he hasn’t looked comfortable in any of these games, and the means by which he scores (bully ball and line drives) are a lot harder to execute against a hyper-focused Knicks bench. This isn’t the Utah Jazz or mid-tank Indiana Pacers on a random night.

Would an Anthony Mason-type player give you that 13.0 PPG on 61% TS that voters fawn over? Probably not, but he’d at bring elite, switchable defense and positional playmaking to lean on, and this is where versatility matters so much for a 2nd-unit leader.

So, is the Sixth Man of the Year award a curse? I wouldn’t quite go all the way there, but it is procedurally flawed at the moment and makes great players look worse when expectations aren’t met. So in my opinion, it may be time to change how the award is viewed.

Want to See More?

Before Expansion Happens, The NBA Could Learn This From the NHL

When the NBA announced that it was exploring an expansion deal to bring pro basketball to Seattle and Las Vegas, I thought a lot of things.

“The Sonics are back!!”

“We don’t need more teams. The bottom end of the league is already bad enough.”

“Wait…they’re going to have to re-align everything, aren’t they?”

That last thought lingered in my mind. Adding two teams isn’t a taxing decision on paper, but the structural changes that tag along are loud. So now, I’m just wondering…how will the NBA approach it?

The History of NBA Divisions

Before we even talk about a “solution” to the 32-team expansion, let’s go over the NBA’s divisional history. Here’s a map of all NBA teams and their divisions, with a key in the bottom right:

And here’s the history of NBA divisions:

• Before the 1970-71 season, the NBA only had two divisions - the Eastern Division and Western Division. These two “divisions” were identical to modern-day conferences in function, just named differently.

• With the addition of three expansion teams in ‘71, the two divisions were renamed to conferences, and now sported two “divisions” inside of each conference:

  • Eastern Conference: Atlantic Division + Central Division

  • Western Conference: Pacific Division + Midwest Division

• The NBA maintained this two-conference, four-division system until the 2004-05 season, when the Charlotte Bobcats joined the league for a grand total of 30 teams. At this point, the league adopted the two-conference, six-division system we have today, with five teams per division. It has not changed since.

As for divisional playoff qualifications, unique rules were in place until the 2006-07 NBA season. Before then, the winners of each division were guaranteed the top seeds, and the remaining qualifiers were ordered by regular-season record.

For example, in the ‘06 NBA playoffs, these were the top eight seeds in the Western Conference by record:

These are what the playoff matchups would have been with no divisional system intact. However, due to the rules, the Spurs, Suns, and Nuggets were realigned as the first, second, and third seeds from winning their respective divisions. As a result, the playoff matchups were as follows:

Of course, this system was broken. The Clippers finished above the Nuggets in record, but conceded homecourt advantage to Denver, who won the Northwest Division. For reference, Denver was the only playoff team from the Northwest Division that season, and none of the other teams finished above .500 in win percentage.

This system also caused the Spurs and Mavericks to meet in the Conference Semifinals, despite being the two best teams in the West. That quirk was a source of significant controversy, with many adamant that the best teams in each conference should meet in the Conference Finals.

This caused the NBA to get rid of divisional qualification rules, therefore removing the significance of divisions. To this day, they hold absolutely no weight in an NBA team’s championship conquest and only exist for scheduling and division titles.

However, with the 32-team format, there is a chance to make them feel significant again without hurting the playoff experience.

Three Ways to Re-Align

The NBA could handle realignment in three ways that make sense:

• The NFL approach: 2 conferences, 4 divisions per conference, 4 teams per division.

• The WNBA approach: No divisions.

• Or, my favorite, the NHL approach: 2 conferences, 2 divisions per conference, 8 teams per division.

Of course, a 4x8 league sounds a bit loaded. That’s a lot of teams to keep track of in one division, but there are two big reasons why it would be the best option we have: it works the best for travel, and respects inter-divisional rivalries.

Here’s my proposal for how this could work:

• Eastern Conference

  • Atlantic Division: Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets

  • Central Division: Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards

• Western Conference

  • Pacific Division: Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Las Vegas, Golden State Warriors

  • Midwest Division: Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder

This system is a fun callback to the pre-’05 system, blending practicality and nostalgia. Plus, most rivalries are kept intact or stirred up even more - the Texas teams stay together, as do California’s, and now Toronto and Cleveland can continue their battles in the same division. (And maybe the Raptors will finally beat them in a series…?)

Minnesota also benefits greatly from joining the East. They regularly rank among the NBA’s top teams in miles traveled, including 11th in ‘26, 1st in ‘25, and 2nd in ‘24. Moving them closer to other teams in the Great Lakes region will make their trips less daunting and more sustainable geographically. It makes more sense than a team like Memphis or New Orleans, who are already close to other Western Conference teams, switching conferences.

Here’s how the divisional map would look with my proposal:

It’s simpler, and there’s a clear regional correlation between all of the teams. The only 50/50 decision was placing Utah and Phoenix. Either could fit into the Pacific or Midwest group, but I opted to keep them in places where their rivalries were their strongest. (How could I separate the Suns from their beloved Lakers? And Vernon Maxwell would kill me for protecting Utah from Houston’s wrath.)

How Does the Playoffs Fit In?

I do believe that divisions need to hold more importance, but not without disrupting the flow of playoff matchups. I decided to study how the NHL handles its divisional qualifications to get some inspiration. Here’s the breakdown, according to the NHL website:

• 16 teams will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

• The format is a set bracket that is largely division-based with wild cards.

• The top three teams in each division will make up the first 12 teams in the playoffs.

• The remaining four spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season record and regardless of division.

  • It is possible for one division in each conference to send five teams to the postseason while the other sends just three.

• Home-ice advantage through the first two rounds goes to the team that placed higher in the regular-season standings.

Personally, I like this system. I think it would need some tweaks to appease the NBA culture, but the foundation is certainly there. If I were in charge, I’d probably do something like:

• 16 teams qualify for the NBA Playoffs, with 8 per conference.

• The top two teams in each division will make up the first 4 playoffs teams in each conference and will be re-ordered based on regular-season record.

• The fifth and sixth spots will be filled by the next two highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season record and regardless of division.

• The NBA Play-In Tournament will include the 7th to 10th highest-placed finishers in each conference, based on regular-season record and regardless of division.

  • Teams with a losing record are not eligible for the Play-In Tournament.

    • If a Play-In qualifier is scheduled to play a team with a losing record, they will automatically advance based on seeding.

      • For example, if the 9 seed has a winning record and the 10 seed has a losing record, the 9 seed would automatically advance to play the loser of the 7-8 game.

    • If a conference has enough losing teams to nullify the Play-In Tournament entirely, the remaining spots are based on regular-season record.

• Home-court advantage always goes to the team with the better regular-season record, regardless of seeding.

I tinkered with the Play-In Tournament rules because I want it to stay intact. It’s fun, and let’s be serious, the NBA isn’t passing up that money. However, it shouldn’t allow teams below .500 to qualify for the sake of competitiveness. This will be especially important in the early years post-expansion, where Seattle and Vegas will inevitably inflate the records of some middling teams. (Looking at you, Pelicans.)

Let’s Test it Out With This Season!

For the experiment’s sake, I’m going to see what this season would look like with my division format and rules. Let’s assume Minnesota was already moved to the Eastern Conference, Seattle/Vegas occupied the West with inevitably bad records, and every other team’s record stayed the same.

Atlantic Division

1. Celtics

2. Knicks

3. Hawks

4. 76ers

5. Magic

6. Hornets

7. Heat

8. Nets

Central Division

1. Pistons

2. Cavaliers

3. Timberwolves

4. Raptors

5. Bucks

6. Bulls

7. Pacers

8. Wizards

Pacific Division

1. Lakers

2. Suns

3. Trail Blazers

4. Clippers

5. Warriors

6. Kings

7. Vegas

8. SuperSonics

Midwest Division

1. Thunder

2. Spurs

3. Nuggets

4. Rockets

5. Pelicans

6. Mavericks

7. Grizzlies

8. Jazz

Play-In Tournament (with my predicted outcomes)

• 9 | Magic beat 10 | Hornets

• 7 | Hawks beat 8 | 76ers

• 8 | 76ers beat 9 | Magic

• 9 | Warriors beat 10 | Pelicans

• 7 | Trail Blazers beat 8 | Clippers

• 9 | Warriors beat 8 | Clippers

Eastern Conference Playoffs

• 1 | Pistons vs. 8 | 76ers

• 2 | Celtics vs. 7 | Hawks

• 3 | Knicks vs. 6 | Raptors

• 4 | Cavaliers vs. 5 | Timberwolves

Western Conference Playoffs

• 1 | Thunder vs. 8 | Warriors

• 2 | Spurs vs. 7 | Trail Blazers

• 3 | Lakers vs. 6 | Rockets

• 4 | Suns vs. 5 | Nuggets

As you can see, the Eastern Conference is entirely different, which boils down to Minnesota being in the mix. Without them, the entire 1-8 seeding is the same as real-life. For the Western Conference, two of the matchups are identical, with the differences stemming from Phoenix’s division win and the Warriors winning the Play-In Tournament.

Also keep in mind that with the homecourt advantage rules I enforced, the Nuggets will have HCA in their matchup, despite being the lower seed. This rewards them for having a better season than Phoenix, despite playing in a harder division.

It’s safe to say my system would produce similar results to what already happens in the NBA. I think it would be awesome, but I do have a sinking feeling that the NBA will abolish divisions entirely. I’m hoping they don’t for several reasons, but we’ll see.

Either way, some new faces in the competitive pool should be fun, and I’m just happy for the Seattle fanbase. Go reclaim that history and give us the Gary Payton jersey retirement we’ve been waiting for. I can’t make the cross-country trip, but I will be watching from my living room.

Want to See More?

To Make the Basketball Hall of Fame, You Only Need One Achievement. But Is It Enough?

Table of Contents

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Team Metrics | Statistical Leaders | Live Reaction Feed | Awards Night | Player Tiers | Top Players | The Long View | Episode Rating

Season 1, Episode 3 | 1951-52 Season

Welcome to Binging the NBA! This is a passion project where you’ll join me on a season-by-season “watch” of the league’s history, learning, understanding, and appreciating the context that helped build today’s game.

Previously On Binging the NBA…

• The NBA condensed from 17 teams to 10 by the end of the season.

• The league sported its first officially recognized African-American players, kicking off the integration era of professional basketball.

• The inaugural NBA All-Star Game was held in Boston, Massachusetts, with Celtics star Ed Macauley winning the official All-Star Game MVP.

• After George Mikan fractured his leg in the playoffs, the Rochester Royals took advantage and beat the Minneapolis Lakers en route to the NBA Finals, and eventually the championship.

Team Metrics

Teams are organized by their status within the league hierarchy, based on three of my handmade analytical statistics: FPO, FPD, and ISG, which rate offensive, defensive, and overall team quality.

For more information on all three, visit here.

Regular Season

Playoffs

🏆 Won championship
🥈 Finals appearance
🥉 Conference Finals / Division Finals appearance

Overall

Statistical Leaders

I’m not a living calculator, but there’s no harm in sharing who ruled the box score. For a more detailed look at the best stat-stackers this year, I recommend looking here.

• Advanced Metric Leaders (ADV): PER + WS * 2 + VORP * 3

  • The league’s top performers in three major Basketball Reference statistics - Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Win Shares (WS), and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).

    • While these statistics are on the older side (and I don’t always agree with them), they do produce decent results when combined. They also scale historically, which is vital for a project of this nature.

Live Reaction Feed

Pre-Season

• The Baltimore Bullets drafted Gene Melchiorre from Bradley, and he looks like he could solve their playmaking problem. 🎯

  • …or so I thought, because he joins a growing list of athletes being investigated for fixing games. If Melchiorre gets sentenced, this is going to be one of the most damaging franchise decisions ever, and I can’t even blame the Bullets, really. How could they have predicted this?

    • And haven’t these college cats learned from Alex Groza? 🫤

• A not-so-little transaction this summer…the Syracuse Nationals acquired big man Red Rocha from the Baltimore Bullets. Considering he’s one of the best defenders in the league and a star-level center, the Nationals are looking a bit DANGEROUS. 🚨

• Tri-Cities Blackhawks owner Ben Kerner has moved the team to Milwaukee in pursuit of a stronger fanbase, with the help of Lakers owner Max Winter. They’re now known as the Milwaukee Hawks…I have a feeling that team is here to stay. 🐦‍⬛

• It looks like the NBA is widening the foul lane from 6 feet to 12. This means that players have to stand further from the hoop to avoid 3-second violations.

  • This is, quite obviously, a league-issued George Mikan nerf. Isn’t it kind of ridiculous that he has them changing entire RULES? 😅

Regular Season

• 1st-overall pick Gene Melchiorre has officially been sentenced for fixing basketball games. What a waste of a high-value pick…🤦🏾‍♂️

  • And considering Baltimore is 5-7 and bottom two in the East a month in, they’re definitely feeling the lack of that prospect presence.

• Dolph Schayes is one hell of a superstar, but sometimes I worry he takes the game too serious. You’re telling me he said he’s filled with despair over the future of the human race? My goodness, lighten up. 😭

  • But aye, his Nationals lead the league in total wins a third through the season, so his demeanor can’t be hurting the locker room…

• Boston was already much improved after last season, but they’re literally breaking basketball right now. ☘️ After this win over New York to go 11-5 on the season, they sit at a +7.1 in my stat Full-Picture Offense (FPO).

  • …for reference, the highest mark we’ve seen so far is the ‘50 Olympians at +4.9. Like, the gap is ridiculous.

• Meanwhile, the Knicks are in absolute shambles early this season. Harry Gallatin is out of shape and Coach Joe Lapchick is threatening to leave the team. It’s a mess…

  • It seems like the size is a big problem. They don’t have a single rotational player above 6’8”, and Gallatin and Nat Clifton are both forwards at heart, yet play center.

• Nobody is talking about it because it’s Indianapolis, but…😭 despite losing two of the best players in basketball, the Olympians are the 2 seed in the West and 14-8.

• I got to catch a Celtics vs. Royals game…that was pretty good. A blistering hot team versus the defending champs is always a treat. Some of my takeaways…

  • ☘️ Bob Cousy is a generational playmaker, but he had an ugly showing this game. He needs to learn self-control as a scorer and do better on defense.

  • ☘️ Ed Macauley is a talented big man, but I don’t think you can win anything meaningful with him at the center. He can’t rebound and gives up everything at the rim. It’s a big part of why he barely made the top 10 of my end-of-year rankings last season.

  • 👑 Rochester’s greatest strength is the shared quality of their starting five. For example, Arnie Johnson doesn’t pop from the box score, but he’s one of the best off-ball scorers in this league and can lock up any opposing scorer you put in front of him.

  • ☘️ Chuck Cooper is a great role player. I love to see him carving a role out in this league despite the racial tension he’s dealt with so far.

• It takes a lot of balls for the Lakers and Mikan himself to admit that the lane widening rule is messing with their game. But it’s clear he doesn’t care TOO much, since dropping 61 points is just another day in the office for him.

  • And of course it was against the Royals. He hates this team. 😂

  • The big picture is definitely something to keep an eye on, though…so far, he’s dropped 3.0 PPG from last season and only sports a decent +4 TS compared to his previous average of +21.

• BAD news for the Nats - Dolph Schayes fractured his wrist. 💔 But the guy is a solider…he’s in a cast and playing right through it, somehow putting up numbers with his non-shooting hand.

• Can we have a conversation about the Warriors? It’s All-Star Game time and they’re 21-27, a bottom-three record in the league. All of the magic from last season is gone…and you already know I’m blaming Joe Fulks for this. 😒😂

  • Jokes aside, I can’t quite put my finger on how they’re so bad compared to last year. The numbers say they just can’t play defense, but I don’t get how when you have the best defensive backcourt in basketball.

    • I guess Arizin and Fulks both being bad defenders doesn’t help. And the rookie Neil Johnston is a treat to watch scoring-wise, but when he’s on the floor, the rim looks extra wide to the other team.

• If there’s anything for the Warriors to be excited about though, it’s Paul Arizin taking home the 1952 All-Star Game MVP. He just dropped 26 points on 79% TS to lead the East to victory. ⭐

• 11 games after the All-Star Break, two teams have been surging, even if the media won’t admit it…

  • The Knicks are 9-2 and are suddenly only 2.5 games back of the 1 seed.

  • The Warriors have finally found their rhythm. They’re 9-3 in their last twelve and Paul Arizin is leading George Mikan in the scoring race!

• Interesting news - the league is experimenting with keeping referees off the floor to reduce congestion. Now, why they haven’t done this already is beyond me. 🤷🏾‍♂️

• Bob Cousy is under FIRE right now. He showed up late to a Celtics vs. Nationals game that Boston lost…and the worst part? A win would’ve put them 1st in the division.

