The 33 Most Productive Players in the NBA

[dell71]

The 33 most productive players in the NBA

As the 2009-‘10 NBA season gets underway, the arguments persists about who are the best players in the league. Statistically speaking, I have an answer. Well, not really an answer, more like a guide. That is the Total Production Percentage, henceforth known as TP%.

TP% is a simple, yet fairly comprehensive stat. The formula is as follows:

(Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocked Shots) – Turnovers/Minutes Played

Admittedly, it’s not an absolute answer for several reasons. Most prominently, there’s no accounting for intangibles. This includes things like leadership and hustle. Like I said, it is a guide and at least lets you know who is worthy of at least being in the conversation.

So why would I list the top 33 finishers? That’s an odd number. The easy answer is that these are the only players who finished with a TP% of .800 or higher during the 2008-’09 season. A little less than half that, 15 players had what I call elite level production of .900 or higher and only 5 reached the magical 1.000 plateau.

Oh, before I go any further only players who played 1500 minutes or more are eligible.

Without any further adieu, here they are:

Player, team TP%
1. LeBron James, Cle 1.144
2. Dwyane Wade, Mia 1.109
3. Dwight Howard, Orl 1.027
4. Chris Paul, NO 1.022
5. Kobe Bryant, LAL 1.005
6. Tim Duncan, SA .996
7. Al Jefferson, Min .987
8. Dirk Nowitzki/Dal .964
9. Danny Granger, Ind .929
10. Shaquille O’Neal, Pho .924
11. Chris Bosh, Tor .915
12. Carmelo Anthony, Den .912
13. Yao Ming, Hou .911
14. Zach Randolph, LAC .907
15. Charlie Villanueva, Mil .902
16. Tony Parker, SA .890
17. Kevin Garnett, Bos .885
18. Antawn Jamison, Was .862
19. Kevin Durant, OK .860
20. Brandon Roy, Por .859
21. Andris Biedrins, GS .858
22. Pau Gasol, LAL .856
23. Deron Williams, Utah .841
24. David Lee, NY .839
25. Devin Harris, NJ .839
26. Amar’e Stoudemire, Pho .834
27. Troy Murphy, Ind .827
28. Nate Robinson, NY .826
29. Kevin Love, Min .822
30. Vince Carter, NJ .815
31. Paul Millsap, Utah .804
32. Marcus Camby, LAC .804
33. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cle .801

There are definitely a few surprises. Some popular players you might ask about:

Joe Johnson, Atl .767
Paul Pierce, Bos .754
Ray Allen, Bos .653
Rajon Rondo, Bos .749
Emeka Okafor, Cha .745
Ben Gordon, Chi .718
Derrick Rose, Chi .691
Rip Hamilton, Det .720
Michael Beasley, Mia .797
Brook Lopez, NJ .747
Rashard Lewis, Orl .711
Andre Iguodala, Phi .731
Shawn Marion, Tor .675
Caron Butler, Was .778
Chauncey Billups, Den .746
Jason Terry, Dal .752
Josh Howard, Dal .768
Jason Kidd, Dal .675
Stephen Jackson, GS .768
Corey Maggette, GS .791
Ron Artest, Hou .717
Baron Davis, LAC .737
Lamar Odom, LAL .761
Trevor Ariza, LAL .650
Rudy Gay, Mem .686
O.J. Mayo, Mem .629
Randy Foye, Min .643
David West, NO .793
Russell Westbrook, OK .728
Steve Nash, Pho .772
Leandro Barbosa, Pho .781
LaMarcus Aldridge, Por .754
Kevin Martin, Sac .769
Kurt Thomas, SA .615
Mehmet Okur, Utah .779
Andrei Kirilenko, Utah .715

And the worst of the worst:

Player, team/TP%
1. Bruce Bowen, SA .281
2. Shane Battier, Hou .449
3. Antoine Wright, Dal .455
4. Charlie Bell, Mil .478
5. Maurice Evans, Atl .483
6. Courtney Lee, Orl .483
7. Daniel Gibson, Cle .486
8. Dominic McGuire, Was .495
9. Michael Finley, SA .497
10. Mike James, Was .498

Discuss.

 

[red33]

fat ass zach im the worst player ever randolph elite?

battier one of the worst? im sure every gm would take battier over fat ass zach i look like a burnt gummy bear randolph.

 

[Bear Pand]

Wow at how many non playoff teams had multiple players in the top 33.

Clippers, T'Wolves, Pacers and Nets.

I like numbers like this for fantasy basketball but that's about it.

 

[red33]

Wow at how many non playoff teams had multiple players in the top 33.

Clippers, T'Wolves, Pacers and Nets.

I like numbers like this for fantasy basketball but that's about it.

this is actualy a good point.

 

[A Tasty Burgerr]

Bowen lol, surprising to see Charlie in the top 15 as well.

I forget the exact numbers, but when CV got 30+ minutes he averaged something like 18/8. Its a shame he's the shittiest defensive forward east of Phoenix.


This is an interesting stat, I wouldn't say quite as accurate as PER (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_Efficiency_Rating) but still neat. Everyone should be able to see that Bruce Bowen is the most useless peice of garbage in the league without it though


EDIT: I'm surprised Jared Jeffries and Chuck Hayes aren't in the bottom 15

 

[BUCK3YE5]

2 Cavs in top 10....haha

 

[dell71]

fat ass zach im the worst player ever randolph elite?

battier one of the worst? im sure every gm would take battier over fat ass zach i look like a burnt gummy bear randolph.

Like I said, it doesn't accunt at all for intangibles. Fact is, Randolph puts up numbers even though he doesn't really seem to help you win as much as his stats would lead you to believe.

ATB: Both Jeffries and Hayes played fewer than 1500 minutes, barely 800 in Hayes' case.

 

[Juggernaut]

Happy with Dirk's placing

Suprised Caron Butler isnt higher, he does everything for the Wiz

 

[corbin]

Yikes don't agree with a lot of these players

 

[dell71]

Yikes don't agree with a lot of these players

You might not agree that player x isn't really one of the best players in the league but the stat is what it is. That's how they finished.

 

[dell71]

The top 30, for the most part, really resembles PER.

Indeed.

 

[Archer]

Granger is no suprise

Murphy shocks me ..... he is generally clumsy with the ball for us . While he can shoot and grab boards he tends to turn it over

 

[dell71]

I think it only takes pts, rebs, and assists into account. Doesn't care about defense (hence Bowen and Battier being 2 lowest.)

It does take steals & blocks into account and subtracts for turnovers. It doesn't account for plays/actions that don't result in a stat. So frustrating your man into passing the ball or taking a bad shot is not taken into consideration unless you steal that pass or block that shot.

Besides Bowen hasn't really been that great a defender for a few years now.

 

[dell71]

basketball stats are meaningless nowadays. The people whole play selfish will always get better stats. If it took into account team play Shane Battier would be in the top 10.

I cant think of one stat that isnt flawed somehow.

You could probably say that about stats in every sport.