The First-Half Story for Every NBA Team in One Stat
Every team is among the very best (or worst) at something. What can that tell us?
It’s the NBA All-Star Break, and that means a chance for everyone to catch their collective breath after a whirlwind first four months of the season. The Warriors and Cavaliers are still out front as expected, but there have been quite a few other surprises along the way.
So take a break from trade season and have a look at one unique stat for each team in the NBA that tells the first-half story for every team in the league…
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta is the only team in the NBA without a single player making at least one three-pointer a game at 35% or better. Instead, new starting point guard Dennis Schröder leads the team in both field goals and points scored at the All-Star break.
Boston Celtics
The story of Boston this season has been the play of Isaiah Thomas, but their other starting guard Avery Bradley actually leads the team in both three-point percentage (41%) and rebounds per game (6.9). Bradley is one of just three guards to lead his team in rebounding along with Westbrook and Harden.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets signed Jeremy Lin to run the offense this summer but he’s missed most of the season. Instead the team’s leading assist man is Isaiah Whitehead, whose 140 dimes rank 86th in the league. Whitehead averages just 2.9 assists per game.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets don’t make many mistakes. Charlotte has the lowest turnover rate of any team with just 12.1 per game. They also foul only 17 times a game and allow the fewest free throw attempts of any team. How’s that for a well-coached team?
Chicago Bulls
There were a lot of early jokes about Chicago’s presumed lack of shooting and it appears the naysayers were right. The Bulls are the only team in the league without a player at 80 or more threes. Team leader Nikola Mirotic has made only 70 and the Bulls rank dead last in both three-pointers and three-point percentage.
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James is fifth in the league with 8.8 assists per game, the most in NBA history by a non-guard. Many of those dimes are going to little-used sharpshooters James Jones and Kyle Korver. The duo has combined to hit 77 of 145 three-pointers this season, an insane 53.1% rate.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas has found new life with a small-ball lineup featuring Dirk Nowitzki at center, but they’re struggling to score at the line. The Mavs are one of just two teams with no player averaging three made free throws per game, and Harrison Barnes is the league’s lowest team leader in attempts with 3.4 per game.
Denver Nuggets
Denver is the only team in the league without a player blocking a shot per game. Nikola Jokic leads the team with 41 in 49 games. He’s also the NBA’s lowest team-leading scorer with 797 points. But don’t blame Jokic — it’s not his fault he’s only seventh on the Nuggets in minutes per game.
Detroit Pistons
Tobias Harris is the NBA’s lowest leading scorer at 16.3 points per game. Detroit struggles to get to the line. Every other team in the league has at least one player with 150 free throw attempts. Harris has attempted the most freebies for Detroit with just 131.
Golden State Warriors
Even in an “off year” Steph Curry has 34 more threes than any other player and is on pace for the second most in NBA history. But Golden State does more than shoot the ball. They also lead the league in both blocks and steals, and they rank first in effective field goal percentage on both offense and defense, at 57.1% and 48.8% respectively. In other words, the Warriors gain a full point on their opponents for every six field goal attempts.
Houston Rockets
You probably know the Rockets lead the league in three-point attempts, but they actually rank second in two-point percentage. They’re led by three players in the NBA’s top seven with Montrezl Harrell, Clint Capela, and Nene Hilario all over 61%. Unfortunately, Houston also ranks last in two-point attempts.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have struggled defensively, but that doesn’t mean opponents have an easy go of it. Indiana is the only team in the league with three players among the top 25 in steals with Thad Young at 90, Jeff Teague at 80, and Paul George at 78.
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles has had to fight off injuries to both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin after a torrid start. The leading Clippers scorer at the break is actually sharpshooter J.J. Redick. His 802 points rank ahead of only Philadelphia’s Ersan Ilyasova and Denver’s Nikola Jokic among team leaders.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are the only team in the NBA whose leading scorer comes off the bench, with Lou Williams at 18.6 points per game. Perhaps that’s because Los Angeles doesn’t have a single player in the league’s top 100 in minutes per game, with Julius Randle leading the way at just 28.2.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are the only team in the NBA with no player hitting at least 50% of their shots. JaMychal Green leads the team at 48.5%, though that should change now that hyper-efficient Brandan Wright has finally returned from an injury that kept him out until nearly the All-Star break.