  • Simply put, Celtics owner Walter Brown isn’t having it. He said Cousy’s tardiness issues have gotten out of hand, and he’s considering disciplinary action…this is an awful locker room situation to have right before the championship race starts.

  • And wait…Cousy doesn’t live in Boston? That’s kind of wild. Just move, bro. 😅

• Bad news for the Knicks ahead of the playoffs…trusty scorer Vince Boryla is injured. Big loss.

Playoffs

• The Knicks-Celtics series was absolute chaos. The way Game 3 ended was messy…Ernie Vandeweghe was fouled at the very end and got free throws to ice the game, which was tied 87-87. The Knicks won 88-87 IN Boston Garden. 😳

  • That makes consecutive playoff losses to the Knicks for the Celtics. I feel a resentment brewing.

  • If there’s any positive takeaway from this series, though, Bob Cousy was on fire. 31 PPG and 6.3 APG is incredible. He probably should’ve ridden the hot hand with Macauley in Game 2, though - Macauley had 36 points on 83% TS, while Cousy had 28 points on 44% TS. Cousy took 7 more shots. This is what I mean when I say the little guy gets out of control with the shot attempts!

• Another early exit for Philadelphia. Arizin was unstoppable, but the supporting cast wasn’t enough. It’s hard to beat a team as good as the Nats when his frontcourt partners (Joe Fulks and Ed Mikan) combine for 12.4 PPG on 22% from the field for the entire series. 💀

• The Division Finals games weren’t too interesting, honestly… 🤷🏾‍♂️

  • Minneapolis got Rochester back for last season, proving who dominates the rivalry when healthy.

  • New York beat Syracuse 3-1, and honestly, it came down to defense. The Nats’ offense was great, with Schayes even averaging 20.3 PPG with the wrist injury, but they weren’t resisting the Knicks’ attack at all.

• And with that, the Knicks, who started the season on a stinker run that had their coach contemplating an exit…are in the Finals again. I told y’all they’d be back. 🎯

• This Lakers-Knicks series is amazing. They’re just trading wins through these 4 games, and honestly, New York looks like the better team. They’ve stepped up and are holding George Mikan to only 17.5 PPG on 30% shooting. 🔒

  • And the teams have traded wins again…we’re going into Game 7! Respect to Mikan stepping up with back-to-back 32 and 28 point games.

• Game 7 heartbreak for the Knicks…they just couldn’t buy a bucket or board, despite Minneapolis having pretty undisciplined defense. (five of their guys had 5+ fouls!)

  • New York shot 28% as a TEAM… 😭

  • …and they can’t win with the big man duo of Nat Clifton-Connie Simmons shooting a combined 5-22. Why wasn’t Harry Gallatin getting more playtime!? Joe Lapchick could’ve done a better job with rotations.

• All-in-all, this was a very impressive title run for the Lakers to earn their fourth in five years. Part of me can’t help but wonder how things would have been if New York had Vince Boryla, though. They lost Games 1 and 3 by 4 and 5 points each…shoot, they might’ve won in less than 7 games. 🤔

  • But aye, injuries are part of the game! If they weren’t, Minneapolis would’ve been defending their fourth straight title this year.

Awards Night

These are my personal awards picks for this season. The official NBA selections are also included for comparison.

Player Tiers

Players are organized alphabetically within tiers.

Top Players

The Long View

By eventful standards, 1951-52 was much quieter than the past two years. The league was settling in, with less dramatic changes affecting its environment. While some big things happened - such as the widening of the foul lane, or the Blackhawks relocating to Milwaukee - there was a distinct lack of historical footprints.

Still, it was a solid year. This was the most competitive Eastern Division yet, for example - three legitimate contenders and a sneaky Warriors team featuring the arguable MVP populated it. Rochester and Minneapolis continued to assert dominance out West, and the Olympians enjoyed a fun campaign against the odds.

The Knicks rise from a scrappy, young underdog to a legitimate contender was also mesmerizing. I am a firm believer that if not for Vince Boryla’s season-ending injury, New York takes home a championship this year, and this core is better remembered historically. They were good enough for a title, but the breakdown in Game 7 of the Finals is what typically happened when faced with that dynasty Lakers defense.

It’s also safe to say that the 1949 and 1950 draft classes developed well - half of my top ten players list included players from those drafts. Seeing the progressive improvements to the NBA talent hierarchy is a refreshing jump from the shaky nature of the late-’40s to early-’50s period, and indicated that the league was here to stay.

Episode Rating

• Historical Significance: C

• Entertainment Value: B

• Star Power: B+

• Competitive Balance: A

April of 2026 started with a loud NBA proclamation - Amar’e Stoudemire, star big man of Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks fame, would be heading to Springfield to be etched in history. The fan reaction to this, as I expected, was mixed.

And similarly, some thoughts did generate in my head.

“What factors got him in?”

“S.T.A.T. is great, but do I envision a Hall of Famer when I look at his career?”

“Is the standard in a reasonable place? And even if it isn’t, do I…care?”

The NBA Hall of Fame is a source of controversy among both basketball and non-basketball fans. It has a reputation of being strangely easy to get into, and can feel more like a “very good” collection of players. And there is a reason for this - all a player needs to make the Basketball Hall of Fame is one peculiar achievement, and it’s simpler than you may realize. Here’s what it is.

5…is the Magic Number!

I had to hit ‘em with the De La Soul reference…

Jokes aside, 5 really is the number to look out for - 5 All-NBA selections, that is!

Out of 63 retired players to be selected to an All-NBA Team 5 or more times, 97% are in the Hall of Fame. This does not include players who have retired within the past three seasons, as they are not yet eligible.

The only two players to reach the 5x All-NBA threshold that are not in the Hall of Fame are:

• Kevin Johnson: From an on-court perspective, this is pretty surprising. Johnson is very underrated, but was dominant in his prime (‘89 to ‘94): Phoenix won 53+ games every season, made one Finals, and three Western Conference Finals during this stretch, two of which were before Johnson’s superstar teammate Charles Barkley was even in the picture.

  • However, what may hurt Johnson is his controversial off-court persona, which includes accusations of sexual misconduct. While the Hall of Fame is no stranger to inducting problematic figures, the modern basketball fanbase is far more vocal about resisting such decisions, and rightfully so. Considering Johnson has still not received an invite after decades, this is almost certainly the unspoken cause.

• LaMarcus Aldridge: Aldridge’s retirement is still fresh, and given his quieter persona and blue-collar career, it isn’t surprising that there has been little buzz for his Hall of Fame case. He will make it in eventually, albeit years down the line, during a quieter class where voters and fans suddenly notice - “how has he not made it in yet?”

Aside from personalities, controversies, and careers, however, there is another common denominator between these two. Both made 5 All-NBA Teams, but neither made the 1st Team. It is very much possible that never being etched into the top 5 of a season - a rare peak to achieve - renders their peaks as insufficient for induction.

After all, out of 53 players to reach the 5x All-NBA threshold and at least one 1st Team, 100% have become Hall of Famers.

Now let’s look at active players (and players retired for less than 3 seasons) that have 5+ All-NBA selections:

• 10+ selections: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul

• 7-9 selections: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Nikola Jokić, Damian Lillard

• 5-6 selections: Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Luka Dončić, Joel Embiid, Blake Griffin, Jayson Tatum

Of these 17 players, only two - Jimmy Butler and Blake Griffin - have never made the All-NBA 1st Team. It’s more than likely that all of these players will be inducted one day, but if any are 50/50s, it’s those two. (And this moreso applies to Blake - Jimmy’s playoff resume is an immeasurable boost to his case)

When I scan the list of names on both the retired and active lists, I do see Hall of Fame-caliber talents. League MVPs. Champions. Franchise cornerstones. However, the Basketball Hall of Fame is still scrutinized for certain selections, including players who have reached this #5 standard. And so, more questions arise…

Is the Basketball Hall of Fame too lenient?

Does it need a stricter standard?

Or are we, as fans, too strict ourselves?

Case A: Do the S.T.A.T.s Align?

Before anything is said, I want to clarify - I am a big fan of the product Amar’e Stoudemire left on the court. Still, he is clearly a divisive enough figure to make us question the entire Hall of Fame’s integrity, which is bewildering to think about.

Here’s an overview of Stoudemire’s career:

• 6x All-Star

• 5x All-NBA

  • 1x 1st Team

  • 4x 2nd Team

• 2003 Rookie of the Year

  • 2003 All-Rookie 1st Team

And in the playoffs:

• 0 Championships

• 0 NBA Finals appearances

• 2 Conference Finals appearances (‘05, ‘10)

These accomplishments are largely sandwiched between his fleeting ‘05 to ‘11 prime, where he routinely stood as one of the league’s best big men as the top scorer of an electric Suns squad. His golden days ended quickly, however - a concoction of degenerative injuries made Stoudemire a shell of himself by the mid-2010s, a period where he should have been thickening his longevity case.

It’s undeniable that Stoudemire’s play was exceptional in those several years, but were they dominant enough to offset such a short prime? He wasn’t a game-breaking talent, and Phoenix proved they could succeed when he wasn’t playing (the ‘06 WCF run). For most sports Hall of Fame standards, S.T.A.T.’s career was indisputably unsatisfactory. Yet, here we are…

Want to See More?

Introducing Binging the NBA: The Complete Box Set of NBA History

Case B: The “M” in TMC

Another one of the Hall of Fame’s most disputed selections was a living legend in the state of California - shooting guard Mitch Richmond, of Run-TMC, Sacramento Kings, and championship Lakers fame. Richmond is an underrated individual talent, often overshadowed by an unlucky co-existence with legendary contemporaries Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, and Reggie Miller. Still, he had far from a historically noteworthy prime, even if he silently racked up accolades under the table.

And by the way, I say this as someone who is one of the biggest Rock fans on Earth. Broward County legend, baby. One of my favorite shooting guards of all time.

Now, back to objectivity - I can’t say Richmond exactly poses the strongest case for Springfield royalty. His Warriors days were mildly successful, yet fleeting, and that core enjoyed multiple better seasons after he left. His Kings tenure involved a grand total of zero winning records and one playoff berth. And his ‘02 championship season was in a bench-warming role. Beyond the scoring prowess, Richmond just doesn’t offer much from a resume perspective.

And all things considered, it’s amazing that a personal favorite of mine can boast a Hall of Fame induction. But those bragging rights are niche.

Once again, in any other sport, Richmond wouldn’t be considered - and this brings us back to the subject of controversy with the Hall of Fame. And best believe, these questions will arise again with multiple players we’re watching as we speak.

Fringe Cases We’re Watching Today

It’s safe to say that a Stoudemire or Richmond-type career is the official standard for making the Hall of Fame, and truthfully, that isn’t a brutal bar. I wouldn’t be surprised if 20+ players we’re actively watching will be Hall of Famers one day, and that will only create more disputes in basketball circles.

Aside from the 17 active players above, there are some other current players that I think have very dicey Hall of Fame cases. I’m not talking about the Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders and Kyrie Irvings of the world, who are essentially guaranteed. These are sleeper names:

• Rudy Gobert: In the minds of many analysts, Gobert has compiled a Hall of Fame profile already. However, his controversial existence both on and off the court makes this more of a debate than it should be. A four-time All-NBA member who is also tied for the most Defensive Player of the Year awards ever will certainly get in, not to mention his status as one of the greatest players for two franchises (Utah and Minnesota). Two silver medals don’t hurt either.

• DeMar DeRozan: DeRozan won’t reach the 5+ All-NBA club, but there’s a different accolade fueling his case - his scoring. It may come off as a shock, but DeRozan currently sits 19th on the all-time scoring leaderboard, ahead of legends like Dominique Wilkins, George Gervin, and Stephen Curry.

  • And want to know something crazy? If he continues at his current scoring pace for 2 more years (~1.1K-1.4K points a season, assuming some regression), he’ll finish around the 12th-13th mark at worst. This would put him ahead of players like Shaquille O’Neal, Carmelo Anthony, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

• Karl-Anthony Towns: Towns is a strange case, because he’s never had a truly defining prime - his best seasons are scattered throughout his career, disrupted by injured campaigns and slumps. His three All-NBA seasons were in ‘18, ‘22, and ‘25, creating an odd shape of his peak that will disorient voters.

  • However, Towns’ presence as a member of two consecutive Conference Finals teams - and in two different cities, at that - does add a unique angle to his place in NBA history. And of course, if the Knicks manage to have another deep run or two, he’ll be even more favored.

• Pascal Siakam: Siakam mirrors the LaMarcus Aldridge archetype - simple, reliable, and silently one of the more accomplished players of his generation, yet under-appreciated due to playing with flashier co-stars and bearing a conservative playstyle. He’s almost a guarantee for a selection down the line, but it will take some time. What really helps Siakam’s case is going to the Finals with two different franchises as a second option, and even winning a ring in one of those runs.

Are We Too Strict as Fans?

After discussing the careers of so many legends just below the elite tier, a prominent consideration circles in my head - as fans, do we expect too much regarding the Hall of Fame?

It’s a double-edged sword. Some may argue that such an honor should be reserved for only the most prestigious, which is perfectly reasonable. Still, that belief can have a condescending tone attached to it. And sometimes, overcorrections can happen - the Baseball Hall of Fame, for example, is often seen as too exclusive.

Others may argue that the Basketball Hall of Fame exists for historical preservation, and even B-list superstars should be recognized in that initiative as a result. Admittedly, I side with this perspective a tad more.

Can you summarize the story of basketball without Amar’e Stoudemire? Yes. But considering he was the top-scoring engine on one of the most groundbreaking offensive cores ever, you’d be skipping some vital details. Similarly, decades from now, the three-point revolution will be hard to explain without highlighting its impact on the modern big man. And who would be the best example? Karl-Anthony Towns.

Sometimes being plated in gold isn’t just about accolades or stats. It’s about narratives, even those that don’t make the synopsis. It’s about the under-appreciated, yet needle-moving role they play in basketball’s history. And it’s about a player’s connection to millions of fans, the organizations they represented for years, and the blood, sweat, and tears that built their legacies.

The above picture of Mitch Richmond? Some may see a blasphemous Hall of Fame induction. But you want to know what I see? I see my favorite shooting guard celebrating his livelihood.

That matters to me. And that applies to any given player-fan connection out there.

So for that reason, an easier pathway to Springfield isn’t the worst thing ever. Even the supporting characters deserve some shine.

Table of Contents

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Team Metrics | Statistical Leaders | Live Reaction Feed | Awards Night | Player Tiers | Top Players | The Long View | Episode Rating

Season 1, Episode 2 | 1950-51 Season

Welcome to Binging the NBA! This is a passion project where you’ll join me on a season-by-season “watch” of the league’s history, learning, understanding, and appreciating the context that helped build today’s game.

Previously On Binging the NBA…

• The National Basketball League (NBL) and Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).

• A monstrous rookie class hit the league, including superstars like Dolph Schayes, Alex Groza, and Vern Mikkelsen.

• The Syracuse Nationals compiled an NBA-best 51-13 record and made it to the NBA Finals.

• Just after being voted as the greatest basketball player of the last 50 years, George Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers to the inaugural NBA championship.

Team Metrics

Teams are organized by their status within the league hierarchy, based on three of my handmade analytical statistics: FPO, FPD, and ISG, which rate offensive, defensive, and overall team quality.

For more information on all three, visit here.

Regular Season

Playoffs

🏆 Won championship
🥈 Finals appearance
🥉 Conference Finals / Division Finals appearance

Overall

Statistical Leaders

I’m not a living calculator, but there’s no harm in sharing who ruled the box score. For a more detailed look at the best stat-stackers this year, I recommend looking here.

• Advanced Metric Leaders (ADV): PER + WS * 2 + VORP * 3

  • The league’s top performers in three major Basketball Reference statistics - Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Win Shares (WS), and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).

    • While these statistics are on the older side (and I don’t always agree with them), they do produce decent results when combined. They also scale historically, which is vital for a project of this nature.

Live Reaction Feed

Pre-Season

• My pre-season prediction: somebody OTHER than George Mikan is gonna win the championship for the first time since he entered the pros. It has to happen eventually, right?

  • …right? 😅

• Seems like the league is downsizing - the belief is that the current 17-team format is too messy. President Maurice Polodoff says there have to be ~10-12 teams, so some of them are gonna get the boot…😬

• It looks like the Anderson Packers, Denver Nuggets, Sheboygan Red Skins, and Waterloo Hawks are moving to the start-up National Professional Basketball League (NBPL), so we’re down to 13 already.

• The St. Louis Bombers and Chicago Bruins (formerly the Chicago Stags) were trying to hold on, but ultimately folded. So now we’re down to 11 teams.

  • They’re holding a dispersal draft because Knicks owner Ned Irish tried to buy the St. Louis Bombers so he could keep star big man Ed Macauley. 🤣 He’s always up to something.

