The title might be a tad misleading, what this list actually measures is which player was the best value of the 2013-2014 season. Using a formula I call the Jarrett Player Power Index (JPPI) I have come up with a method to determine which player is the best value. By relating important stats to salary I will uncover some of the NBA’s hidden superstars. Also the stats are based on percentages and per-minute stats, this way a role player can be compared to a starter without using the biased “Per Game”. One thing to consider while looking through the rankings is that not every player was considered. Since there is no good way to pick 25 NBA players for a test group for the JPPI, I comprised the list of the top 15 jersey sellers in the NBA plus 10 players ranging from role players to stars.
Al-farouq Aminu
Blake Griffin
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Paul
CJ Miles
Derrick Rose
Dwyane Wade
James Harden
JR Smith
Kawhi Leonard
Kevin Durant
Kevin Love
Kobe Bryant
Kyle Lowry
Kyrie Irving
LeBron James
Marcin Gortat
Pau Gasol
Paul George
Rajon Rondo
Russel Westbrook
Serge Ibaka
Steph Curry
Tim Duncan
Udonis Haslem
The players on this list cover pretty much every playing style and all differ on number of minutes played. Even though Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose did not play a full season the by minute rating system will judge them only by the minutes they played.
25. Derrick Rose, PG Chicago Bulls (JPPI: 165.497)
Well for the Derrick Rose fans this will cause controversy and for the Rose haters you will see this as the perfect spot for the “All-Star” Point Guard. Rose has been plagued by injuries throughout his entire career, however, as stated before this rating system works on by-minute numbers, and averages. For example, 5-10 shooting and 50-100 shooting is still 50%, correct? In this case Rose shot an abysmal 35.4% from the field and a less-than-stellar 34% from behind the arc. Full season or not, these are poor shooting performances for a guard. Another rating killer was Rose’s Steals per Turnover (SPT) was .147, the lowest of the entire group. So if I told you a player was a poor shooter and was loose with the ball you would not give him 17.632 million in a year would you? This makes Derrick Rose a poor value for the money Chicago is paying him. The only thing Rose had going for him was a 10th in the group Free Throw Percentage and only being two years off the prime age of 27.
24. Kobe Bryant, SG Los Angeles Lakers (JPPI: 179.524)
Kobe Bryant finding himself 24th on this list is not something the 5 time NBA champion would have expected. However, a 35 year old, 30.453 million dollar a year shooting guard is not the essence of value. Kobe shot a horrific 18.8% on three pointers, an area where other shooting guards excelled. Kobe’s SPT was the third lowest of all of the players, only outdoing teammate Pau Gasol and number 25 in the countdown Derrick Rose. All of his other stats were average or below which did not help the Lakers superstar in this ranking.
23. Rajon Rondo, PG Boston Celtics (JPPI: 187.336)
This is one of the stunners of the list. Rondo is one year off his prime, and was paid 11.995 million last year, which seems about right for guy like Rondo. Even though FT% is not the number one priority on this list Rajon shot 62.7% last year, without saying too much that is not very good. Couple that with a 40.3% shooting percentage from the field and 28.9% from long range, his trouble at the stripe left him a long way to go to catch up. Rajon did have good rebounding numbers in comparison to the other guards in the group, but it was not enough to jump up the list.
22. JR Smith, SG New York Knicks (JPPI: 199.224)
Like Rondo, JR is one year off his prime, the difference is JR has two more seasons of experience and was paid about half of what Rondo was. Really JR and Rondo were statistically similar, JR even shared in the struggles from charity with 65.2%. The main difference was the pay grade and JR’s 3 point shooting ability which made him the better value.
21. Kyrie Irving, PG Cleveland Cavaliers (JPPI: 202.967)
Kyrie and JR had real similar statistics and salary. Kyrie is 5 years before the prime age but he makes it up with 86.1% free throw shooting and a little bit better assist per minute average. FT%, while not overly important in the ratings, did decide the battle for the 21 spot between Kyrie and JR.