Miami Heat
Hassan Whiteside leads the league in rebounds with 732, an incredible 475 more than any other member of the Heat. Chicago’s top two rebounders Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez combine to average fewer rebounds per game than Whiteside’s 14.1 for Miami.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, but he’s not the only Buck creating offense. Milwaukee is the only team in the NBA with three guys over 225 assists: Greek Freak, Matthew Dellavedova, and Malcolm Brogdon.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Tom Thibodeau is up to his old tricks again. Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns are third, fourth, and eighth in the league in minutes per game, and Ricky Rubio and Gorgui Dieng rank among the top 60 too. Every Minnesota starter is averaging more minutes per game than any player on the Nuggets, Lakers, or Nets.
New York Knicks
You might be worried about getting pickpocketed if you head to New York City, but it won’t be by one of the Knicks. They’re the only team in the league without a single player averaging a full steal per game. Brandon Jennings leads the team with 54 steals in 56 games.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans rank second in the NBA in blocked shots with 338. That includes at least 20 from seven different players, none of which are 7-footers Omer Asik, Alexis Ajinca, or Donatas Motiejunas. You may have heard New Orleans added another big man over the break; DeMarcus Cousins brings 73 blocks of his own to the team.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook is ninth in the league in rebounding with 598 boards, more than both Boogie Cousins and Kevin Love. He also has 243 more field goal attempts than anyone else in the NBA, and he’s not exactly efficient. So far this season, 66 players have scored at least 750 points. Russ leads them all with 1,771 but ranks just second to last among them in effective field goal percentage at 46.8%.
Orlando Magic
The Magic are one of two teams in the league without a single player averaging at least 17 points a game with leading scorer Evan Fournier at 16.8. Maybe they should’ve hung on to a few guys they’ve traded over the past year. Serge Ibaka, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, and Ersan Ilyasova are each averaging between 14.8 and 16.3 points per game for other franchises.
Philadelphia 76ers
Joel Embiid remains a heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year even after missing 25 of Philadelphia’s 56 games, but he’s going to have to cut down on his mistakes. Despite playing only 29% of the team’s minutes so far, Embiid leads all 76ers with 117 turnovers.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns lead the league in free throws, both attempted and made. They shoot almost one free throw for every four field goal attempts, with guards Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker both among the NBA’s top 24 in free throws made. Unfortunately, Phoenix also fouls more than any team in the league and allows the most points from the line.
Portland Trail Blazers
No offense in the league is more reliant on two players than Portland. Both Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum rank among the top 12 in the NBA in field goal attempts. Each has taken more shots than LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, or any other Warriors or Cavs player.
Sacramento Kings
No player has done more for his team this season than DeMarcus Cousins. Boogie is the only player in the league to lead his team in points, three-pointers, assists, steals, blocks, and both offensive and defensive rebounds. His presence will be sorely missed.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs lead the league in three-point percentage with an eye-popping 40% at the break. That includes seven players at 40% or higher: Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills, and Dejounte Murray. Unfortunately, San Antonio is also second to last in three-point attempts.
Toronto Raptors
Kyle Lowry is on pace for 264 threes, which would be the seventh most ever in a season, and he’s doing it efficiently. He’s made 42% from downtown at an incredible 62% true shooting. Those numbers put him just shy of Stephen Curry’s first MVP season in 2014–15, and Lowry actually has a better offensive rating while leading the league in minutes played.
Utah Jazz
Utah’s leading assist man George Hill is averaging just 4 dimes per game, but the Jazz don’t give the ball to the other team either. They’re the only team in the NBA without a single player turning the ball over twice a game.
Washington Wizards
The internet clamored for Bradley Beal as a replacement All Star, but that may have been the wrong Wizard. Otto Porter leads the league in three-point percentage at 46.5%, a full ten percent higher than any of his previous seasons. He has the highest offensive rating of any player in the NBA, his team averaging 130 points for every 100 possessions he’s on the court.
All stats updated through the NBA All-Star Break as found at Basketball Reference
If you enjoyed this, please recommend by clicking the ❤ so others can too. Follow Brandon on Medium or @wheatonbrando for more sports, television, humor, & life musings. Visit the rest of Brandon’s writing archives here.
