NBA's most valuable players in 15 categories: Scoring, shooting, more
From best fadeaway to the MVP, Dean Oliver uses ESPN Analytics' Net Points metric to wrap up the season by handing out awards.
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There have been almost 60,000 minutes of basketball played in this NBA season. That's 40-plus days straight of no sleep. That's an NBA coach's life to an extreme -- a hard life, as I can attest to. But even coaches don't watch 60,000 minutes worth of games. I personally needed numbers to help me capture what I couldn't see.
That's why there is this long-standing phrase in analytics: People see games better than the numbers, but the numbers see all the games. The robots sit there and digest the data coming in, not perfectly but steadily and reliably.
For the purpose of this article, the numbers are going to tell stories about what players are good at in different areas of the game -- midrange shooting, floaters, passing, clutch play and so forth. For that, it is useful to have metrics that see all the games and put them in context. Your eyes don't necessarily remember the air-ball floater that Jalen Brunson tossed up the other day against Charlotte, but the numbers do and they add them up. And, at the end of the season, those numbers are useful.
We'll start with some of the lesser-pondered parts of the game and work up to the best overall players at the end. It's kind of like the Oscars with things such as the Best Short Films early and closing with Best Picture.
The metric used here is Net Points, which balances volume with efficiency to add up to teams' scoring margin. There are automatic leaderboards available here, where you can decide for yourself whether to do things as total net points or per game or per-100 possessions. For this list, we did things per game:
Ball hawk: Best at forcing turnovers
Toumani Camara, Portland Trail Blazers
Net points: plus-3.2 per game, plus-255 total
Why he ranks No. 1: What separates Camara from others is that he forces a lot of dead ball turnovers, namely drawing fouls. I would not recommend watching the "highlights" of him taking fouls, but it would be educational for players who want to be a real pest. Camara draws charges at a high rate and he seems to goad players off the ball into pushing him off before falling down for good measure. It's ugly genius.
Why he ranks No. 1: The league's tracking of shot types is a little subjective and "fadeaways" often seem to be captured in step-backs. I definitely think of Luka with regard to step-backs, which he takes more than anyone, per Genius IQ. He's not the most proficient, but he's proficient enough that, with the volume, he comes out the best.
The runners-up: Cade Cunningham (plus-0.2), Tobias Harris (plus-0.1), De'Aaron Fox (plus-0.1)
Top rookie: Edgecombe (plus-0.1)
Spark plug: Best off the bench
Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder
Net points: plus-2.0 per game (off the bench only, not starting), plus-83 total (off the bench)
Why he ranks No. 1: The Thunder develop talent, don't they? Mitchell was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft and his rookie year was considerably under-noticed when he came off the bench. He made sure to make a mark this year by doing well as a starter when he had to step in.
On the defensive side, amid all the other great defenders in OKC, he allowed the second-lowest shot quality to his matchup -- behind only Alex Caruso. Whereas Caruso has seven nicknames, per Basketball-Reference, Mitchell has none and is now playing like he deserves one.
The runners-up: Mitchell Robinson (plus-1.7), Isaiah Joe (plus-1.5), Keldon Johnson (plus-1.3)
Top rookie: Ryan Kalkbrenner (plus-1.1)
Facilitator: Best passer
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Net points: plus-1.3 per game, plus-81 total
Why he ranks No. 1: The two teammates Cunningham has the most assists to this season are Jalen Duren and Duncan Robinson, Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside. They are shooting 69% and 66% effectively off his passes, per Genius IQ. That ability to create and see both options without making excessive mistakes is why he edges out Denver's Nikola Jokic this year.
The runners-up: Jokic (plus-1.3), Jalen Williams (plus-1.0), LaMelo Ball (plus-0.9)
Top rookie: Cooper Flagg (plus-0.7)
Rainmaker: Best 3-point shooter
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Net points: plus-2.3 per game, plus-163 total
Why he ranks No. 1: Murray has been good at shooting 3s for years, but this year he is great. Per Genius IQ, he's shooting 46% on 3s off the catch, 2% better than his previous high. He's shooting 42% off the dribble, equaling his career high, but on an extra 1.5 attempts per game. Defending players who can create 3s off the dribble is hard, especially with guys such as Murray, who can also get by you with a dribble. That's why his shooting has led to his best overall offensive season.
The runners-up: Stephen Curry (+2.1), Kon Knueppel (plus-1.9), Anthony Edwards (plus-1.8)
Top rookie: Knueppel (plus-1.9)
Surgical: Best midrange
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Net points: plus-1.0 per game, plus-67 total
Why he ranks No. 1: Not a lot of guys can really help a team with this shot, which is why it has been gradually phased out for most players. Gilgeous-Alexander still adds +1.0 net points per game, which is better than all but 42 players shooting 3s. If we include the fouls he draws on midrange shots (imagine every coach yelling, "Don't foul a midrange shooter!"), his value on shot attempts in the midrange doubles to +2.1 per game. He has mastered a weapon that few can even attempt.
The runners-up: Jokic (+0.5), T.J. McConnell (+0.4), Kevin Durant (+0.4)
Top rookie: Knueppel (+0.0)
Soft touch: Best floaters
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Net points: plus-0.6 per game, plus-38 total
Why he ranks No. 1: Floaters are critical for smaller guards, who can have trouble right at the rim because bigs can intimidate them. But launching from around 10 feet away can neutralize some of the height discrepancies. Mitchell is only 6-foot-2, though his explosiveness at the rim sometimes makes you think he is bigger at times. But, when he can't get to the rim, he has the floater skill, too.