    • Macauley ended up going to the Boston Celtics in the draft, alongside Chicago Bruins guard Bob Cousy. Cousy was selected by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in the draft, but they didn’t want him, so he went to the Bruins. I wonder if this kid will pan out. 🤔

      • In other news, three other Bruins players were distributed:

        • The Philadelphia Warriors got Andy Phillip, who led the league in APG last year.🔥 He should fit well next to their rookie Paul Arizin.

        • Star guard Max Zaslofsky, who led Chicago to the BAA Finals in 1947, just got sent to New York. This is huge because I’m hearing the Knicks have to give up their star shooting guard, Carl Braun, to the military. 🪖

        • The Fort Wayne Pistons got Larry Foust, who the Bruins JUST drafted. He seems promising…

• And just in - the NBA has officially broken the racial barrier!

  • Chuck Cooper, an African-American big man out of Duquesne, was just selected by the Boston Celtics with the 12th overall pick. ✊🏾 Classy way to make history. From owner Walter A. Brown’s mouth to our ears, he said: “I don’t give a damn if he’s striped or polka dot or plaid, Boston takes Charles Cooper of Duquesne." ☘️ Damn right Walter!

  • The Washington Capitols also signed two African-American players to contracts - Earl Lloyd, who they selected in the NBA draft, and Harold Hunter, Lloyd’s college rival and a 5’10” guard. This makes them the first two black players to sign an NBA contract.

  • The Knicks just signed Harlem Globetrotter Nat Clifton to a contract, making him the third African-American to contractually join the league. I’m also hearing that the Baltimore Bullets have signed FOUR black players to their team - Dave Minor, Bucky Hatchett, Ben Bluitt, and Lenny Rhodes.

  • And with Chuck Cooper signing a contract, there were now eight African-American players slated to play this season. HISTORY. ⭐

Regular Season

• I’m hearing the league is going to start tracking rebounds, which is dope. Another category for George Mikan to shatter. 😂

• Well this is messy…the Pistons just beat the Lakers 19-18. Fort Wayne was just holding and passing the ball the entire time so the Lakers couldn’t get it to Mikan. This is terrible for the product. 😒

  • Maybe they should add a rule where a team has to put up a shot after a certain amount of time? Not sure…

• This Celtics team is re-inventing basketball. They just play with ridiculous efficiency, and teams have no answer. They’re 9-1 in their last 10 after beating the Blackhawks, and Bob Cousy proved to his original team that he should’ve been kept around. He and Ed Macauley are the best offensive one-two punch in the NBA.

• Got to see a game live…after holding New York to 9 points in the first quarter, the Fort Wayne defense broke down and they lost the whole thing. Pistons fall to 3rd in the Western Division. 📉

• This rookie Paul Arizin has the Philadelphia Warriors HOOPING. 18.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG through 20 games, and the team is 13-7. That’s already half of their TOTAL wins from last season. And they’re the only Eastern Division team that hasn’t hit double digits in losses.

• The Royals and Olympians just had the longest game ever. 78 minutes long. Six overtimes. Only a 10-8 score through all six overtimes…yeah, they need to add some sort of timer to the ruleset. 😭

• Just got word that the Washington Capitols are folding. That brings the total number of teams down to just 10!

  • Former star Fred Scolari is going to the Syracuse Nationals via dispersal draft, along with Earl Lloyd.

  • Bill Sharman, who was the team’s secondary scorer and best defender, is going to the Fort Wayne Pistons. But it looks like Sharman is committing to the Brooklyn Dodgers’ minor league team, so they won’t be seeing him until next season.

• People around the league are furious at the Syracuse Nationals for instigating fights and ejections. Sure, it’s dirty, but...this is the team that just went to the Finals! Clearly something is working.

• DRAMA ALERT: Referee Sol Levy has been arrested and PERMANENTLY BANNED from the NBA for fixing 6 different games. 😳 They also banned Norm Mager, a rookie on the Bullets, for being involved in a college point-shaving scandal. Yikes.

• The league conducted an All-Star Game for the first time! Pretty dope. Boston got to host it, and it was only right that their best player - Ed Macauley - took home the inaugural All-Star Game MVP with a solid 20/6/1 performance.

• The Philadelphia Warriors had a division-best 65% win rate after the New Year. Favorites to win the East? I’m just sayin… 👀

Playoffs

• This first round was…shockingly eventful.

  • The Knicks punked the Celtics, winning 2-0. Bob Cousy definitely had the rookie jitters, 13.5 PPG on -31 TS…speaks for itself. 😭

  • In a somewhat-surprising turn of events, the Nationals swept the Warriors! I was confident Philly would get the series win with how well they’ve played as of late, but Syracuse’s experience won them this one...

    • But also, I’m saying the quiet part out loud, I don’t care. Philly needs to do something about Joe Fulks. I get he led in scoring, but 26.0 PPG on 32.7% shooting ain’t better than Arizin’s 20.5 PPG on 51.9%. 😑 Who even shoots over 50% from the field? That’s insane! This is Arizin’s team now. Eddie Gottlieb has to let the ‘47 title run go, Fulks isn’t that dude anymore and his brand of basketball is an eye sore.

  • The Olympians were THIS close to upsetting the Lakers, but their abysmal third quarter lost them this tiebreaker. Cliff Barker went 0-10, John Mahnken 1-6…this team is trash in the clutch outside of Alex Groza and Ralph Beard. 🤦🏾‍♂️

  • Looks like George Mikan is dealing with some sort of leg/ankle fracture…that’s not good for Minneapolis. They won Game 1 of this WDF series, but the other Lakers are going to have to step up...

    • Aaaaaand they’ve have lost 3 straight! For the first time since his pro career started, George Mikan has lost a playoff series. It has a bit of an asterisk, but a win is a win…and I know the Royals are relieved to finally beat Mikan. 🤣

      • Mikkelsen is a great player but I am kind of concerned about his inability to step up offensively. 8.3 PPG through those 3 losses is unacceptable. ❌

  • The Knicks win the EDF by a TWO POINT MARGIN! This marks the first New York NBA Finals since the BAA’s inception. Vince Boryla is clutch…23 points on 64% shooting to send Syracuse outta there! 👊🏾

  • Now THIS is a crazy Finals! The Royals won 3 straight, with the trophy right in front of them…but the Knicks stormed right back and won 3 of their own! 😳 Game 7 in Rochester!

  • Game 7 was a movie…game was 62-60 after the 3rd quarter, it was anybody’s title to win. But ultimately, the Royals pulled it off…Arnie Risen with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists to send the Knicks home. 🏆 And a sneaky stat-stuffing effort from sophomore Jack Coleman, who had 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists.

  • I know this has to sting for the Knicks, who truly gave their all to win their first professional championship. But this team is young, and I have a feeling they’ll be back. 🫡 They might have the brightest future in the NBA.

Awards Night

These are my personal awards picks for this season. The official NBA selections are also included for comparison.

Player Tiers

Players are organized alphabetically within tiers.

Top Players

The Long View

Historians underrate the ‘51 season. Often overshadowed by the transformational nature of the inaugural ‘50 season, this year included some massive long-term developments for the NBA. First, the official acceptance of integration (although the league unknowingly integrated a year prior); second, the downsizing of the league, which secured its sustainability; and third, active efforts made to deepen the game with footprints like rebound records and the All-Star Game.

It also featured a healthy change of pace in the league’s contender hierarchy, with the Rochester Royals compiling a dominant run in what would be their first, and only, NBA championship, and second overall. Teams such as the Warriors and Lakers posed legitimate threats, and the New York Knicks’ Finals run was a legendary overperformance.

This postseason was also the first example of how injuries can alter the odds of a title - Mikan’s fracture tore the Lakers apart to an extent that had never been seen from the team that won their last three league titles.

This season also featured a re-distribution of talent - while it wasn’t quite as stacked at the top-end as the previous year, quality players were spread out across the NBA’s teams, and most rosters featured two or more star-level talents. This is a positive result of Maurice Polodoff’s decision to cut the size of the league down.

However, there were some bumps in the road. Games such as the 19-18 game and six-overtime “thriller” were major red flags for the state of professional basketball. However, wake-up calls are necessary for a league in its developmental stages, and this makes ‘51 an integral part of the NBA’s lore.

This is a season everybody should study.

Episode Rating

• Historical Significance: A+

• Entertainment Value: B+

• Star Power: C+

• Competitive Balance: B

Table of Contents

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Team Metrics | Statistical Leaders | Live Reaction Feed | Awards Night | Player Tiers | Top Players | The Long View | Episode Rating

Season 1, Episode 1 | 1949-50 Season

Welcome to Binging the NBA! This is a passion project where you’ll join me on a season-by-season “watch” of the league’s history, learning, understanding, and appreciating the context that helped build today’s game.

If you haven’t, I highly recommend reading the prelude to this series, which explains its format and gives some context on the formative years that led to the league’s creation. However, if you start right here, you’ll still be good to go!

Disclaimer: The 1949-50 season is the first true year in NBA history. While the league itself proclaims the 1946-47 BAA season as its first, that is a dismembering of its own past - for more on that, read the prelude linked above.

Anyhow, let’s get started!

Team Metrics

Teams are organized by their status within the league hierarchy, based on three of my handmade analytical statistics: FPO, FPD, and ISG, which rate offensive, defensive, and overall team quality.

For more information on all three, visit here.

Regular Season

Playoffs

🏆 Won championship
🥈 Finals appearance
🥉 Conference Finals / Division Finals appearance

Overall

Statistical Leaders

I’m not a living calculator, but there’s no harm in sharing who ruled the box score. For a more detailed look at the best stat-stackers this year, I recommend looking here.

• Advanced Metric Leaders (ADV): PER + WS * 2 + VORP * 3

  • The league’s top performers in three major Basketball Reference statistics - Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Win Shares (WS), and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP).

    • While these statistics are on the older side (and I don’t always agree with them), they do produce decent results when combined. They also scale historically, which is vital for a project of this nature.

Live Reaction Feed

Regular Season

• New league, new me! I’m not sure what to think of the NBL and BAA merging…it seems good for both leagues, but I can’t help but think they’re sacrificing their identities to make this thing work. We’ll see 🤷🏾‍♂️

• This draft is kinda loaded! I’ve heard a lot of these guys got talent…Howie Shannon, Alex Groza, Dick McGuire, Ed Macauley, Vern Mikkelsen, Ralph Beard…I wonder who the Rookie of the Year will be…

• It’s almost December, and the Denver Nuggets still haven’t won a game 😭 What is going on over there??

  • Nevermind, they finally got one…only took 13 free throw attempts from Kenny Sailors. Legendary referee carryjob? 👀

• This Knicks vs. Pistons game is…something. There is certainly some TALENT at play here, but the playstyles are absurd. Why is Carl Braun shooting one-legged free throws? Why do the Pistons shoot from deep so much? It’s not like they’re being rewarded for it 😅 I’ve heard they’ve experimented with a “three-point line” in college recently though, imagine that in this league.…

• George Mikan just got voted as the greatest player of the last 50 years! Good for him honestly. I mean, think about it:

  • He led DePaul to an NIT title, which was a big deal 🏆

  • He forced the NCAA to outlaw goaltending because he was literally unstoppable 😅

  • He came to the NBL and immediately led the Chicago American Gears to a ring as a rookie… 🏆

  • …and then joined the Detroit Gems, who were 4-40, and improved them to a 43-17 record and championship after they moved to Minneapolis and became the Lakers 🏆

  • …and led the very same Lakers to a championship in the BAA, a completely different league. 🏆 Mikan is just built different.

• New York Knicks Coach Joe Lapchick with an early All-Rookie Team: Dick McGuire, Ralph Beard, Fred Schaus, Vern Mikkelsen, Alex Groza

  • I like this take. Alex Groza is 2nd in PPG with some of the best efficiency in the league (+22 TS; how??). Ralph Beard is doing well as his right-hand man, doing it all…scoring, playmaking, playing defense. 🔥 These two, bringing their college excellence from Kentucky straight to the league, are rewriting the narrative on what a guard-center duo can do.

  • And I won’t sleep on the other rooks either…Dick McGuire has this Knicks offense looking good after being trash in that last BAA season. Fred Schaus is already a top fifteen scorer in the league and his Pistons are 34-22. And Vern Mikkelsen is the PERFECT sidekick for Mikan.

Playoffs

• These Division Semifinals were kind of trash…most of these series were 2-0 sweeps. HOWEVER! The Pistons upsetting the 51-win Rochester Royals was not on my bingo card 🏎️

  • These Royals are a great core, but they’ve been upset like…every year since their NBL title in 1946. Are they low-key playoff underperformers?

• So each division has their own Division Finals, I see. I think everyone had Mikan’s Lakers and the Syracuse Nationals winning, but…the Anderson Packers beating the Indianapolis Olympians was a surprise 👀

  • Alex Groza did what he could, truly. 26 points…meanwhile two of his teammates fouled out and only one other player scored in double digits.

• Of course, Minneapolis proved that Anderson run was fake by whooping their ass in the Semifinals. 😂 Mikan with 29 PPG for the series.

• This was an okay Finals. Minneapolis got off to a solid 3-1 lead, but Syracuse won Game 5 with a chance to force a Game 7 on the road. Mikan had other ideas - 40 points on 13/20 shooting to win the inaugural championship 🏆

  • This is now his fourth in a row between the NBL, BAA, and NBA…dawg.

Awards Night

These are my personal awards picks for this season. The official NBA selections are also included for comparison.

Player Tiers

Players are organized alphabetically within tiers.

Top Players

The Long View

This season, being the inaugural year, holds a major place in NBA history. It’s undeniable what it means to the league’s full story - it marked the beginning of what would become a globalized monopoly for the sport. The NBL and BAA combining their cultures to develop a brand new world came with challenges, but the new league certainly executed.

The competitive culture of the league hadn’t quite differentiated itself from the pre-merger scene, with the Minneapolis Lakers still being the team to beat by a notable margin. George Mikan still crushed every metric and accolade possible, and the team was only further bolstered by the addition of two elite defensive rookies (Vern Mikkelsen and Slater Martin). This does make the ‘50 season feel like another page in the story of a long-lasting Lakers dynasty, as far as results go. It’s definitely not too unique.

However, something remarkable about the ‘50 season was the prowess of its rookie class. Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Harry Gallatin, Vern Mikkelsen, Ed Macauley, and Dick McGuire were all immediately top 20 players, introducing a new dimension of talent that veterans from the predecessor leagues hadn’t seen. For example, McGuire immediately contested Bob Davies as the best passer in the league, and Ed Macauley’s jump shooting skill was rare for big men at the time.

With such a massive transformation in relevant faces and the revamping of the league’s hierarchy, the ‘50 season is certainly as close to a “decade kickoff” as you can find in NBA history. It may not be the most nail-biting adventure out there, but as far as introductions go, it was a marvel.

Episode Rating

• Historical Significance: A+

• Entertainment Value: C+

• Star Power: B

• Competitive Balance: D

Table of Contents

Next Episode

About This Series | The Format | Understanding the Pre-NBA Years

Welcome to Binging the NBA! A passion project where you’ll join me on a season-by-season “watch” of the league’s history, learning, understanding, and appreciating the context that helped build today’s game.

This “pilot episode” will serve as the preliminary guide to the series - what to expect, how the format works, and some context on the pre-NBA years that helped build the league.

Get your snacks ready and turn that volume up…it’s time to rewind!

Why This Series? Its Purpose, Inspirations + More

For years, I’ve been on a quest to chronicle and understand NBA history beyond the typical big names and moments. It’s not often I’ll see praise for a player like Bob Lanier…so I decided, why not fill in that role? That’s the reward for researching the past.

I’m a history buff, and certainly enjoy studying the game’s evolution more than 99% of fans, I’d have to guess. Even during the season, when most put the all-time discussions aside and focus on present happenings, I’m busy scanning old newspapers, watching historical film, and researching names that don’t show up outside of NBA Trivia Night or an expert’s HoopGrids.

So when I migrated to Substack for a taste of a more authentic writing platform, I knew I had to share my studies with you all. Thus came the idea for Binging the NBA. We’re looking at the good, the bad, the ugly, and the wonderful parts of history. Every narrative that made us, your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, cheer or cry.

This series was also influenced by my love for old-school media. Do any of you remember popping in a Blu-Ray disc of your favorite show and shuffling through seasons for your favorite episode?

That’s what I want for this series - the ability for you all to have an archive of these seasonal breakdowns and check them out whenever. Whether to learn, enjoy, or back up an online argument - this is our undertaking.

But please understand - it is also part of a bigger, more intentional goal. I want fans to appreciate NBA history the way it deserves.