20. Russell Westbrook, PG Oklahoma City Thunder (JPPI: 207.463)
Another one of the bigger surprises on the list, Russell Westbrook finds himself barely cracking the top 20. Westbrook is a key member of the USA basketball team and is a fixture in the NBA All-Star game. I am actually a fan of Westbrook’s push the ball offense and his SPT rate of .500 was only a little below average, and considering his play style that is not bad at all. His FG% was a little low at 43.7% and his 3PT shooting, while a little better than average, was a not so impressive 31.8%. His Assists Per Minute (APM) was one of his stronger points almost doubling the average, which is not as exciting as it sounds considering a few of these players are forwards and guards who do not have Kevin Durant to pass to. Other than that his $14.694 million price tag was a little high considering his ‘okay’ statistics.
19. Udonis Haslem, PF Miami Heat (JPPI: 208.943)
Haslem is definitely in the last stretch of his career at 34 years of age and Haslem’s 3PT shooting was a solid 0% on the year. His FT shooting also left something to be desired shooting only 56.8% which was easily the lowest of the bunch. But let’s talk about what Haslem does well, inside shooting and rebounding. His FG% was just over 50 and he pulls down a lot of rebounds for his time on the court. Haslem also comes in 4th in the Blocks Per Minute (BPM) stat. He also only made $4.34 million last year making him a fairly affordable addition to any team. Haslem is a guy who will benefit from the absence of LeBron James in the 2014-2015 season and could even earn a starting role considering he is a fan favorite.
18. Pau Gasol, PF Los Angeles Lakers (JPPI: 209.044)
Edging out Haslem by about .1 points is long-time Laker Pau Gasol. For the 2014-2015 season Gasol is taking his talents to Chicago in hopes of earning another ring. Pau who is also 34 has played two more seasons then Haslem giving him a very slight edge in that category. However the two extra years of experience gave Gasol an extra .33 points which became the final decision maker. Gasol also shot better than 0% from behind the arc coming in a little under 30%. Gasol needed good statistics to overcome the almost $15 million dollar difference in salary between him and Haslem. Again poor FT shooting hurt Haslem because Gasol shot 73.6%, but in the by-minute statistics Gasol edged Haslem in assists and blocks. Also Pau had a little lower shooting percentage from the field at 48%. In the end FT shooting and experience gave Pau the edge but for my money I would take the much cheaper Haslem.
17. James Harden, SG Houston Rockets (JPPI: 210.863)
James Harden made his money as the league’s best sixth man in OKC, since the move across the Red River he has not disappointed. The main word I would use to describe Harden is solid. His statistics were competitive in every category and I was actually pleasantly surprised. His 3PT shooting was lower than expected however at 36.6%. His APM, FT%, and Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG), which if you’re unfamiliar with all you need to know is it benefits shooters with range, were all above average. His FT% was actually his most impressive stat which was over 86%. Harden is three years off his prime and made just under $14 million. There really is not much to criticize about his game because it is right on par with the rest of the group, the problem is you can’t be average and make as much as he does.
16. Carmelo Anthony, SF New York Knicks (JPPI: 211.019)
Carmelo Anthony continues his pursuit of his first ring and being found this low on the list is actually not a surprise. There is no question Melo is a superstar in the NBA and causes matchup issues for anyone he plays. His shooting from deep was the second best on this list and his field goal percentage reflected the fact that he forces a lot of shots. That being said he still shot a little over 45% which is not horrible for a player who plays as he does. Also his free throw shooting was around the 84% mark. Melo also had the best rebounding numbers of all of the non-post players. He also put up pretty good blocking numbers. The main thing that dropped Melo to this point in the countdown is he had the highest salary of anyone on the list, not named Kobe, with over $21 million. For Melo to be a good value, a team would have to get him at a discounted price by promising a championship.