The runners-up: Jokic (plus-0.5), Tyler Herro (plus-0.4), Doncic (plus-0.3)
Top rookie: Maxime Raynaud (plus-0.1)
Juggernaut: Best shooting at the rim
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Net points: plus-3.8 per game, plus-136 total
Why he ranks No. 1: No 65-game requirement for us! Even in just 36 games, Antetokounmpo will finish in the top three of total net points for the season on shots at the rim. That's how good he is at getting to and converting at the rim. Only Duren is close to him in terms of volume at the rim, but Giannis shoots 5% better there and his attempts are self-created 62% of the time vs 35% of the time for Duren (Genius IQ).
The runners-up: Jokic (plus-2.3), Zion Williamson (plus-2.1), Gilgeous-Alexander (plus-2.0)
Top rookie: Flagg (plus-1.2)
Glass cleaner: Best rebounder
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Net points: plus-1.1 per game, plus-88 total
Why he ranks No. 1: You have to have controversy at awards shows, don't you? Here's the category. Thompson is 22nd in terms of rebounds per game, so how does he show up first in terms of net points? Net points captures how many rebounds players allow. Thompson is getting rebounds as a wing and not letting his man have them -- on both sides of the court. This very much comes from an emphasis by the coaching staff down because the Rockets are dominant in this aspect of the game.
Top rookie: Knueppel (plus-0.6). Yes, I was surprised, too, but you can check this and he gets a lot of rebounds compared to what he allows individually and teamwise (per GeniusIQ).
Cleanup crew: Best at converting putbacks
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
Net points: plus-1.0 per game, plus-66 total
Why he ranks No. 1: Putback artists thrive when their man helps off of them and on the ball. They force a defender to try to intimidate a shooter but also get back to box out. Duren is that big, strong guy, who can get up for a lob or be patient for a miss that he can rebound and put back. His interior off-ball gravity is around 65th, per the NBA, but maybe some of those defenders should stay home a little more.
The runners-up: Jokic (plus-0.9), Day'Ron Sharpe (plus-0.7), Clingan (plus-0.7)
Top rookie: Kalkbrenner (plus-0.4)
Speed demon: Best transition offense
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Net points: plus-1.5 per game, plus-101 total
Why he ranks No. 1: Coaches often complain about how transition is defined because there is no clear rule. But, in my experience, coaches often agree on who are the best players in transition.
LeBron James has often been near the top of their lists, and he's a legit candidate again at age 41. But this goes to Maxey over LeBron mainly because he has created more opportunities himself. LeBron has the second-most transition shots that are assisted and his shots are usually dunks, whereas Maxey has to create more himself with a lower shot quality and he still makes them.
The runners-up: Kawhi Leonard (plus-1.5), James (plus-1.4), Doncic (plus-1.3)
Top rookie: Flagg (plus-0.8)
Cold-blooded: Best offense at clutch time
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Net points: plus-33 offensive net points in clutch situations
Why he ranks No. 1: A year ago, Gilgeous-Alexander didn't really qualify for a clutch player because the Thunder were winning games by so much that he was sitting down through a lot of fourth quarters. This year, from Day 1 against Houston when they went to double overtime, he had to perform in tight games. He made shots, he got to the line, he passed, he avoided turnovers -- he had so many ways to make the offense go.
He also had just 7 of 27 games where his offense was below average in clutch time, a lower percentage than any of the guys behind him. The runners-up: Jamal Murray (plus-26), Nikola Jokic (plus-23), Anthony Edwards (plus-22)
Top rookie: Edgecombe (plus-9)
Stopper: Best on defense
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Net points: plus-2.6 per game, plus-164 total
Why he ranks No. 1: "Why does he rank No. 1?" Have you seen this guy? No one instills fear in offensive players more than Wemby. He's making NBA players feel like all of us non-NBA players: Now they know what it's like to be short.
The net points metric works on the idea of tracking what a big physically did on defense. Wemby's intimidation is not so easily captured by the metric because intimidation is what the offensive players didn't do -- like not shoot layups when he's prowling the paint. But one thing that can be added into net points is how much he makes his teammates better on defense, and Wemby does that.
His teammates can pressure the ball a lot more with him behind them. Incorporating that would raise his number about another point... not that he needs it.
The runners-up: Isaiah Hartenstein (plus-1.8), Chet Holmgren (plus-1.6), Caruso (plus-1.3)
Top rookie: Kalkbrenner and Collin Murray-Boyles virtual tie (plus-0.6)
MVP: Best overall
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Net points: plus-6.9 per game, plus-468 total
Why he ranks No. 1: Gilgeous-Alexander gets away with guarding weaker players. That's the negative we had to get out of the way. Otherwise, he was surgical with his midrange and cold-blooded in crunch time.
He is the best contact artist, which means drawing fouls more than anyone, an award not given this year because he has enough awards. And he has done all of this while facing the opponents' best defenders -- it likely helps that he faces the league's best wing defenders in Thunder practice: Caruso, Wallace and Dort. Give him the ball, give him the prize.
The runners-up: Jokic (plus-5.1), Doncic (plus-4.9), Leonard (plus-4.7)