I do believe that the NBA community, and the league itself, are awful at honoring the game’s past. Marketing for the sport leans into the draw of “now is the best” (for the sake of upholding interest), so the accomplishments of the past are often devalued or outright ignored. Think about the cheap claims we see online all the time:

“He played against a bunch of plumbers.”

“A role player today would win an MVP back then.”

“That ring was years ago. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

These are cheap, affordable takes thrown around in petty debates, but many fail to recognize how damaging they can be over time. It diminishes the work these legends put in to create the product we have today. Their stories. Their livelihood.

And I won’t stand for it. Not for this game I love. So we’re gonna fix that.

The Format

Here’s how each “episode” will be structured:

• Previously On: Starting with the ‘51 season, this will recap a few key details of the preceding episode.

• Around the League: A quick look at what each NBA team was up to. This way, you can follow their stories progressively without wondering “when did he show up?” I’ll also include the season’s results for my team quality statistics, FPO + FPD.

• Statistical Leaders: A summary of the league’s statistical leaders.

• Live Reaction Feed: A fun, informal feed with my own reactions to things I see as I study the season. In-the-moment opinions, context you need to see, or maybe a moment that surprised me. Expect to see quotes, media, and stories you’ve never heard of.

• Awards Night + Player Tiers: My personal selections for each season’s award recipients, my tiering of the league’s best players, and my top 20 players for the season. I don’t factor accolades into my player analysis, but it’ll be fun to pass out some takes regardless.

• The Long View: A conclusive portion that explains the season’s significance on a contextual level. This will highlight why it mattered, how it’s part of the bigger picture, and my view of the league’s infrastructure, performances, and politics at the time.

• Episode Rating: A section issuing grades for the season in different categories, to determine how great it was overall. Think of an IMDb or Letterboxd rating.

Now, let’s explore the pre-NBA world!

Want to See More?

The Problem with NBA Offensive + Defensive Rating

Some Old-School Stories: Honoring The NBA’s Parents

Want to know something crazy? The NBA doesn’t know its own birthday.

No, I’m not joking. A few years ago, when we collectively honored the league’s progress to a century of existence with the NBA 75 ceremony, it was an incorrect revision of its own mortality. It wasn’t 75 years old - it was 72.

Here’s the real scoop: the NBA was created in the year 1949, when the National Basketball League (NBL) and Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged to form a new league. However, its start is officially recognized as the 1946-47 BAA season, despite nearly all anecdotes from the time stating that the BAA was a separate, now-defunct operation.

(Here are a couple of sources as proof: here and here.)

Now, you may be asking - it’s only 3 years of extra records. Why does it matter so much?

In a vacuum, that’s a fair question. But when you consider the league only acknowledges those 3 years of BAA history - while the other parent, the NBL, existed for a whopping 14 years - the problem suddenly seems bigger.

Over a decade of history self-erased, with no care to restore it? What’s up with that? Let’s find out.

The National Basketball League (NBL)

The National Basketball League (NBL) can be considered the NBA’s spiritual predecessor. It was responsible for its greatest teams, delivered the talent that kept the league afloat early on, and set the standard for forward-thinking, well-developed professional basketball.

It started in 1935 as the Midwest Basketball Conference (MBC). Before the MBC, most teams were “barnstorming” teams, meaning they traveled to face opponents in isolated exhibition games. The MBC helped tie the sport of basketball to organized play, setting the stage for what the NBA would become years later. It was created with some progressive goals in mind, including:

• A focus on schedule-friendly, competitive play

• The removal of outdated rules, such as performing a jump ball after every made field goal (yes, they really used to do this)

• The involvement of businesses, such as Firestone, Goodyear, and General Electric, to help kickstart competition and funding

And by its rebranding in 1937, the NBL was on pace to be a long-lasting professional operation, a rare achievement at the time. But it had its ups and downs, largely centered around the impact of World War II.

Wait, hold that - World War II?

Yep! The war was the catalyst for the modern concept of professional basketball. When players from around the nation gathered to form wartime leagues, the sport’s reach increased to a point where organized, profitable leagues would be possible after the war ended. It was also the biggest reason for the integration of African-American athletes into professional basketball, as talent shortages forced teams to sign black players and consider inclusivity.

Here’s a summary of the NBL, split into different eras:

• Pre-WW2 NBL (‘36 to ‘42): Undeveloped, teams came and went, largely small-city franchises.

  • Champions:

    • 1936: Chicago Duffy Florals

    • 1937: Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

    • 1938: Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

    • 1939: Akron Firestone Non-Skids

    • 1940: Akron Firestone Non-Skids

    • 1941: Oshkosh All-Stars

    • 1942: Oshkosh All-Stars

  • Key Player, Leroy Edwards: Known as “Cowboy”, Edwards was a 6’5” center, 3x NBL MVP, ambidextrous shooter, great defender, and responsible for the 3-second rule.

• Mid-WW2 NBL (‘43 to ‘46): Talent shortage due to players joining the military, increase in average player height, first sign of profitable franchises.

  • Champions:

    • 1943: Sheboygan Red Skins

    • 1944: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons

    • 1945: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons

    • 1946: Rochester Royals

  • Key Player, Bobby McDermott: Was known as one of the best shooters and scoring guards of early pro basketball, 5x NBL MVP.

  • Fun Fact: Talent was so scarce during this period that the league had as few as FOUR teams in the ‘44 season!

• Post-WW2 NBL (‘47 to ‘49): Improvements to structure and scheduling, implementation of a draft system, integration of black players.

  • Champions:

    • 1947: Chicago American Gears

    • 1948: Minneapolis Lakers

    • 1949: Anderson Duffey Packers

  • Key Player, George Mikan: Dominant two-way center, revolutionary shot creator, was named the greatest basketball player of the century by 1950.

So yes, Lakers and Pistons fans - you should have more championships to your name than the NBA recognizes. And even if it doesn’t make up for the decades of pain…Kings fans do technically have 2 of them!

The Basketball Association of America (BAA)

If the NBL gave the NBA its spirit, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was its physical predecessor. The early years of the league can thank the BAA for a successful format and financial situation. Maurice Podoloff, the president of the BAA, was also the NBA’s first commissioner, and his politics are part of why the league ultimately chose to dismiss the NBL side of its past. More on that later.

Regardless, the BAA is just as important as its counterpart. Where the NBL thrived in innovation and talent supply, the BAA proved that a professional basketball league could hit the big cities and succeed. New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago were a lot more exciting than Toledo, Dayton, and Waterloo.

Now, not everything came easy - finances were thin, fan excitement was situational, and teams shared arenas with ice hockey teams, leading to structural issues. However, the allure of big markets was enough to pry some of the NBL’s heaviest hitters - such as the Minneapolis Lakers and Rochester Royals - away from the rival league, improving the talent pool and star power.

Here’s a summary of the BAA’s fleeting history:

• 1947: 11 teams, mediocre talent pool, largely northeastern-centric talent

  • Champion: Philadelphia Warriors

• 1948: 8 teams, condensation of the league

  • Champion: Baltimore Bullets

• 1949: 12 teams, absorption of some NBL teams, improved talent pool

  • Champion: Minneapolis Lakers

Certainly less storied than the NBL, but the BAA was on a positive trajectory with the acquisition of primetime players such as George Mikan and Bob Davies. So…

Why Did They Merge?

The answer is simple: they needed each other. The NBL had history, depth, and top-end talent, but a league dominated by small cities like Oshkosh and Sheboygan had no route to survival. Conversely, the BAA could turn heads with its presence in major cities, but needed the star power to sustain.

The BAA had a better long-term outlook, but not quite all of the power. See, a major executive at the time, Ike Duffey, had essentially monopolized the NBL by 1949 - he funded or owned seven of its nine teams and was amidst negotiations to acquire the BAA’s Indianapolis Jets as well. Ownership in both leagues would have made him the most powerful figure in professional basketball - even over BAA commissioner Maurice Podoloff - and the latter’s distaste for that possibility forced him to explore the possibility of a merger between both leagues.

And thus, in August of 1949, the NBL and BAA agreed to end operations and form a new league named the National Basketball Association (NBA). Eighteen teams made the cut:

• NBL-Based: Packers, Nuggets, All-Stars, Red Skins, Nationals, Blackhawks, Hawks

• BAA-Based: Bullets, Celtics, Stags, Pistons, Lakers, Knicks, Warriors, Royals, Bombers, Capitols

• Expansion: Olympians

The Oshkosh All-Stars folded before the season started, leaving 17 teams split into three divisions - East, Central, and West. BAA-based teams were scheduled to play 68 regular season games, whereas NBL-based teams played 62 or 64. Afterwards, teams competed for the league championship in the NBA playoffs, and the rest is history.

However, now that we’ve seen how even these two leagues were going into the NBA’s formation, it raises the question: why does history only recognize one of them?

The answer is politics. Maurice Podoloff, the president of the BAA, adopted the first NBA commissioner role and wanted to erase the rival NBL from its backstory. At the 1952 All-Star Game, he held a ceremony recognizing All-Stars who had been around since the ‘47 BAA season, claiming it was the start of the NBA. With few players, executives, or fans with NBL ties remaining, nobody made an effort to contest this decision - and decades later, it has expanded into a large-scale falsification.

My goal with this pilot episode was to set that record straight - before exploring the evolution of the NBA we know and love, understanding its true roots is important.

So now, with that checked off…stay tuned for the series premiere of Binging the NBA!

It’s the All-Star Break, meaning two-thirds of the season have concluded. The final stretch of the year is up next - crazy to say, considering it feels like this season just started - and with that comes the final statement from each team before the playoffs decide the greatest of winners.

Considering we have a solid sample size to work with and a few days before regulated play resumes, I figured a dive into the NBA’s best offenses and defenses was appropriate.

This breakdown will use some handcrafted statistics that evaluate both ends of the ball. Some may recall my piece on why I don’t quite love Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating for this purpose, and in my time of distancing from them, I’ve created an alternative.

Meet Full-Picture Offense and Full-Picture Defense, which I’ll detail below.

Full-Picture Offense + Full-Picture Defense: What Are They?

I’ll try to keep this section as brief yet informative as possible. Statistic explanations get wordy, but how could I dish out unfamiliar metrics without describing their process?

• Full-Picture Offense (FPO): (Relative TSPPG * 0.5) + (Relative APG * 0.35) + (Relative ORPG * 0.25) - (Relative TPG * 0.35)

• Full-Picture Defense (FPD): (Relative TSoPPG * 0.5) + (Relative oAPPG * 0.25) -(Relative DRPG * 0.25) - (Relative SPG * 0.1) - (Relative BPG * 0.15) - (Relative oTPG * 0.25)

Glossary

• True Shooting-Adjusted PPG (TSPPG): PPG * ((TS% / League Average TS%)^0.5)

  • TSPPG inflates or deflates the value of PPG based on efficiency.

• PPG: Points Per Game

• APG: Assists Per Game

• ORPG: Offensive Rebounds Per Game

• TPG: Turnovers Per Game

• TSoPPG: True Shooting-Adjusted Opponent Points Per Game

  • Uses the same formula as TSPPG.

• oAPG: Opponent Assists Per Game

• DRPG: Defensive Rebounds Per Game

• SPG: Steals Per Game

• BPG: Blocks Per Game

• oTPG: Opponent Turnovers Per Game

“Relative” statistics compare the team’s output to the league-average, so all results of FPO and FPD scale historically. What matters is how a team performed relative to their competition, meaning users won’t see disproportionately high numbers in high-production eras, or vice versa.

FPO and FPD are displayed visually using decimal values. For example, an FPO of -3.358774816 is depicted as -3.4. A lower FPD is also considered better, similarly to Defensive Rating - however, it is visually flipped to represent positive play (i.e., an FPD of -4.503688385 is depicted as 4.5).

Methodology

FPO and FPD combine a variety of offensive and defensive statistics to provide an all-in-one measurement of a team’s effectiveness on each end. Rather than only observing points scored or allowed per-possession (which is what Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating measure), it considers how the team approaches offense and defense.

For example, a combination of high ball movement and scoring is heavily valued, as opposed to an efficient scoring team that does not move the ball fluidly. Similarly, a defense that forces opponent turnovers at a high rate will be rewarded for a high-pressure scheme.

But what about pace?

These statistics do not use pace or possession adjustments, as the goal is to acknowledge the benefits and detriments of how teams of varying speeds play.

For example, high-pace teams are disproportionately penalized by Offensive Rating. However, to FPO, scoring at a high pace requires a level of conditioning and full-game consistency that is not properly valued within a per-possession vacuum.

Of course, FPO and FPD, like any stat, are not perfect. If you disagree with their approach or purpose, that is completely understandable! Regardless, I hope this piece serves as a fun alternative to evaluating NBA teams.

Team Rankings: Full-Picture Offense (FPO)

Notable Differences from ORTG

I figured I’d compare it to Offensive Rating, since FPO has the same goal (measuring offensive quality) with a different methodology. Below, I’ll highlight teams that were deemed above league-average by one stat, but not the other.

• The Boston Celtics are 14th in FPO, vs. 2nd in ORTG

  • FPO has never loved Mazzulla-era Celtics offenses - their low-frequency ball movement and redundant shot selection are penalized, which I agree with. This Boston team’s defense feels far less schemeable.

• The Houston Rockets are 20th in FPO, vs. 7th in ORTG

  • This is FPO’s biggest win to me - ORTG loves Houston, largely due to a hot start and disproportionate valuing of offensive rebounding. The Rockets aren’t a good offense, from personnel to schematics.

• The Los Angeles Clippers are 26th in FPO, vs. 12th in ORTG

  • This discrepancy surprised me, but it makes sense. Due to LAC being wildly efficient and playing super slow, ORTG likes their offense; however, it’s hard for me to see immense value in a team that ranks dead last in APG, can’t protect the ball, and rarely generates second-chance points.

• The Phoenix Suns are 23rd in FPO, vs. 14th in ORTG

  • The Suns are only great at two things on offense - three-point shooting and offensive rebounding. That isn’t enough to move me. Their athleticism, hustle, and defensive coaching have fueled this surprise campaign far more.

• The Miami Heat are 6th in FPO, vs. 17th in ORTG

• The Chicago Bulls are 10th in FPO, vs. 21st in ORTG

• The Atlanta Hawks are 8th in FPO, vs. 22nd in ORTG

  • The play-in regulars all face the same dilemma - despite great relative marks in scoring, playmaking, and shooting, ORTG does not consider their numbers justifiable, given their high pace numbers. FPO isn’t as harsh on that dynamic.

Want to See More?

The 2026 NBA Trade Deadline Is Over. Did Your Front Office Cook?

Team Rankings: Full-Picture Defense (FPD)

Notable Differences from DRTG

There are far fewer significant differences, but here are some that stand out:

• The Los Angeles Clippers are 10th in FPD, vs. 20th in DRTG

  • This seems much more accurate for the Clippers. Many of the teams’ key rotational pieces are plus defenders or willingly buy into Tyronn Lue’s schemes. The defense has also been a larger crutch for victories, due to their lack of offensive continuity.

• The Charlotte Hornets are 13th in FPD, vs. 18th in DRTG

  • This isn’t a staggering difference, but FPD has caught onto the Hornets’ defensive improvements much faster than DRTG. Their rebounding prowess and low opponent efficiency are accurately rewarded.

Takeaways + Combined Differential (CD)

Combined Differential (CD) is simple: FPO + FPD. It measures the top teams based on their two-way prowess.

Here’s a graphic showing FPO, FPD, and CD values, as well as each team’s win percentage:

• To no surprise, the Thunder comfortably lead the pack with a top-ranked defense and still-great offense. If they can get healthy, don’t be shocked at a repeat title.

• Detroit is a good bit behind 1st place, despite their league-best win percentage. While this is remarkable for a young core, the front office still needs to address their stale offense. The only factors pushing it into the positives are Cade Cunningham’s brilliance and their defense generating transition opportunities.

• The Thunder, Knicks, and Spurs are the only teams with solidly great marks on both ends of the ball. They’re the “safe bets” for positive playoff translation and should make deep runs this year. Don’t sleep on Minnesota either!

• The Lakers, despite their great record, do not show out in the metrics department. Philadelphia also wins more than they probably should - an impressive feat and testament to the efforts of Nick Nurse, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid.

  • This is a big part of why I don’t care for either team’s playoff outlook - both lack a reliable identity.

• Utah is super unique - a legitimately good offense bogged down by the worst defense in the NBA. Next year, a healthy Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler will make matters very interesting.

• Denver and Houston are both great on one end of the ball but sneakily exploitable on the other. Their ceilings are a bit matchup-dependent - they’ll struggle against foes that test their weaknesses.

• The Kings stink, man.

Anywho…I appreciate each and every one of you for checking my work out! This is my first time sharing a statistic of my own on this platform, and I hope it presents a different angle to how these teams are typically discussed.