15. Kyle Lowry, PG Toronto Raptors (JPPI: 211.148)
I love this one, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors cracks the top 15. This season earned Lowry a much larger contract and I feel it was well deserved. Lowry is one year older than the prime age and he made only a little over $6 million, a number he will be doubling. He moved the ball very well this year and actually had an eFG that edged out Melo. Lowry also had a good SPT and considering he is a guard he did pretty well on the glass, but really this is all about the value with him. The price was right for him this year and he is going to have to step it up a little to play up to his new check.
14. Paul George, SF Indiana Pacers (JPPI: 213.496)
While the Indiana Pacers are disappointing, Paul George is anything but. Like Lowry he put up an SPT higher than average. George’s shooting seemed a little low for this point in the list but he did shoot really well from the charity stripe, 86.4%. His rebounding was okay, just okay and his other measurable were also about average. So why is George ranked so high? George only made $3.282 million making him an amazing value.
13. Tim Duncan, C San Antonio Spurs (JPPI: 213.713)
Tim Duncan comes in this high because he was second in rebounds and blocks. Nothing else was really impressive for Timmy fundamentals considering he made $10.631 million, not a huge price and it does seem about right. The difference between him and George was Duncan’s 17 seasons of experience which is invaluable.
12. Al- farouq Aminu, SF New Orleans Pelicans (JPPI: 219.642)
Why? That’s a good question, Aminu’s small salary, $3.75 million, is probably to blame for his place in the countdown. The only other thing that he did well was in the SPT category and he almost reached 1 steal per turnover which is very amazing for a SF/PF hybrid player. If you consider him a SF his rebounding numbers are very good, for a PF it is about right. Really Aminu is a man of value and that’s why he finds himself in the middle of this list. A value that the Dallas Mavericks will now enjoy.
11. DeWayne Wade, SG Miami Heat (JPPI: 222.257)
54.5% shooting, yes that is very good. 55.1% eFG, also very good. Wade did not have a bad stat, well except 3PT shooting, which really helped him on this list, but could not get him into the top 10. Surprisingly he blocked shots a little better than former teammate LeBron James. Age and salary really hurt Wade’s chances of getting into the top 10 because even though he played well he is not a good value.
10. Kevin Love, PF Minnesota Timberwolves (JPPI: 222.291)
This was a very close battle between Love and Wade. Love beat Wade in three big categories, 3PT shooting, FT shooting, and Rebounding, which he more than doubled. Also Love is much closer to his prime than Wade and made about $4 million less. The reason this was so close was Wade’s great shooting from the field.
9. C.J. Miles, SG Cleveland Cavaliers (JPPI: 223.608)
CJ will now join George in Indiana but he proved to be a good value for the Cavs last season. Really CJ was average in every category which sat him in good position to be high on the list with $2.2 million salary. His SPT was 1 which was third best and proves that he is effective coming off the bench and playing solid basketball. CJ is in his prime and actually comes in as the number one SG on the list. While CJ does play some SF I consider him more of a guard.
8. Steph Curry, PG Golden State Warriors (JPPI: 223.930)
The best 3PT shooter on the list comes in at number 8. Steph is also the best FT shooter with better than 88% shooting in that area. Steph was the third best passer on the list and he is only 26 years old which will put him in his prime next year. $9.887 million is a good price for a guy who has one of the cleanest shots in the league, proven by his 56.6% eFG. Really the race between him and Miles was a little too close and really the salary was the only thing that brought the two together. This does prove, however, that Steph his worth that price tag.
7. Chris Paul, PG Los Angeles Clippers (JPPI: 226.346)
CP3 put together a pretty good shooting performance all around last year and that really helped him in the rankings. He was also the best assist man on the list which really separated him from the other Point Guards. The amazing thing about this is Paul makes over 18 million so to be this high means the money is on point for his talents. Paul finishes out as the best PG value of the list.