You can also expect a full-length database for FPO and FPD sometime in the future, with results for each season.

This was a fun NBA trade deadline. We didn’t get the Giannis Antetokounmpo move many were anticipating, but there were still plenty of shocking headlines, power plays, and under-discussed swing trades. Some winners. Some major losers. But where does YOUR team sit on the spectrum?

Let’s dive in.

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia 76ers | C-

Sent: Jared McCain, Eric Gordon

Received: 2026 FRP, 2027 SRP, 2x 2028 SRPs, 2032 SRP swap

Thoughts: Philly’s deadline established two things: Edgecombe is their young talent of the future, and they don’t want to spend money. The loss of McCain and Gordon isn’t grueling, and the team now has a wealth of draft capital, but the lack of aggression to bolster what has been a competitive roster is disappointing. And there’s another implication - Joel Embiid’s request for front office proactivity was not respected, which is concerning.

Boston Celtics | B

Sent: Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, Josh Minott, Xavier Tillman, 2026 SRP

Received: Nikola Vučević, John Tonje

Thoughts: Boston’s collection of passive, finance-savvy moves was the right approach to a bridge year. The Celtics are now under the luxury tax, positioned to compete, and have two roster spots to sign a player on the buyout market. The loss of Josh Minott is a tad sour for his believers in Beantown, but optimism around his potential can’t override reality. The wing had silently fallen out of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation and was considered expendable.

New York Knicks | B

Sent: Guerschon Yabusele, Dalen Terry, 2x SRPs (years undisclosed)

Received: Jose Alvarado

Thoughts: New York, who boast a self-assured roster, were not compelled to make any major moves despite their ties to Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors. The front office’s decision to play it safe is reasonable, given the team is on an eight-game win streak and currently tied for the Eastern Conference 2-seed. Jose Alvarado is about the wittiest they could get with a small acquisition, considering he can take over the minutes Deuce McBride will miss due to injury.

Brooklyn Nets | C

Sent: Vanja Marinković, 2026 SRP

Received: Ochai Agbaji, Josh Minott

Thoughts: Brooklyn’s passiveness was polarizing - on one end, the team could have gotten a good return for Michael Porter Jr., and some signals are screaming that they should’ve sold high. But they trust in the forward as an integral part of their future - a respectable vision - and therefore opted for lukewarm movement instead. Minott should fit with their young core, but Agbaji’s upside isn’t very enticing - still, he’s a better prospect to build around than the 29-year-old, NBA-evasive Marinković.

Toronto Raptors | C-

Sent: Ochai Agbaji, 2026 SRP

Received: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Chris Paul

Thoughts: From a neutral perspective, Toronto’s inability to acquire Domantas Sabonis as previously rumored is a relief. I loathed the idea of his fit with the team, even if many Raptors fans were drawn by the idea of acquiring a former star. The Raptors did swing a bit too far below the line of aggression, though - pushing for some extra shooting or size would’ve been ideal. Still, this core is fresh and clicking at the moment, so giving them one year to make a statement before pursuing changes is only fair. The acquisition of Chris Paul - an instant Raptors legend, by the way - will also help free up roster space, so that’s worth keeping an eye on.

Milwaukee Bucks | C

Sent: Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey

Received: Nigel Hayes-Davis, Ousmane Dieng

Thoughts: For Bucks fans, surviving this Giannis Antetokounmpo trade deadline saga is an A+ win in itself. However, the organization is still in mediocre territory. Grabbing Ousmane Dieng is the only major source of excitement, and even he is a major project with no guaranteed upside. It’s safe to say that the Bucks’ goal is embracing the tank, as that may be the only path to a brightened future, with or without Antetokounmpo.

Chicago Bulls | D

Sent: Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, Coby White, Mike Conley, Ousmane Dieng, Nikola Vučević, Dalen Terry, Ayo Dosunmu, Julian Phillips, 2027 SRP

Received: Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, Guerschon Yabusele, Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, Nick Richards, 2x 2026 SRPs, 2027 SRP, 2029 SRP, 2031 SRP, 2032 SRP, 3x SRPs (years undisclosed)

Thoughts: Chicago was the most active team of the deadline, and yet none of their results are resounding. The team has become the target of “guard farm” memes from the NBA community, and every joke has some truth to it - they’ve hardly improved their roster, if at all, and now struggle with positional redundancy and an unclear identity. Chicago’s inability to get even one FRP from this bulk of trades is also unbelievably frustrating, given they haven’t shown the drafting aptitude to justify their second-round pick party. The ownership deserves scrutiny.

Cleveland Cavaliers | A

Sent: De’Andre Hunter, Darius Garland, Lonzo Ball, 2026 SRP, 2x SRPs (years undisclosed)

Received: Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis, Emanuel Miller, James Harden

Thoughts: Cleveland, who has faced the threat of a stale ceiling, made some respectable changes that are at worst lateral - and at best, an exciting improvement. While moving the young Darius Garland for an ancient James Harden is a risky long-term decision, the latter is a far more reliable player due to superior impact and availability. Schröder will also provide solid backup guard minutes, and Ellis - the hidden gem of their deadline - gives the Cavaliers the point-of-attack worker they’ve needed for quite some time.

Indiana Pacers | A

Sent: Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, 2026 FRP, 2028 SRP, 2029 FRP

Received: Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown

Thoughts: No over-involvement, silent movement, and taking secure risks - a great gameplan in Indiana. Ivica Zubac will be an exceptional addition to a healthy Pacers squad, providing rim protection and a natural fit next to Tyrese Haliburton. Moving off of Mathurin is also addition via subtraction - his playstyle was antithetical to Indiana’s identity. The 2026 FRP is also protected 1-4 and 10-30, so the Pacers can still snag a top prospect from this draft if the lottery favors them.

Detroit Pistons | B

Sent: Jaden Ivey

Received: Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, 2026 FRP

Thoughts: Detroit’s parting with Jaden Ivey is bittersweet - many dreamed of the Cade-Ivey duo to find its way, but the latter’s injuries and seasonal underperformance were impossible to ignore. This move doesn’t swing much for the Pistons, but a well-performing Huerter can seriously patch their shooting woes. And even if he doesn’t work out, Detroit is young and overperforming relative to age - so there’s no need for aggression above this level.

Atlanta Hawks | B-

Sent: Vit Krejci, Kristaps Porziņģis, Luke Kennard

Received: Duop Reath (waived), Jock Landale, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, Gabe Vincent, 2027 SRP, 2030 SRP, 2032 SRP

Thoughts: This Hawks team still falls somewhere between enticing and questionable, but the front office’s commitment to embracing youth is respectable. There’s no harm in giving Jonathan Kuminga a chance - even if his trajectory isn’t as good as some fans think - and this Atlanta bench is silently decent. Moving off Porziņģis before his contract expired is also a major plus, considering the big man brought zero value during his Hawks tenure.

Miami Heat | F

Sent: n/a

Received: n/a

Thoughts: Miami is the only team in the Eastern Conference to leave the deadline with zero changes. This validates the frustrations of Heat fans that detest the front office’s inactivity, especially amidst yet another season of middling proportions. Erik Spoelstra clearly has this roster overachieving, and Heat Culture is aggressively anti-tank, so going all-in on an impact player should have been the goal. And just because that player couldn’t be Giannis, doesn’t mean you do nothing else. A joke outcome in Vice City.

Charlotte Hornets | A

Sent: Mason Plumlee, Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, Tyus Jones

Received: Coby White, Mike Conley (waived), Malaki Branham, Xavier Tillman, 2029 SRP, 3x SRP (years undisclosed)

Thoughts: Charlotte is the NBA’s latest exciting story, and they responded to the hype with an equally exciting deadline. The team quickly moved off some rotting depth to acquire Coby White and draft capital, two sound returns. White is a perfect fit in Charlotte - he gives them a backup ball-handler, insurance for LaMelo Ball’s injury-proneness, and another pace pusher. What is projected to be a successful campaign for the Hornets is only getting better.

Orlando Magic | D+

Sent: Tyus Jones

Received: n/a

Thoughts: Orlando’s deadline was deliberately silent - their goal was to get under the tax, and they succeeded in doing so. Salary-dumping Tyus Jones is a crude reminder of the franchise’s awful track record with free agents, so this move was a tad sour, but all the Magic can do is put their heads down and proceed with the rest of their year. One has to think if this was enough, though, given that the team exists in a plane of perpetual mediocrity.

Washington Wizards | A-

Sent: Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Marvin Bagley III, Malaki Branham, 2026 FRP, 2030 FRP, 3x SRPs (years undisclosed)

Received: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, Dante Exum

Thoughts: Before we even dive into schematics, I want to share my appreciation for Washington at the moment. Making a conscious effort to create a culture and push back into relevancy is why I’ve sung their new front office’s praises for some time now. Anthony Davis, while unreliable, offers great upside with a less-than-damning worst-case scenario, considering the two FRPs were not valuable. And above all, this team is going to be fun next year.

Want to See More?

The Problem with NBA Offensive + Defensive Rating

Western Conference

Utah Jazz | B+

Sent: Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Balsa Koprivica, Jock Landale, John Tonje, 2x 2027 FRPs, 2031 FRP

Received: Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Vince Williams Jr., Lonzo Ball, Chris Boucher, 2028 SRP, 2030 SRP

Thoughts: Utah’s aggressive pursuit of Jaren Jackson Jr. (which still seems like a slight overpay…) implies they want to invest in a competitive core for the foreseeable future, which I can respect - this is the first time the Jazz have pursued a concrete direction in years. Their financial future is going to be rough, considering Kessler is due for a payment that will test the team’s asset management - but for now, this core in Salt Lake City is a playoff-level team on paper.

Denver Nuggets | C+

Sent: Hunter Tyson, 2032 SRP

Received: 2026 SRP

Thoughts: A quiet deadline in the mountains, but with good reason. Denver can’t justify any aggressive moves after a hands-on off-season, and they want to stay below the first apron. If anything, the ability to sign standout sophomore Spencer Jones to a standard contract is a win.

Oklahoma City Thunder | B-

Sent: Ousmane Dieng, 2026 FRP, 2027 SRP, 2x 2028 SRPs

Received: Jared McCain, Mason Plumlee, Balsa Koprivica

Thoughts: The Thunder’s mentality was simple - go for a low-risk, moderate-reward prospect that fits the timeline. Jared McCain should bolster their three-point shooting, assuming health and playtime. While I’m not high on McCain’s trajectory right now, Oklahoma City has little to lose from taking a chance on him. At worst, they gave away a small chunk of their draft treasure, and I’m sure they couldn’t care less with a lottery selection from the Los Angeles Clippers imminent.

Minnesota Timberwolves | B+

Sent: Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, 2026 FRP, 2026 SRP, 2027 SRP, 2031 SRP, 2032 SRP

Received: Ayo Dosunmu, Julian Phillips

Thoughts: Minnesota’s deficit in aggregate ball-handling has been helped with the addition of Ayo Dosunmu. The guard isn’t the floor setter they truly desire, but he adds shooting and the ability to make plays. And don’t read into the length of Minnesota’s send-out list - it’s a few non-playoff-caliber names (with Mike Conley returning anyway), an FRP with a protected swap, and some less-than-necessary second-rounders.

Portland Trail Blazers | C+

Sent: Duop Reath, 2027 SRP, 2030 SRP

Received: Vit Krejci

Thoughts: Portland’s deadline did not demand aggression, so the organization’s decision to offload the injured, non-rotational Duop Reath for a shooting upgrade in Vit Krejci was sound. The guard won’t be a high-stakes swing factor for the team, but he adds floor spacing, size, and situational defensive value.

Los Angeles Clippers | B+

Sent: James Harden, Chris Paul, Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown

Received: Darius Garland, Vanja Marinković, Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, 2026 FRP, 2026 SRP, 2028 SRP, 2029 FRP

Thoughts: A surprisingly sound deadline from a dysfunctional front office. The Clippers, despite recent improvements, made a concrete choice to protect their future. Part of me can’t help but feel like they’re trying to compile resources in case of a punishment for the Aspiration controversy - but even if they evade repercussions, they’re far more suited for team-building than before.

Sacramento Kings | F

Sent: Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis, Dario Saric, 2029 SRP

Received: De’Andre Hunter

Thoughts: Kings, never change (please do - what are you doing?). Yet another mindlessly incompetent move amplifies the putrid energy around this organization at the moment. I’m not sure what convinced Sacramento to over-invest in De’Andre Hunter so passionately, given his well-document letdowns in the NBA and uninspiring ceiling. It’s baffling that Sacramento couldn’t realize the true value of Keon Ellis, a coveted player who could have netted a far greater return, but let’s see if they redeem themselves by capitalizing on this stacked draft.

Los Angeles Lakers | D

Sent: Gabe Vincent, 2032 SRP1

Received: Luke Kennard

Thoughts: Rob Pelinka’s incompetence is masked by his exploitation of Nico Harrison’s malpractice, but don’t let him fool you - he is not a good executive. The Lakers are littered with one-way, unathletic players that don’t fit, and funnily enough, Luke Kennard fits right in. Pelinka’s refusal to explore deals because of his Giannis Antetokounmpo fixation is also perplexing. Not every move you make has to be a blockbuster chase for a superstar! Build around Luka Dončić, he’s about to turn 27.

Phoenix Suns | B+

Sent: Nick Richards, Nigel Hayes-Davis

Received: Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey

Thoughts: Phoenix’s proactivity with finances has been incredible. The Durant-Beal disaster looked like a headache for years to come, but they are officially below the luxury tax. Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey aren’t exactly game-changers, but the Suns are okay with that - there are buyout candidates to target, flexibility to enjoy, and a well-earned standard contract to offer to Jamaree Bouyea.

Golden State Warriors | C

Sent: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield

Received: Kristaps Porziņģis, 2026 SRP

Thoughts: Considering the buzz around Golden State’s potential as a superstar landing spot, acquiring nothing but an injured big man feels…subpar. Still, a healthy Porziņģis (a mythological concept, but you never know) can positively impact any team, and the Warriors now have some roster space for signings. This team still can’t contend, and the status of Stephen Curry’s final years remain bleak, but an underwhelming deadline is better than a colossal failure, I suppose.

Memphis Grizzlies | B+

Sent: Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale, Vince Williams Jr., 2032 SRP

Received: Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Eric Gordon, 2x 2027 FRPs, 2031 FRP, 2032 SRP

Thoughts: I love this for the Grizzlies. It was time to give up on the remains of the 2022 core, as fun as they were - Jackson Jr. isn’t fit to be a team’s best player, and they got a solid return considering such. Their intentions with Ja Morant remain a question mark, but he can be put aside as an off-season puzzle - for now, the goal is to push for a high lottery pick.

Dallas Mavericks | B-

Sent: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, Dante Exum

Received: Khris Middleton, Tyus Jones, AJ Johnson, Marvin Bagley III, 2026 FRP, 2027 SRP, 2x 2029 SRPs, 2030 FRP

Thoughts: It’s hard to perceive this Dallas move as anything but a laughable return for Luka Dončić, but in a vacuum, this was a competent deadline for the Mavericks. They avoided the second apron and assembled some draft capital, even if the picks are not massively valuable. It’s somewhat depressing that Anthony Davis’ health has nuked his trade value this much, but Dallas did what they could, and are now fit to start a new era with Cooper Flagg.

New Orleans Pelicans | F

Sent: Jose Alvarado

Received: Dalen Terry, 2x SRPs (years undisclosed)

Thoughts: Considering New Orleans is full of players that have been advertised as movable, the fact that nobody but a bench guard - and a “heart-and-soul” guy, at that - was traded, is ridiculous. Much like Sacramento (sorry for the extra stray, Kings fans), the incompetence is a cultural issue at this point. For example, Poole has racked up DNPs with the intention of being moved, but remains a Pelican. Why? There were no efforts to pull an overpay out of a Trey Murphy III or Herb Jones suitor, which was certainly possible. Even less-pristine assets like Zion Williamson and Yves Missi remain untouched - do they truly think this core can suddenly produce positive results? Where’s the discernment down south?

Houston Rockets | D-

Sent: n/a

Received: n/a

Thoughts: On paper, Houston’s decision to favor inactivity makes sense - they don’t have the flexibility to afford many moves without sacrificing parts of their own pre-season philosophy. However, after seeing reasonable transactions for guards such as Ayo Dosunmu and Jose Alvarado, the Rockets’ passiveness does come off as rather unsavory. There’s no guarantee that Kevin Durant assumes an All-NBA-caliber form for another season, or even that injured contributors such as Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams will return with the same impact. Complacency is a bad attitude to embrace for a team in Houston’s position, and I have a sinking feeling that it will bite them in the back soon.