6. Blake Griffin, PF Los Angeles Clippers (JPPI: 226.456)
Blake just edged out his oop thrower on this list. Blake’s 52% shooting was a stunner and shows that he gets great looks inside. He is also one of the better glass eaters on the list which is what he rode to the number 6 spot. What edged him past his teammate was the fact that he made $2 million less than Paul. Griffin is one of the most exciting players to watch so it’s good to see him so high on the list. Griffin is also the highest PF on the list.
5. Kevin Durant, SF Oklahoma City Thunder (JPPI: 228.051)
The league MVP starts out the top 5 in the countdown. A major factor in KD winning the MVP was his Points Per Game, but since that stat is not factored in the formula he could not rely on that to move him up the list. KD had great shooting percentages and pretty good rebounding stats, the first to carry all of those. In my opinion KD is one of the best if not the best shooter in the league and that really helped justify his over $17 million salary.
4. Marcin Gortat, C Washington Wizards (JPPI: 228.073)
This was the closest difference of the countdown. The Polish Hammer shot over 54% from the field and put up really good rebounding numbers. The Wizards center who has since upped his salary but last year he brought in just a bit under $8 million. Gortat was third in blocking on the list which is very import for a big man but is also a rarity in the league.
3. Serge Ibaka, C Oklahoma City Thunder (JPPI: 238.628)
The best value on his team and also the best Center on the list is shot blocking extraordinaire Serge Ibaka. Ibaka did not quite match Gortat’s 54% from the field but by expanding his range and shooting over 38% from deep along with over 78% FT%, 10% higher than Gortat, the Serge protector surges ahead of Gortat. Ibaka made over $12 million last year which is a great price for the OKC Center, and he is still young.
2. LeBron James, SF Miami Heat (JPPI: 242.280)
The prodigal son will return to Cleveland as a result of The Decision 2.0. First of all LeBron being this high on the list is a testament to his great on court play considering he made over $19 million. This mark is right on if not a little low. James shot 56.6% from the field but that is not the amazing part, he had a list high 61% eFG which is unbelievable. He also had good rebounding numbers, but his other numbers were less than stellar. He was a great value but just could not compete with the value of the next player.
1. Kawhi Leonard, SF San Antonio Spurs (JPPI: 256.196)
The finals MVP who stole the three-peat from the guy at the number 2 spot made only $1.888 million last year. This was extremely low for his numbers. His eFG was the second highest and his SPT was the highest with 1.4 steals per turnover. He also put up better than average blocking numbers. Overall for the money this guy could not be beat. His status as a role player during the season could be the reason for these great numbers, but it seems as though the numbers could be extrapolated and applied to Kawhi the starter. Most would not have expected him to be the top SF, not to mention the top value of the bunch.
My Starting Five
PG Steph Curry
SG Kawhi Leonard
SF Al-farouq Aminu
PF Udonis Haslem
C Serge Ibaka
Sixth Man
SG CJ Miles
Total per year salary: $34.440 million
To put that in perspective, last year you could have put together a solid starting five for only $200K more. This flexibility allows for a little under $30 million to be paid for role players without dipping into the Luxury Tax. Steph Curry seemed to be the obvious choice for PG on this list. He was ranked the second best value but for half the price of Chris Paul I take him. My SG pick might be cheating but this was not a SG heavy list and Kawhi plays some SG for the Spurs. Really as the best value he had to find a place on this roster. I struggled with whether to place Kawhi as a SG or SF but I thought for the sake of the “team” his abilities would be better suited for a SG. My other choice was CJ Miles as SG and Kawhi as SF but the value of Al-farouq Aminu was too much to pass up. My PF pick might come as a shocker but he is cheap and his by-minute stats were pretty good. In fact I was more impressed with Udonis Haslem than anyone else on this list. I battled with the idea of placing Marcin Gortat as my PF but decided that I had already used my one cheat for the list. I made the $5 million stretch for Serge Ibaka over Marcin Gortat because of his extraordinary blocking ability. Also by choosing Udonis Haslem as the PF and Aminu as SF I needed someone who could stretch the floor a little better and Ibaka brought a pleasantly surprising 3PT shooting average that I could not pass on. I went ahead and added a sixth man because I believe in CJ Miles’ ability and it was such a hard decision to leave him off the starting five I had to give him his credit plus he is a great value.
This was a very fun project to work with and I feel like value has to be the next wave of NBA free agency acquisitions.
By: Austin Jarrett
Al-farouq Aminu
Blake Griffin
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Paul
CJ Miles
Derrick Rose
Dwyane Wade
James Harden
JR Smith
Kawhi Leonard
Kevin Durant
Kevin Love
Kobe Bryant
Kyle Lowry
Kyrie Irving
LeBron James
Marcin Gortat
Pau Gasol
Paul George
Rajon Rondo
Russel Westbrook
Serge Ibaka
Steph Curry
Tim Duncan
Udonis Haslem
The players on this list cover pretty much every playing style and all differ on number of minutes played. Even though Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose did not play a full season the by minute rating system will judge them only by the minutes they played.
25. Derrick Rose, PG Chicago Bulls (JPPI: 165.497)
Well for the Derrick Rose fans this will cause controversy and for the Rose haters you will see this as the perfect spot for the “All-Star” Point Guard. Rose has been plagued by injuries throughout his entire career, however, as stated before this rating system works on by-minute numbers, and averages. For example, 5-10 shooting and 50-100 shooting is still 50%, correct? In this case Rose shot an abysmal 35.4% from the field and a less-than-stellar 34% from behind the arc. Full season or not, these are poor shooting performances for a guard. Another rating killer was Rose’s Steals per Turnover (SPT) was .147, the lowest of the entire group. So if I told you a player was a poor shooter and was loose with the ball you would not give him 17.632 million in a year would you? This makes Derrick Rose a poor value for the money Chicago is paying him. The only thing Rose had going for him was a 10th in the group Free Throw Percentage and only being two years off the prime age of 27.
24. Kobe Bryant, SG Los Angeles Lakers (JPPI: 179.524)
Kobe Bryant finding himself 24th on this list is not something the 5 time NBA champion would have expected. However, a 35 year old, 30.453 million dollar a year shooting guard is not the essence of value. Kobe shot a horrific 18.8% on three pointers, an area where other shooting guards excelled. Kobe’s SPT was the third lowest of all of the players, only outdoing teammate Pau Gasol and number 25 in the countdown Derrick Rose. All of his other stats were average or below which did not help the Lakers superstar in this ranking.
23. Rajon Rondo, PG Boston Celtics (JPPI: 187.336)
This is one of the stunners of the list. Rondo is one year off his prime, and was paid 11.995 million last year, which seems about right for guy like Rondo. Even though FT% is not the number one priority on this list Rajon shot 62.7% last year, without saying too much that is not very good. Couple that with a 40.3% shooting percentage from the field and 28.9% from long range, his trouble at the stripe left him a long way to go to catch up. Rajon did have good rebounding numbers in comparison to the other guards in the group, but it was not enough to jump up the list.
22. JR Smith, SG New York Knicks (JPPI: 199.224)
Like Rondo, JR is one year off his prime, the difference is JR has two more seasons of experience and was paid about half of what Rondo was. Really JR and Rondo were statistically similar, JR even shared in the struggles from charity with 65.2%. The main difference was the pay grade and JR’s 3 point shooting ability which made him the better value.
21. Kyrie Irving, PG Cleveland Cavaliers (JPPI: 202.967)
Kyrie and JR had real similar statistics and salary. Kyrie is 5 years before the prime age but he makes it up with 86.1% free throw shooting and a little bit better assist per minute average. FT%, while not overly important in the ratings, did decide the battle for the 21 spot between Kyrie and JR.