San Antonio Spurs | C+

Sent: n/a

Received: n/a

Thoughts: And on the contrary, here’s a team that can afford to be passive. I will clarify that the difference in grades for these two passive organizations is not meant to entertain a double standard. San Antonio just doesn’t demand urgency to the same extent as Houston, with few realistically attainable targets and the team enjoying a highly-successful campaign. At the very worst, the quietness around Jeremy Sochan is cryptic, but he isn’t a “must move now” player. The Spurs trust in their guys, especially considering their collective youth, and that’s a completely fair judgment.

Tier Summary

• A - Cavaliers, Pacers, Hornets, Wizards

• B - Jazz, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Suns, Clippers, Celtics, Knicks, Pistons, Hawks, Mavericks, Thunder

• C - Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Spurs, Bucks, Warriors, Nets, Raptors, 76ers

• D - Magic, Bulls, Lakers, Rockets

• F - Pelicans, Kings, Heat

For a long time, I saw Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating (which I’ll affectionately refer to as per 100 efficiency in this article) as the guideline to evaluating NBA teams. After all, every big site uses it - NBA.com, Basketball Reference, StatMuse. As an aspiring basketball analyst, why question what is already in place?

But as time went on, I discovered what it represented. Here are the official definitions for both statistics:

• Offensive Rating: How many points a team scores per 100 possessions.

• Defensive Rating: How many points a team allows per 100 possessions.

Very simple concepts! Easy to calculate with the right data, universal, and digestible. All things considered, per 100 efficiency is one of the most accessible advanced stats in NBA history.

But it’s a little less prestigious than some realize, and that is where it can be harmful. Check this.

The Calculations + Questions

Here’s how Offensive Rating is calculated:

And Defensive Rating:

Very, very straightforward. You only need two major factors - a team’s PPG (or PAPG) and the number of possessions. The former can be found on any reputable database. But what about possession data?

…where does it come from?

Believe it or not, it doesn’t exist. Or not to the general public, or on an official level, at least.

We have no formally documented data on how many possessions a team plays per game - it is largely estimated, scraped, or at best, determined behind the scenes without our understanding.

Calculating possessions has changed over time. The old-school way, which is still used by Basketball Reference and StatMuse, is a statistical estimation:

A lot of numbers and abbreviations there, but the direct link to BBRef’s glossary can be found above for further understanding. But the point is, these possession numbers are not real - they’re theoretical. And while the effort is commendable and at least seldom accurate, it’s far from definite.

Other databases have different methods:

• There’s no public record of how the NBA themselves calculate possessions. I’d like to think their numbers are exact and based on internal play data, but we truly don’t know.

• PBP Stats and Cleaning the Glass parse official play-by-play data to determine possessions, but filter out garbage time and heaves, meaning their numbers do not align with the NBA’s. Fine for “ethical” analysis, but still selective beyond our reach.

So…What’s the Problem?

Discrepancies.

Although possession data across different databases is relatively similar, it still isn’t consistent. For example, here are the top 5 teams by pace (possessions per 48 minutes) on each database:

• NBA.com: Heat, Hawks, Jazz, Mavericks, Bulls

• PBP Stats: Hawks, Heat, Cavaliers, Pelicans, Mavericks

• Basketball Reference and StatMuse: Heat, Hawks, Jazz, Mavericks, Grizzlies

• TeamRankings: Heat, Jazz, Mavericks, Hawks, Blazers

A few teams are mostly agreed upon by these sources - Miami, Atlanta, and Utah. But other featured units are erratic in their appearances. For example, the Pelicans are #4 in pace according to PBP, but they don’t even make Basketball Reference’s top 10.

It’s just disorienting that we don’t have a consistent reference. It leads to erratic results across our favorite stat sites and makes per 100 efficiency feel disorganized.

A Limited Methodology

Like all advanced statistics, per 100 efficiency aims to measure something specific. The star of the show here is per-possession scoring - a good thing to evaluate, but far from the only way to determine if a team is good on either end.

For example, take the Miami Heat, who are 20th in the league in Offensive Rating. Miami is:

• 4th in PPG

• 7th in APG

• 11th in TPG

• 10th in 3P%

…solid all-around numbers, right?

Everything points to them being a productive team that not only knows how to put the ball in the hoop, but does so while sharing the wealth and protecting it at a solid level. The Heat are also one of the more potent three-point shooting teams, even if they take a few less than some of the highest-volume rosters from behind the arc.

So why does Offensive Rating dislike them? Well, they play fast. Like, really fast.

Even though pace results are not uniform, as we saw above, the Heat are one of the only teams to consistently rank high in pace across databases, so their reputation as a speedy unit is meaningful. But because they play quick and fail to generate points at a comparatively high rate, Offensive Rating pins them as a poor offensive team that “wastes” too many possessions.

In some aspects, this is a fair ideology. But it devalues the context of what makes teams dynamic - areas of strength besides scoring efficiency.

Want to See More?

Jaren Jackson Jr. is Linked to the Celtics. Let’s Cut the Cord.

Misrepresenting Team Identities

According to per 100 efficiency, Boston has built an identity that is wildly offense-dependent with a “passable” defense. This is despite only one of the team’s top 5 scorers being above league-average TS% (Neemias Queta). They also don’t move the ball at a high rate (bottom 2 in APG) and rely on the three-ball to generate offense, leading to high-variance, streaky results.

Is this truly a top 2 offense in its entirety?

Similarly, how can we call the Celtics’ defense average? They’re:

• Top 3 in opponent PPG and FG% (meaning they force the third-lowest numbers)

• Leading the league in SPG

• Holding opposing teams to the 6th-fewest DREBs in the league

• 6th in BPG

This isn’t to say their defense is perfect - for example, they do give up too many threes - but to pin it as average and their identity as offense-everything does not match the eye test at all. The Celtics are full of athletic wings, pride themselves on hustle plays, and are great in transition. Something isn’t right.

And the reason why this happens? Because Boston plays slowly. Defensive Rating assumes that fewer possessions equal fewer chances to get a stop, so it over-penalizes them for each play that doesn’t end in a one.

But Here’s the Thing — Pace is Dynamic

Just because you’re slow doesn’t mean you need to be wildly efficient as a ball-stopping team. By playing that way, you’re indirectly forcing the opponent’s hand and taking them out of their process - an intangible that statistics could never measure.

Pace is just much more fluid than efficiency captures! So many things it affects are not considered by Offensive and Defensive Rating:

• Fast-paced teams tire defenses out, which makes the offensive process easier.

  • This means that per-possession scoring is less important because you control the game’s momentum.

• Not every possession is equal - a team can be slow in the full-court but fast in the half-court, and vice versa. Both are situationally effective.

  • But since possession types aren’t considered, certain team archetypes are disproportionately affected.

• Defensive quality is often amplified by team-wide effort, disrupting passing lanes, forcing live-ball turnovers, etc. - but in DRTG, all of these things are weighted the same.

  • Forcing a turnover is much more valuable than getting a block, but to Defensive Rating, a stop is a stop. The extra context goes a long way.

Even on a historic level, a core like the Wilt Chamberlain-era Warriors - who moved the ball at a high level, embodied efficiency, and tired other teams out with their fast-paced play - were considered weak by Offensive Rating. Per 100 efficiency is supposed to normalize across eras, and while it succeeds mathematically, it fails contextually.

But There’s No Shame in Using It — Just Dig Deeper!

Don’t get me wrong - per 100 efficiency still has plenty of uses, produces reasonable results, and above all, works mathematically - so on a statistical level, it does its job. This is not a judgment piece.

Instead, consider it a reminder to embrace deeper research. Saying “this team is a top 3 offense because ORTG said so” isn’t informative. Determine if other areas of strength may make them better - or worse - than the stat says, because at the end of the day, we have access to a world of context that it can’t see.

Boston’s unexpected success this year has shocked many. A team with a 41.5 line for wins in the pre-season is currently on pace for 52, which would mark their fifth consecutive 50+ win campaign. Jaylen Brown is playing like a superstar, role players are performing, and Joe Mazzulla has been a savvy locker room leader.

So naturally, considering the team has another superstar sitting on the bench and is quietly awaiting his return, the media is a little impatient.

“Imagine it - Tatum, Brown, and a third star? That’s a title team!”

“Trade the farm and win now!”

“Don’t waste the Jays’ time! Make a splash trade while you can!”

It’s the typical rhetoric from those who don’t quite understand what fuels winning teams. Discharging valuable rotational players for a big name doesn’t always net a positive swing result.

And for that reason, I cannot stand the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade rumors for Boston. As a Celtics fan, let me explain why.

First - What Would a Jackson Jr. Trade Look Like?

Boston, realistically, doesn’t have to do anything too aggressive to acquire the Grizzlies’ star. He’s currently wrapping up a 4-year contract extension that places him at $35M for the season, a number Boston can afford to absorb in the present. This is what a trade scenario would likely look like, with mutual benefit for both teams:

• Boston receives: Jaren Jackson Jr.

• Memphis receives: Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, 2026 2nd, 2031 1st

On paper, this is enticing. Boston gets a talented star while shedding off a clingy Anfernee Simons salary and only a couple of picks. Memphis receives Simons and Hauser - who can both be used as assets in a rebuild - and draft capital for both the present and future (including a 2031 pick that may pan out as valuable, depending on Boston’s direction).

However, the financial implications for the Celtics are the first of many complications.

He’s Just Too Expensive

As Boston is currently paced, they will fly above the apron once a few contracts - namely Simons’ - expire next season, leaving them with adequate room for team-building.

Should they commit to Jackson Jr., that won’t be the case.

His recently signed extension, which will bump him up to $49M for the 2026-27 season, could leave Boston in a difficult situation. They will now sit firmly below the 1st apron threshold, which isn’t an absolute disaster for roster construction, but implies strict commitment to this core. Considering the majority of the Celtics’ rotation hasn’t participated in meaningful playoff basketball yet, this is a very bold move.

Most of the projected starters would be proven playoff performers (Jackson Jr. being the exception - more on that below), but the rest of the team has not shown how they respond to defenses in the postseason. The Jays are remarkable leaders, and Mazzulla is great at optimizing role player talent, but there’s no indicator of guaranteed success - and that’s not how you should go into building a contender.

Want to See More?

We Have a Problem, Houston

He Also Doesn’t Fit

Another strangely under-discussed issue is Jackson Jr.’s poor fit with the team. While the big man has plenty of reliable tools and is theoretically one of the best ceiling raisers in the NBA, he requires a specific type of roster to maximize his strengths.

• Strengths Jackson Jr. brings to Boston: Elite defense, rim protection, a target for post-ups, a catch-and-shoot threat that fits Mazzulla’s offense perfectly

• Weaknesses Boston cannot help Jackson Jr. with: Rebounding (!!!), fouling problems, poor offensive playoff translation, weak court vision

I genuinely like some of the upside Jackson Jr. could bring to Boston - his offense would fit like a glove, and a Tatum-Jackson-Queta frontcourt would be lethal defensively. However, the rebounding is such a difficult issue to ignore.

Boston is a great positional rebounding team, especially on the offensive glass (6th-ranked in OREBs), but they struggle with defensive rebounding (17th-ranked in DREBs). It’s hard to control the boards on both ends without a go-to board man, and Neemias Queta’s team-high 8.2 RPG pales in comparison to other starting centers.

Of course, this is an issue Jackson Jr. not only struggles to assist, but outright worsens - he is one of the worst positional rebounders in the NBA, and will overtask Tatum and Queta. It’s not an issue that is impossible to navigate, but it forces Mazzulla’s rotational schemes into a pit of positional dependency, which is antithetical to the free-flowing, position-less style of play he often embraces, especially on offense.

Can He Hold Up Come Playoff Time?

A final tab to keep an eye on is if Jackson Jr. can correct his notorious playoff instability, which has plagued him during his Memphis tenure. Here’s a breakdown of the big man’s playoff translation through the years:

Opponent-Adjusted True Shooting (oaTS+): a numerical depiction of the player’s TS% relative to league average, adjusted for playoff defense quality; uses the same visual format as Adjusted True Shooting (TS+)

• 2021: -0.8p on +4 oaTS+, +0.0r, -0.1a, -0.1s, -0.4b, averaged 4.2 fouls per game

  • Was a complete non-factor on the glass, thoroughly outplayed by Gobert, O’Neale, and even Favors

• 2022: -0.9p on -8 oaTS+, +1.0r, -0.2a, -0.1s, +0.2b, averaged 4.4 fouls per game, fouled out in 25% of games

  • Outside of an explosive Game 1 against Golden State, struggled to shoulder the responsibilities of heightened scoring volume, averaging 16.2 PPG on 46% TS for the remainder of the series

• 2023: -0.6p on -4 oaTS+, +1.0r, +0.5a, +0.0s, -1.0b, averaged 4.0 fouls per game

  • Enjoyed yet another high-scoring series opener, but was putrid otherwise (15.4 PG on 50% TS) and alongside Xavier Tillman Sr., conceded a combined 24.9 RPG to LeBron James and Anthony Davis

• 2025: -6.2p on -13 oaTS+, -0.6r, -0.5a, -0.2s, -1.0b

  • After a career regular season that established him as Memphis’ best player (and a 2B on offense), he was absolutely putrid against OKC offensively and only finished as the 8th-highest rebounder of the series

The track record just isn’t good. Considering Jackson Jr.’s role in Memphis has always been rather tame on offense (typically the 3rd-highest-tasked player on that end, behind Morant and Bane), his inability to respond to any type of postseason tenacity is extremely concerning.

Inconsistent shooting, bad self-creation, lackluster ball-handling, and poor processing are all tendencies that hinder the big man come playoff time, and Boston may have championship DNA - but that can only overcompensate for flaws so much.

It’s a No From Me

Although a potential Jackson Jr. move would still bring me some initial excitement - after all, who doesn’t get imaginative when they see a high-level player joining their team - I dislike the overall optics of his place in Boston’s ecosystem, both currently and for the foreseeable future.

The Celtics have a good, bought-in core full of athleticism and young talent, and should not sacrifice that in pursuit of name value. The focus should be on getting Tatum healthy, finding another rotation-level big, and seeing what the playoffs have in store.

There’s no need to rush. Remember, this was supposed to be a bridge season.

If I told you before the season that the Houston Rockets would be fighting to stay out of the play-in, would you believe me?

Probably not. But…here we are.

The Rockets have been amidst a seldom-covered slump for over a month now, masked by a serviceable record built up over weeks of starting the season hot. Here are some numbers from their past month of play (since Dec. 14):

• They hold a middling 7-8 record

• They’ve lost to four of the Western Conference’s lottery teams (LA Clippers, Sacramento, Dallas, and New Orleans)

• They are only 10th in league efficiency differential (points per 100 - points allowed per 100)

• They are smack dab in the middle of the league defensively (15th in points allowed per 100)

• Their 3P% has declined drastically (33.5%, versus a blistering 39.6% in games prior)

As an avid Rockets propagandist, I hate to deliver the news that this isn’t a regular slump. There are structural issues in the Houston farm. Here’s how.

Playmaking Deficit

When Fred VanVleet went down with a season-ending ACL tear, Rockets fans panicked. And the loss of a role player may have seemed minuscule to the media, but anybody watching Houston knew - he was integral.

Not because he was a star, but because he fit their blueprint to a tee. Most advanced stats would tell you VanVleet was a sub-optimal rotation piece, but they can’t capture what the box score fails to illustrate - that having a trusted ball handler with excellent security is invaluable.

And with him gone, Houston doesn’t have that. At all.

It isn’t necessarily their fault - nobody could have predicted such an unlucky end to VanVleet’s season, and they certainly looked poised to make a deep run before he went down. But this is an indictment of the Rockets’ management, who did not provide ample playmakers to support him. Even if the guard was a serviceable starter, he is an undersized, aging point guard - he deserved help regardless, and now his absence hurts even more.

Houston still has good passers - Şengün is one of the best playmaking centers of all-time, Durant has always been a solid advantage creator, and Thompson’s passing volume is decent. However, none of them are capable, natural lead ball handlers - and as a result, the team’s offense often stagnates (only 22nd in APG, versus 25th in TPG) and, as of late, has struggled to generate good looks after a shooting regression to the mean.

They need better ball security and crisp movement, especially for playoff runs where defenses will inevitably increase their physicality and clog passing lanes.

They Can’t Close Games

Among teams in the top ten in record, Houston is tied for the worst clutch win percentage, at only 40%.

This trickles down to another issue - they don’t possess a truly elite closer beyond Durant, and it makes their late-game blueprint predictable. Şengün is certainly a threat with his mismatch threat and expansive court vision, as well, but his relative lack of efficiency makes his clutch game far less imposing.

As tempting as it is to blame this on roster construction, it’s a more concerning issue. The Rockets simply lack offensive creativity - and this is unfortunately a major flaw of coach Ime Udoka, who, while one of the league’s better locker room leaders, has struggled to implement dynamic offensive schemes since his days in Boston.