20. Russell Westbrook, PG Oklahoma City Thunder (JPPI: 207.463)
Another one of the bigger surprises on the list, Russell Westbrook finds himself barely cracking the top 20. Westbrook is a key member of the USA basketball team and is a fixture in the NBA All-Star game. I am actually a fan of Westbrook’s push the ball offense and his SPT rate of .500 was only a little below average, and considering his play style that is not bad at all. His FG% was a little low at 43.7% and his 3PT shooting, while a little better than average, was a not so impressive 31.8%. His Assists Per Minute (APM) was one of his stronger points almost doubling the average, which is not as exciting as it sounds considering a few of these players are forwards and guards who do not have Kevin Durant to pass to. Other than that his $14.694 million price tag was a little high considering his ‘okay’ statistics.
19. Udonis Haslem, PF Miami Heat (JPPI: 208.943)
Haslem is definitely in the last stretch of his career at 34 years of age and Haslem’s 3PT shooting was a solid 0% on the year. His FT shooting also left something to be desired shooting only 56.8% which was easily the lowest of the bunch. But let’s talk about what Haslem does well, inside shooting and rebounding. His FG% was just over 50 and he pulls down a lot of rebounds for his time on the court. Haslem also comes in 4th in the Blocks Per Minute (BPM) stat. He also only made $4.34 million last year making him a fairly affordable addition to any team. Haslem is a guy who will benefit from the absence of LeBron James in the 2014-2015 season and could even earn a starting role considering he is a fan favorite.
18. Pau Gasol, PF Los Angeles Lakers (JPPI: 209.044)
Edging out Haslem by about .1 points is long-time Laker Pau Gasol. For the 2014-2015 season Gasol is taking his talents to Chicago in hopes of earning another ring. Pau who is also 34 has played two more seasons then Haslem giving him a very slight edge in that category. However the two extra years of experience gave Gasol an extra .33 points which became the final decision maker. Gasol also shot better than 0% from behind the arc coming in a little under 30%. Gasol needed good statistics to overcome the almost $15 million dollar difference in salary between him and Haslem. Again poor FT shooting hurt Haslem because Gasol shot 73.6%, but in the by-minute statistics Gasol edged Haslem in assists and blocks. Also Pau had a little lower shooting percentage from the field at 48%. In the end FT shooting and experience gave Pau the edge but for my money I would take the much cheaper Haslem.
17. James Harden, SG Houston Rockets (JPPI: 210.863)
James Harden made his money as the league’s best sixth man in OKC, since the move across the Red River he has not disappointed. The main word I would use to describe Harden is solid. His statistics were competitive in every category and I was actually pleasantly surprised. His 3PT shooting was lower than expected however at 36.6%. His APM, FT%, and Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG), which if you’re unfamiliar with all you need to know is it benefits shooters with range, were all above average. His FT% was actually his most impressive stat which was over 86%. Harden is three years off his prime and made just under $14 million. There really is not much to criticize about his game because it is right on par with the rest of the group, the problem is you can’t be average and make as much as he does.
16. Carmelo Anthony, SF New York Knicks (JPPI: 211.019)
Carmelo Anthony continues his pursuit of his first ring and being found this low on the list is actually not a surprise. There is no question Melo is a superstar in the NBA and causes matchup issues for anyone he plays. His shooting from deep was the second best on this list and his field goal percentage reflected the fact that he forces a lot of shots. That being said he still shot a little over 45% which is not horrible for a player who plays as he does. Also his free throw shooting was around the 84% mark. Melo also had the best rebounding numbers of all of the non-post players. He also put up pretty good blocking numbers. The main thing that dropped Melo to this point in the countdown is he had the highest salary of anyone on the list, not named Kobe, with over $21 million. For Melo to be a good value, a team would have to get him at a discounted price by promising a championship.
15. Kyle Lowry, PG Toronto Raptors (JPPI: 211.148)
I love this one, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors cracks the top 15. This season earned Lowry a much larger contract and I feel it was well deserved. Lowry is one year older than the prime age and he made only a little over $6 million, a number he will be doubling. He moved the ball very well this year and actually had an eFG that edged out Melo. Lowry also had a good SPT and considering he is a guard he did pretty well on the glass, but really this is all about the value with him. The price was right for him this year and he is going to have to step it up a little to play up to his new check.
14. Paul George, SF Indiana Pacers (JPPI: 213.496)
While the Indiana Pacers are disappointing, Paul George is anything but. Like Lowry he put up an SPT higher than average. George’s shooting seemed a little low for this point in the list but he did shoot really well from the charity stripe, 86.4%. His rebounding was okay, just okay and his other measurable were also about average. So why is George ranked so high? George only made $3.282 million making him an amazing value.
13. Tim Duncan, C San Antonio Spurs (JPPI: 213.713)
Tim Duncan comes in this high because he was second in rebounds and blocks. Nothing else was really impressive for Timmy fundamentals considering he made $10.631 million, not a huge price and it does seem about right. The difference between him and George was Duncan’s 17 seasons of experience which is invaluable.
12. Al- farouq Aminu, SF New Orleans Pelicans (JPPI: 219.642)
Why? That’s a good question, Aminu’s small salary, $3.75 million, is probably to blame for his place in the countdown. The only other thing that he did well was in the SPT category and he almost reached 1 steal per turnover which is very amazing for a SF/PF hybrid player. If you consider him a SF his rebounding numbers are very good, for a PF it is about right. Really Aminu is a man of value and that’s why he finds himself in the middle of this list. A value that the Dallas Mavericks will now enjoy.
11. DeWayne Wade, SG Miami Heat (JPPI: 222.257)
54.5% shooting, yes that is very good. 55.1% eFG, also very good. Wade did not have a bad stat, well except 3PT shooting, which really helped him on this list, but could not get him into the top 10. Surprisingly he blocked shots a little better than former teammate LeBron James. Age and salary really hurt Wade’s chances of getting into the top 10 because even though he played well he is not a good value.
10. Kevin Love, PF Minnesota Timberwolves (JPPI: 222.291)
This was a very close battle between Love and Wade. Love beat Wade in three big categories, 3PT shooting, FT shooting, and Rebounding, which he more than doubled. Also Love is much closer to his prime than Wade and made about $4 million less. The reason this was so close was Wade’s great shooting from the field.
9. C.J. Miles, SG Cleveland Cavaliers (JPPI: 223.608)
CJ will now join George in Indiana but he proved to be a good value for the Cavs last season. Really CJ was average in every category which sat him in good position to be high on the list with $2.2 million salary. His SPT was 1 which was third best and proves that he is effective coming off the bench and playing solid basketball. CJ is in his prime and actually comes in as the number one SG on the list. While CJ does play some SF I consider him more of a guard.
8. Steph Curry, PG Golden State Warriors (JPPI: 223.930)
The best 3PT shooter on the list comes in at number 8. Steph is also the best FT shooter with better than 88% shooting in that area. Steph was the third best passer on the list and he is only 26 years old which will put him in his prime next year. $9.887 million is a good price for a guy who has one of the cleanest shots in the league, proven by his 56.6% eFG. Really the race between him and Miles was a little too close and really the salary was the only thing that brought the two together. This does prove, however, that Steph his worth that price tag.
7. Chris Paul, PG Los Angeles Clippers (JPPI: 226.346)
CP3 put together a pretty good shooting performance all around last year and that really helped him in the rankings. He was also the best assist man on the list which really separated him from the other Point Guards. The amazing thing about this is Paul makes over 18 million so to be this high means the money is on point for his talents. Paul finishes out as the best PG value of the list.
6. Blake Griffin, PF Los Angeles Clippers (JPPI: 226.456)
Blake just edged out his oop thrower on this list. Blake’s 52% shooting was a stunner and shows that he gets great looks inside. He is also one of the better glass eaters on the list which is what he rode to the number 6 spot. What edged him past his teammate was the fact that he made $2 million less than Paul. Griffin is one of the most exciting players to watch so it’s good to see him so high on the list. Griffin is also the highest PF on the list.