Want to See More?

Trae Young is a Wizard: A Win-Win Trade in Plain Sight?

A Need for Innovation

The Rockets’ offensive process is unique and experimental, but the “figure it out” phase has passed. Aside from their aforementioned playmaking problem, they are also far too stagnant for a team of that nature. Typically, when lacking a lead creator, you lean into egalitarian scoring distribution and heavy ball movement - but Udoka’s offense lacks either of those traits.

Houston’s scoring approach has devolved into an abundance of isolation plays, which would be fine as a counter to a more sophisticated process. After all, Durant is one of the best pure scorers ever - but how much can that scoring threat be optimized when he’s expected to work on an island every possession? It isn’t threatening, nor sustainable for a 37-year-old.

Without better schematics, the Rockets have to constantly employ a “play-not-to-lose” scheme. And I’ll insert some personal experience here - as a Celtics fan, I saw far too much of that from an Udoka offense in the 2022 season. Start strong on defense and lock the other team up? You’re good, just keep the lead stable. But if you’re playing from behind? Forget it.

This is also why Houston’s season-wide differential is so great - they dominate their victories, but often falter in close contests.

That won’t work in the playoffs.

Still, There’s Hope

As a natural optimist, I won’t go all-in on considering this Rockets season a wrap. There’s still a very clear path to prosperity.

It starts with seeking out Şengün - he is the team’s best playmaker and most imposing physical threat. He will create the most dynamic advantages for the squad and can balance the worlds of responsibility and energy the best as a young, well-conditioned star.

Better sets for off-ball play are also necessary. Houston is already an elite offensive rebounding team, something that greatly bolsters their reputation on that end. But without proper movement and target-finding to capitalize on those second chances, they’re not useful. The coaching staff needs to learn how to get their shooters open and comfortable, so slumps of this nature don’t sting so much.

Health is also vital. It’s undeniable that injuries have killed the Rockets as of late - Şengün has missed plenty of time, Finney-Smith is constantly in-and-out of the lineup, and Eason - the team’s most efficient three-point shooter and a trusted POA workhorse - cannot afford to miss another stretch of games. If continuity is missing, it will reflect in team morale.

And above all - increase the defensive intensity! The Rockets’ newfound ability to produce on offense is a wonderful development, but I still don’t consider it as sustainable as their defensive floor. This core has built a reputation on stopping the ball, yet it’s nowhere to be found in a franchise-defining year. Keep those opponent scores low, and the game-long fluidity will return.

There’s a way out, Houston. Truly. But first, this identity needs some heat added to its core. A 6-seed isn’t enough.

After some trade rumors that went from a quiet buzz to an aggressive cacophony, the noise is silenced: Trae Young, known as the Hawks’ franchise player of the 2020s decade, has exited the franchise in what will be the start of an intriguing trade deadline.

For those who haven’t seen the full transaction:

• Atlanta Hawks receive: Corey Kispert, CJ McCollum

• Washington Wizards receive: Trae Young

It’s a straightforward deal - no draft capital, no twists and turns, just players being exchanged. This move has shocked the basketball community already, with several curious about why Young has net absolutely no draft capital and seems to carry what is perceived as low value. But this move isn’t a total fleece of any kind, even if it presents itself as one - and here’s why.

A Reset for Atlanta

Trae Young’s importance to the Atlanta Hawks organization is undeniable. In what has been a rather lukewarm post-merger history for the franchise, the point guard is responsible for one of two Conference Finals runs since 1970 - yes, over 50 years ago - for the team. And unlike the composed ‘15 Hawks, who won a conference-best 60 games and had four All-Star representatives, nobody expected Ice Trae to go on such a run with the team.

It brought in hope.

But the years following were miserable. A ‘22 season where Young led the entire NBA in total points AND assists, yet culminated in a 43-39 record and first-round exit. A move for Dejounte Murray that ruined the team’s contention window. John Collins was traded, Clint Capela declined, and De’Andre Hunter disappointed.

It only took 2 years for the organization to never see a winning season again.

But this year, a new light has appeared - Jalen Johnson. The wing has grown into one of the NBA’s most potent offensive players, a major development for a 24-year-old. Hawks fans may not have thrown Trae to the side, but their shiny new toy was just a little more enticing, and it seems as if the organization agrees.

This trade wasn’t done out of spite, desperation, or confusion - it was a mutual understanding that sometimes, your star just can’t take you to the promised land.

Cleaning Up Shop + Johnson’s Era

Some may ask - why did Trae Young net absolutely no draft capital? Is he really only worth two rotational players, one of whom is aging rapidly? Did Atlanta get fleeced?

The reality is that while some extra assets could have been nice, it would’ve been Washington chasing name-brand value. They bought low, and Atlanta is fine with that. But why?

The reason is money. CJ McCollum has a $30.6M expiring contract that will open up a massive amount of cap space for Atlanta this upcoming off-season, giving them ample flexibility to make roster changes. They also chase a younger identity with this trade, investing in a 24-year-old Johnson to lead a squad with the 22-year-old Dyson Daniels, 25-year-old Onyeka Okongwu, 27-year-old Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and more. Corey Kispert, while a complete product, will also join this semi-young core in their conquest of developing a playoff core.

Consistency may also be integral to the Hawks’ success. This season featured a lot of uncertainty in identity - is playing fast around Johnson the new Hawks way? Should the team still let Young shoulder a massive offensive load and control possessions deliberately? There were more questions than answers, and even if Young is a definitive talent, you can undeniably add value by subtracting it.

Want to See More?

A New Year's NBA: The Top 15 Players Heading into 2026

Washington Learns How to Win

Trae Young archetypes are excellent for low-success young cores. Washington is in no place of immediate expectations, pinned as a long-term tanking team that’ll show flashes of competitiveness in a few years. But the acquisition of Young is a healthy timeline acceleration - he’ll maintain attention to detail as the team grows, but gives them room to enjoy something as simple as a win. Knowing what victory looks like is major for young players and helps them discover what tendencies benefit their teams most.

There are some concerns to be had with Young’s offensive approach. He is heliocentric to a fault, demanding that teams adjust to his preferences of ball dominance and game management. For a contender, this is not sustainable in 99 of 100 cases, but the Wizards will likely benefit. Their key pieces will learn how to play off-ball, develop synergy with their floor general, and optimize their shot diets.

There are schematic benefits too. Trae is one of the most productive passers in the NBA, ranking 4th in potential assists at 15.6 and leading the NBA in pass-to-assist ratio among those with 10+ a game. This has incredible implications for multiple Wizards players:

• Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George, who both shoot 40%+ on above-the-break threes, will enjoy even higher-quality looks.

• Alex Sarr is one of the league’s more active finishers, but lacks efficiency. Young, being one of the league’s best interior passers, will certainly help with that.

• Tre Johnson is a great off-ball target and natural floor spacer, and will continue to ascend amidst one of the best rookie shooting seasons in the association.

• And a general veteran presence will help any young team learn how to operate - Washington has not had this combination of experience + talent in their locker room in a very, very long time.

Of course, Young will need to embrace the veteran role and act with discipline for this fit to be seamless. I do see a concerning reality where some of his bad habits on both ends negatively rub off on the team, and that would be massively disappointing. But he’s a fighter - I think he’ll make it work and bring passionate effort to Washington.

So Who Wins the Trade?

On paper, Washington certainly comes away victorious - they acquired Young with less-than-vital assets and can walk away with a long-term winning culture. However, do not view Atlanta as the laughing stock of this transaction. Their vision is a mix of finance and culture, and has positive implications that will materialize within the next couple of years. This move is not somebody’s to lose.

But regardless of debating who made the “right” decision, we can cheer about one thing - we’ve finally reached NBA trade season, folks!

This NBA season has been one of the most irregular in recent memory. Plenty of surprises in the win column, injuries galore, and unexpected leaps have made for a year that will confuse future viewers of the record books. But the cool part is - we’re witnessing it in real time.

As we celebrate the beginning of 2026 (and Happy New Year’s to you all - make this year yours!), I figured a roundup of the NBA’s best so far was appropriate. Let’s outline some valued criteria before we get started:

• Archetype: What kind of player are you? Is your style of play impactful in a positive manner, or laced with iffy characteristics that make winning efforts tougher?

• Identity Impact & Role: How do you influence your team’s identity? Are you a dominant defender anchoring a league-best ball-stopping team? Are you a productive scorer, but eating up numbers on a poor offense? Translating your strengths to what makes your team win matters.

• Availability: While it isn’t the end all be all, showing up matters just as much as individual dominance. Players that have struggled to stay on the court so far will have their placements challenged, unless their play justifies otherwise.

  • Keep in mind that availability is based on what has occurred up to this point. The impact of future injuries (i.e., Jokić’s expected 4+ weeks out) is not considered.

• This list is only based on performance during the 2025-26 NBA season.

And with that clarified - let’s dive in!

Honorable Mentions (ordered alphabetically)

• Deni Avdija

  • He’s having a proper star breakout, but lacks the shotmaking talent and adaptation as a playmaker to rank higher.

• Jamal Murray

  • Has finally put together the star-caliber season fans were waiting for, but lacks the lead impact of the top 15.

• James Harden

  • Even in old age, The Beard is productive, but it’s hard to interpret his offensive process as a team-wide support system.

• Lauri Markkanen

  • Is having an excellent scoring season that has bolstered Utah’s offense, but his lack of versatility is underwhelming.

• Austin Reaves

  • A legitimately elite offensive second-option that has struggled with injuries to a debilitating degree.

• Alperen Şengün

  • Needs to clean up his scoring process, but delivers massively in several other intangible areas.

All-New Year 3rd Team

15. Jalen Johnson

Basic Data

Wing | Atlanta Hawks
32 Games Played (16-16, 89% of available games)
23.8 PPG on +7 Adjusted True Shooting
10.3 RPG
8.4 APG, 3.5 TPG
1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Johnson has finally materialized his much-awaited breakout and more. The expected form of the forward was a proper second-option next to franchise cornerstone Trae Young, but the outcome has been the opposite. Johnson looks like Atlanta’s man of the future, with the Young era defining yesterday’s news.

He is absurdly productive, combining the makings of a productive scorer with unique point forward playmaking skills that reflect in Atlanta’s fiery offense. The Hawks rank favorably in several areas, including:

• 1st in APG

• 9th in PPG

• 9th in TS%

And Johnson in particular sits with the league leaders in potential assists, ranking 4th among players with at least 20 games played. He’s also a wildly effective finisher, with a blistering 79% hit rate within 3 feet of the rim and proactive both on and off-ball.

If there’s anything he can improve, it’s the defense. Johnson is one of the worst man defenders in the NBA’s star tier, struggling to use his frame as a deterrent to assignments and relying on the clean-ups of a middling Hawks defense to hide his shortcomings. And on a team with Trae Young - another notoriously bad defender - and lead rim protector Kristaps Porziņģis sidelined, that is significantly problematic. Still, his campaign has been phenomenal, and he is positioned to become a long-term superstar.

14. Kevin Durant

Basic Data

Wing | Houston Rockets
29 Games Played (19-10, 94% of available games played)
25.4 PPG on +11 Adjusted True Shooting
5.0 RPG
4.5 APG, 3.2 TPG
0.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Even at 37, Durant is still incredible. He’s aging gracefully compared to some of his peers - giving up the keys to contribute to a young core’s acceleration is the right way to spend your twilight years, and what may be more astonishing is he’s still Houston’s best performer thus far.

Scoring is a given with the Slim Reaper, but context accentuates its significance. This isn’t a well-versed offensive farm Durant is producing on - Houston is without a natural floor general and chased him to fill their closer vacancy, yet he still manages to deliver fruitful offense on an aggressively jump-shot oriented diet. His off-ball playmaking is more valuable than ever, forcing spacing into what is otherwise a somewhat muddy roster.

His defense, however, is what really seals his case as one of the league’s best - although he certainly benefits from an energetic, deep defensive team, his frame adds dimensions to their ball-stopping capabilities. He’s Houston’s most efficient rim protector (with a -13.4% opponent DFG% at the rim) and leads the team in blocks despite often covering space on the entire floor.

Unfortunately, Durant’s inability to capitalize on rim pressure and declined playmaking efficiency have pulled him away from true top-tier candidacy, but hey - co-leading a legitimate contender at 37 is a decent achievement anyway.

13. Stephen Curry

Basic Data

Guard | Golden State Warriors
25 Games Played (14-11, 71% of available games played)
28.7 PPG on +10 Adjusted True Shooting
4.0 RPG
4.3 APG, 3.1 TPG
1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Curry is still among the most dynamic offensive players in basketball, and the eye test will always prove that. He’s the best floor spacer in the NBA, an exceptional off-ball playmaker, and a shooting threat nobody would ever disrespect. His presence alone disorients most defenses.

However, his decision-making to complement that advantage has been less than optimal thus far. The main struggle for Curry has been playmaking - he is posting the worst on-ball playmaking season of his career, and it has made the flow of Golden State’s offense substantially less colorful.

His career-worst assist-to-turnover ratio, coupled with an already-low assist volume and an increased tendency to lose the ball in scoring motion, is debilitating what is otherwise an excellent offensive profile. That’s not enough to take away from his total kit - and the Warriors’ roster construction does him zero favors, in all fairness - but is is a legitimate concern that is spelling out a decline the box score can’t express.

Without improvements in his offensive process, Golden State will be forced to rely on defense for success, which has questionable implications for his identity impact. Their 5-1 record in their last 6 games does leave some optimistic signs, but The Chef must do some clean up for this pace to sustain against an incoming spike in schedule difficulty.

12. Kawhi Leonard

Basic Data

Wing | Los Angeles Clippers
23 Games Played (10-13, 70% of available games played)
28.5 PPG on +9 Adjusted True Shooting
6.5 RPG
3.4 APG, 2.1 TPG
2.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Leonard’s season has been a strange one - with an off-season and early campaign defined by behind-the-scenes scandals, teammate drama, and the towering weight of an incompetent organization, his Clippers have been absolutely pitiful and only recently finding a rhythm.

Blaming The Klaw would be irrational, given his two-way productivity and exceptional play during the team’s ongoing 6-game win streak (39/9/4 on +19 TS in that stretch) - the only thing holding him back from deeper All-NBA candidacy is an unhealthiness sparked by ankle and foot injuries. However, he has played sixteen straight since, so his trajectory is positive.

Aside from some hyper-efficient scoring that nicely occurs within the flow of Los Angeles’ offense, Leonard has elevated his defensive play in a manner rare since his earliest days as a Clipper. The results of his man defense have been mediocre (with a 50% DFG), but he’s in the 96th percentile or higher in stops, forced turnovers, deflections, and pace-adjusted steals.

It’s not a coincidence that the Clippers play at a 36-win pace with him and 15-pace without. And before pinning that as a losing record either way, consider the external flaws that the team is cleaning up as we speak - it’s far from a Leonard issue.

11. Donovan Mitchell

Basic Data

Guard | Cleveland Cavaliers
33 Games Played (19-14, 92% of available games played)
29.8 PPG on +8 Adjusted True Shooting
4.7 RPG
5.5 APG, 3.2 TPG
1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Cleveland’s disappointing campaign thus far is for a multitude of reasons, but Mitchell isn’t one of them. In what has been a fragmented, deflated encore of a franchise-defining ‘25 season, the guard has remained steady and effective in stabilizing their offense.

It’s undeniable that a healthy Darius Garland is the ceiling raiser the Cavaliers need to be explosive on the offensive end, but Mitchell still remains a proper floor setter with his absurd shotmaking. Not only is he arguably the best cross between volume and efficiency this season, but does so without roster continuity or reliable infrastructure.

Spida’s creation is the ultimate threat, with his combination of rim finishing, distance shooting and hot streak proneness lighting a fire of fear under his opponents. And despite Cleveland’s reliance on him, he is delivering the least on-ball dominant play of his tenure, relative to league:

• 2026: 32.6%, 63rd percentile

• 2025: 31.0%, 96th percentile

• 2024: 35.6%, 99th percentile

• 2023: 31.3%, 95th percentile

He still has glaring issues, namely an inability to operate as a prolific lead playmaker. His ball security has worsened in this demanding role and he dishes far less potential assists, and an inability to manage out-of-role responsibilities is what classifies him as a great player and not an elite one. Still, Mitchell’s efforts have been profound.

All-New Year 2nd Team

10. Tyrese Maxey

Basic Data

Guard | Philadelphia 76ers
30 Games Played (17-13, 94% of available games played)
30.9 PPG on +3 Adjusted True Shooting
4.5 RPG
7.2 APG, 2.6 TPG
1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Perhaps the most surprising breakout of the season, Maxey’s jump from a decent, fringe star-level guard to a legitimate league-crusher is the morale boost Philadelphia basketball needed.