5. Kevin Durant, SF Oklahoma City Thunder (JPPI: 228.051)
The league MVP starts out the top 5 in the countdown. A major factor in KD winning the MVP was his Points Per Game, but since that stat is not factored in the formula he could not rely on that to move him up the list. KD had great shooting percentages and pretty good rebounding stats, the first to carry all of those. In my opinion KD is one of the best if not the best shooter in the league and that really helped justify his over $17 million salary.
4. Marcin Gortat, C Washington Wizards (JPPI: 228.073)
This was the closest difference of the countdown. The Polish Hammer shot over 54% from the field and put up really good rebounding numbers. The Wizards center who has since upped his salary but last year he brought in just a bit under $8 million. Gortat was third in blocking on the list which is very import for a big man but is also a rarity in the league.
3. Serge Ibaka, C Oklahoma City Thunder (JPPI: 238.628)
The best value on his team and also the best Center on the list is shot blocking extraordinaire Serge Ibaka. Ibaka did not quite match Gortat’s 54% from the field but by expanding his range and shooting over 38% from deep along with over 78% FT%, 10% higher than Gortat, the Serge protector surges ahead of Gortat. Ibaka made over $12 million last year which is a great price for the OKC Center, and he is still young.
2. LeBron James, SF Miami Heat (JPPI: 242.280)
The prodigal son will return to Cleveland as a result of The Decision 2.0. First of all LeBron being this high on the list is a testament to his great on court play considering he made over $19 million. This mark is right on if not a little low. James shot 56.6% from the field but that is not the amazing part, he had a list high 61% eFG which is unbelievable. He also had good rebounding numbers, but his other numbers were less than stellar. He was a great value but just could not compete with the value of the next player.
1. Kawhi Leonard, SF San Antonio Spurs (JPPI: 256.196)
The finals MVP who stole the three-peat from the guy at the number 2 spot made only $1.888 million last year. This was extremely low for his numbers. His eFG was the second highest and his SPT was the highest with 1.4 steals per turnover. He also put up better than average blocking numbers. Overall for the money this guy could not be beat. His status as a role player during the season could be the reason for these great numbers, but it seems as though the numbers could be extrapolated and applied to Kawhi the starter. Most would not have expected him to be the top SF, not to mention the top value of the bunch.
My Starting Five
PG Steph Curry
SG Kawhi Leonard
SF Al-farouq Aminu
PF Udonis Haslem
C Serge Ibaka
Sixth Man
SG CJ Miles
Total per year salary: $34.440 million
To put that in perspective, last year you could have put together a solid starting five for only $200K more. This flexibility allows for a little under $30 million to be paid for role players without dipping into the Luxury Tax. Steph Curry seemed to be the obvious choice for PG on this list. He was ranked the second best value but for half the price of Chris Paul I take him. My SG pick might be cheating but this was not a SG heavy list and Kawhi plays some SG for the Spurs. Really as the best value he had to find a place on this roster. I struggled with whether to place Kawhi as a SG or SF but I thought for the sake of the “team” his abilities would be better suited for a SG. My other choice was CJ Miles as SG and Kawhi as SF but the value of Al-farouq Aminu was too much to pass up. My PF pick might come as a shocker but he is cheap and his by-minute stats were pretty good. In fact I was more impressed with Udonis Haslem than anyone else on this list. I battled with the idea of placing Marcin Gortat as my PF but decided that I had already used my one cheat for the list. I made the $5 million stretch for Serge Ibaka over Marcin Gortat because of his extraordinary blocking ability. Also by choosing Udonis Haslem as the PF and Aminu as SF I needed someone who could stretch the floor a little better and Ibaka brought a pleasantly surprising 3PT shooting average that I could not pass on. I went ahead and added a sixth man because I believe in CJ Miles’ ability and it was such a hard decision to leave him off the starting five I had to give him his credit plus he is a great value.
This was a very fun project to work with and I feel like value has to be the next wave of NBA free agency acquisitions.
By: Austin Jarrett