Maxey shoulders some of the most taxing offensive responsibilities in the league, assuming a massively ball-dominant role in an environment without consistent co-creators. The guard is currently one of three players with an above average TS% in Philadelphia’s top 8 for minutes played, and does such on blistering production and impressive scoring tendencies.

Two major concerns exist with Maxey, however: his unsustainable shot diet and sustained defensive woes. He currently ranks 6th in 3PA and is justifying it with 39.6% of his deep shots made, but this playstyle is incredible variance-prone and volatile come playoff time. Of course, that’s not relevant to this ranking - but it is something to take note of. And defensively, his struggles remain immense. He must be surrounded with athleticism and size on that end, something difficult for Philadelphia to muster considering the withered state of Embiid’s movement in space.

For now, it’s a phenomenal campaign from Maxey regardless - and 76ers fans should cherish the unforeseen peak they get to witness nightly.

9. Anthony Edwards

Basic Data

Guard | Minnesota Timberwolves
27 Games Played (17-10, 79% of available games played)
29.1 PPG on +8 Adjusted True Shooting
5.0 RPG
3.6 APG, 2.8 TPG
1.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Edwards feels doomed to play out-of-position for the rest of his career. Minnesota has gone another year without giving him a lead playmaker to operate off of, and yet he still floor raises their offense to respectable levels while maintaining a high-octane scoring threat.

Ant Man’s scoring is simply ridiculous considering context. Although solid shooting seasons from the Wolves’ role players has given him more space to work with, he is still moving mountains as a lead creator with little luxury to play off-ball for stretches.

His playmaking is what leaves more to be desired. Edwards is still a decent volume passer that the box score cannot properly contextualize, considering his prominent role as a connective passer (he ranks 12th in secondary assists among players with at least 20 games played). His turnover frequency is simply unacceptable, however, and subdues any potential respect his passing could deserve. It’s a flaw that irritates his otherwise exceptional clutch play, and the only reason it isn’t further emphasized is because Minnesota has the defense to clean it up.

Edwards is still uniquely valuable for being one of the NBA’s best two-way threats, and is a floor raiser that regularly delivers beyond expectations. But without some tidying up in an expectant role, a higher ceiling is hard to attain.

8. Jalen Brunson

Basic Data

Guard | New York Knicks
31 Games Played (22-9, 91% of available games played)
29.2 PPG on +2 Adjusted True Shooting
3.3 RPG
6.5 APG, 2.1 TPG
0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Brunson’s ongoing prime is an unfairly under-discussed phenomenon. The Mecca’s superstar is one of the most potent offensive players in the NBA, with a combination of scoring efficacy and passing safety that is almost impossible to disrupt.

Despite being massively undersized, Brunson is one of the most fearless rim finishers in the league. He slices through defenses with an Allen Iverson-like flair, populating the rim and visiting the line at a healthy rate. He is also absurdly safe when operating as a scorer, ranking in the 94th percentile of scoring turnover rate and managing above-average efficiency on a bumpy shot diet.

Although the guard is rather conservative in his playmaking dynamics, he maintains value due to elite ball security. However, a combination of unwavering ball dominance and sluggish clock management does hinder his passing potential, as evident by his concerningly low potential assists per minute (an area he only ranks in the 2nd percentile league-wide in!). Still, his strengths have more than amply influenced New York’s offensive potency, and he and Mike Brown have found a solid middle ground to operate in.

Aside from the aforementioned spotty tendencies, Brunson’s only other major area of weakness is defense, where he is dreadful. Not only is he one of the most hunted targets in the league (with a moderate 44th percentile DFGA and comparatively dreadful 5.7% DFG%), but he is nearly invisible in intangible areas such as deflections and stops. If there’s any saving grace, it’s his charge-drawing, which is among the best in the NBA.

New York’s path to contention is heavily dependent on whether they can hide some of Brunson’s traits, which are going to be a focal point of opponent film sessions. In my eyes, it’s realistically attainable - but only time will tell.

7. Jaylen Brown

Basic Data

Wing | Boston Celtics
31 Games Played (19-12, 94% of available games played)
29.5 PPG on +2 Adjusted True Shooting
6.4 RPG
5.0 APG, 3.7 TPG
1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG

After losing superstar Jayson Tatum and a plethora of rotation players, the Boston Celtics were expected to be a middling unit for the ‘26 season with talks of tanking. Jaylen Brown had other ideas - he preferred to stay in the win column, and has taken a leap to sustain that philosophy.

Brown’s greatest leap is in self-creation. He previously struggled to develop a game-wide rhythm, often getting off to scorching hot starts and progressively icing himself out as time passed. Now, his output is sustained from start to finish, sitting 7th in second-half scoring. The wing has extracted most of his scoring value from his deadly midrange, which may be the most statistically potent in the NBA - he is 2nd in mid-range makes and 6th in efficiency among scorers that take 3+ a game.

His playmaking has been another great improvement - Brown’s potential assist metrics have always been elite, and he is not a turnover-prone passer. His tendencies to lose the ball are usually in scoring motion, an area he has to clean up as a first option - but he has improved his discernment of when to follow through with a shot attempt and when to share the wealth. It doesn’t render him as a great playmaker, and he still can’t be Boston’s most prolific in a contention scenario, but it’s passable for where they are at the moment.

Defense also remains one of his strengths, with healthy marks in DFG% (-3.4%) and rim DFG% (-4.5%). His combination of swiftness, bulk, and intensity make him very difficult to target, a two-way upside that lifts him to a greater value than that of many one-way stars.

6. Cade Cunningham

Basic Data

Wing | Detroit Pistons
31 Games Played (22-9, 91% of available games played)
26.6 PPG on -1 Adjusted True Shooting
6.3 RPG
9.7 APG, 4.0 TPG
1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG

The Pistons’ ascension can certainly thank defense and coaching intensity, but few efforts among the NBA’s elite are on the shoulders of one player like Detroit and Cunningham. Despite a grossly sub-optimal environment for creation (this image gives a good summary), the half-guard-half-wing has still spearheaded a legitimately good offense that sits stop the Eastern Conference.

Cunningham has seen an improvement in shot tendency, with a massive jump in rim finishing. Not only is his aggression beneficial to the optimization of Detroit’s shooters, but he has improved his rim efficiency (66% within 3 feet) and averages a career high .363 Free Throw Attempt Rate. This helps mitigate his bad distance shooting, which remains a weakness managed by his quick decision-making and movement off screen actions.

He is also having the second-best playmaking season in the association. His turnover proneness remains a stark issue, but nearly nobody in the NBA is as dynamic as Cunningham when it comes to creating advantages. He is the league-best rim playmaker, sitting in the 100th percentile, not to mention the leader in potential assists (18.3), secondary assists (1.6), and is a legitimately excellent passer in motion, transition, and the halfcourt, making decisions at a hyperactive pace and using his size as leverage.

His defense has also hit legitimately great levels, operating as one of the best rim protecting guards, a high-quality pre-rotation piece, and stifling man defender. Concerns still exist with his initial reactions to closeout counters and tendency to foul, but he has balanced both out with an improved recovery and high rate of shot alteration respectively.

With an improvement to his turnover rate and polished scoring output, Cunningham could join the realm of MVP conversations, but he’s a notch below “top 5” conversations until then.

All-New Year 1st Team

5. Luka Dončić

Basic Data

Wing | Los Angeles Lakers
25 Games Played (17-8, 78% of available games played)
33.6 PPG on +4 Adjusted True Shooting
8.1 RPG
8.7 APG, 4.5 TPG
1.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Dončić’s underwhelming campaign thus far is well-documented at this point, and is both puzzling and disappointing to see unfold. Still, it says a lot that a less-than-ideal season from the superstar still secures him a top 5 spot - those are the markings of a next-level talent.

He is a massively imposing offensive force, with a methodology to his game that properly takes advantage of his huge frame. Dončić’s finishing attempt rate is the second-highest of his career, but it is contrasted by him only attempting a career-low 14.4 drives per game. While the box score interprets his scoring output as legendary, his process is not where it should be - the volume of contested jump shot attempts combined with an awful three point attempt-to-make ratio is shattering the perceived impact of his league-leading PPG.

Dončić is also a turnover machine as of late, with a horrific ratio on passes (17th percentile) and a disgustingly low per-minute pass rate to further amplify his playmaking struggles. He will always produce high assist numbers due to usage - and his court vision and productivity remain elite - but it has not translated to a fluid Lakers offense due to his lack of dynamic traits, namely his useless off-ball profile and negative spacing value.

His defensive woes also go without saying - he is one of the league’s most targeted defenders and cannot compensate with any semblance of ball-stopping presence. His effort is abysmal on top of an already mediocre defensive frame, and he is incredibly hard to optimize off-ball. If there’s any silver lining, however, it’s his rebounding and positive intangibles, reflected in his high rate of stops, deflections, and drawn charges.

This overview does admittedly have a negative tone to it, but it’s a constructive set of criticisms - Dončić is already an incredible player by default, and could enter MVP candidacy with better process and discipline. This second half of the season will say a lot about his future with the Lakers, confirming if his experiences are a byproduct of slumping or a new version of Luka Magic.

4. Victor Wembanyama

Basic Data

Big | San Antonio Spurs
21 Games Played (15-6, 62% of available games played)
24.3 PPG on +8 Adjusted True Shooting
11.7 RPG
3.4 APG, 3.2 TPG
0.8 SPG, 2.9 BPG

Wembanyama was already a league-elite as early as his sophomore year, but this season feels like a much-needed solidification of his capabilities. After an early season exit in ‘25 that pulled San Antonio out of the playoff race, the team was able to retool with their best roster of the decade, and it is reflecting in their 2-seed and major playoff expectations.

What will always power Wemby’s value is his defense. The Alien is simply untouchable on that end, with the most taxing defensive role in the NBA and comparatively elite results. His ability to deter shots is historically great, he has freakish recovery, intimidates all matchups and is phenomenal off-ball. This is joined by his great rebounding and impressive foul discipline relative-to-role, essentially rendering his defense as flawless (the sole exception may be those bulkier matchups - he still has to learn how to maneuver those).

His shotmaking is also the best of his career - he has finally began to justify his affinity for the three ball with some behind-the-arc consistency, but has also lessened his attempts to take advantage of mismatches and open up the floor. Few players command defensive attention inside the line like Wembanyama, and that enables his exceptional pass awareness, which has improved considerably due to better processing and ball movement. The turnover-proneness when attacking defenders does need work, though - he is awful at protecting the ball in creation and can get a bit trigger-happy, chasing heat checks when excited about the team’s momentum.

If there’s any major flaw the big man has, it’s his awful availability. Wembanyama has unfortunately joined the company of the Ralph Sampson-Yao Ming archetype, in that he is incredibly fragile due to an unsustainable frame - the Spurs have done a great job of constructing a roster to win non-Wemby games, but it is still an issue that ushers in a light layer of dread when witnessing his physical matchups. If he could even manage to be only slightly unhealthy, the ranking implications would be scary.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Basic Data

Big | Milwaukee Bucks
21 Games Played (12-9, 60% of available games played)
29.0 PPG on +15 Adjusted True Shooting
10.0 RPG
5.7 APG, 3.3 TPG
0.9 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Antetokounmpo, much like the aforementioned Wembanyama, has had concerningly poor availability this season. Still, the raw impact outweighs the playtime in this case, with the former champion dragging a lowly Bucks roster to a winning pace.

Here’s the numbers - Milwaukee plays at a 47-win pace with The Greek Freak, and at an 18-win pace without him. And the sample size is solid enough at this point to consider this the team’s identity - everything runs through Giannis without objection.

His numbers have declined from seasons prior, with:

• His lowest PPG since 2021

• Lowest RPG since 2018

• …and lowest APG since 2020.

Still, this isn’t representative of the value he adds to Milwaukee. His rate of productivity as a shot creator, passer, and defender still remains among the league’s best, and he his near-impossibility to disrupt in rhythm plays a large part. Giannis will always threaten opponents as a high-octane transition threat, rim pressure magician, and master of the drive-and-kick, not to mention he is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league.

He is still spotty in a couple areas - he remains a very turnover-prone creator, which is a little extra concerning with his slight decline in pass frequency. He is also still a non-spacing threat and struggles to capitalize on his foul-drawing, making his offensive play prone to lows against the right defensive makeups. Still, both his floor and ceiling are so incredibly dominant, and that is a much louder factor.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Basic Data

Wing | Oklahoma City Thunder
34 Games Played (29-5, 97% of available games played)
32.1 PPG on +17 Adjusted True Shooting
4.6 RPG
6.4 APG, 1.9 TPG
1.5 SPG, 0.7 BPG

The reigning champion and MVP has rightfully defended his placement within the league’s upper-echelon, and is nearly guaranteed to finish the ‘26 season as a repeat Most Valuable Player recipient with recent injuries to competitor Nikola Jokić. The reality is few basketball players embody stability as well as Shai - and I don’t just mean right now, I mean ever.

He is having the best scoring season in the association, directing the ball to the rim at a rate almost unfathomable. Not only is he incredibly productive, but manages to combine it with wild efficiency in a less-than-ideal offensive environment. It’s historic shotmaking ability that has dragged the Thunder to a largely positive offense despite some structural flaws.

Aside from his great-as-ever slashing, finishing, contact absorption and mid-range effectiveness, he has also taken a leap as a distance shooter, with a career-best 42.5% from three on a respectable 5 attempts a game. He is also largely achieving this through pull-ups and self-creation, with a career-lowest 26.8% of his threes coming from assists. The OKC offense shouldn’t need him to deliver such demanding three-level scoring, but he has done it anyway - the markings of a historically good player.

Shai still has some flaws as a lead initiator, with a very sluggish rate of passing and mediocre ability to optimize teammate advantages. His ball movement is rather infrequent for his level of on-ball play, and he is not a notable connective passer - a lot of his offensive value is instead tied to his league-breaking scoring, which is arguably a weakness of his still-incredible offensive value.

The superstar is also having one of his better seasons as a man defender, altering opponent shots at a respectable rate while sending shots flying at an excellent rate positionally (he’s 95th percentile in pace-adjusted blocks, a savory mark). He is still a major beneficiary of a stacked Thunder defense, however, with several teammates ranking ahead of him in defended shots (and some that rank lower than him, such as Holmgren and Hartenstein, have elite shot alteration abilities to compensate, proving their marks are a result of intimidation).

Not much else can be asked of Shai at this stage, even if he has some marginal issues that could lift him to even better heights. But hey, nobody’s perfect - even the league MVP. And with a 30-5 record, something is clearly working.

1. Nikola Jokić

Basic Data

Big | Denver Nuggets
32 Games Played (22-10, 94% of available games played)
29.6 PPG on +22 Adjusted True Shooting
12.2 RPG
11.0 APG, 3.5 TPG
1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG

One of the - if not the - greatest offensive peaks ever is still occurring as we speak, and there’s no surprise who’s behind it - Nikola Jokić. The titan in Denver has continued to baffle the NBA with his cartoon-ish output and unbelievable impact, which has propelled him to the top of this list.

Jokić is comfortably the best advantage creator in the NBA, whether for himself or others. He is exceptional in every area possible offensively - he is an unstoppable shot creator with great physical advantages, excellent at protecting the ball in scoring motion, a dangerous distance shooter with lethal pick-and-pop abilities, the best playmaker in the world, a quick decision maker, engaged off-ball - you name it, he does it.

And as a result, it’s no surprise that the Nuggets have finally achieved something that has been absent throughout the big man’s career - a historically good offense. Jokić-era Nuggets teams have always crushed the competition on that end of the ball, but their play as of late stacks up against the greatest offenses of all-time, and they are doing this with the worst roster continuity among contending teams - a testament to his elite floor raising.

There’s still a major flaw that can poke at Jokić’s best-in-the-world candidacy, however, and that is his continued awful defense. His man defense is arguably the worst it has ever been, a trend dating back to last year, where his post-championship-buzz wore off and snatched his defensive effort in the process. He’s still very valuable as an individual post defender, defensive rebounder, and lane disruptor, so his presence isn’t a total disaster, but his exploitable tendencies on that end will always be his Achilles’ heel.

Fans that are strict with two-way play will probably favor Gilgeous-Alexander for their #1 spot, and rightfully so. But I consider Jokić’s raw value to still sit atop the throne, and no force in the NBA reaches the peaks he does while maintaining a remarkably high floor. His placement will likely slip with his incoming missed time, but for now - the NBA is Joker’s league.

Summary

1. Nikola Jokić

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo

4. Victor Wembanyama

5. Luka Dončić

6. Cade Cunningham

7. Jaylen Brown

8. Jalen Brunson

9. Anthony Edwards

10. Tyrese Maxey

11. Donovan Mitchell

12. Kawhi Leonard

13. Stephen Curry

14. Kevin Durant

15. Jalen Johnson