Post by carlos on Jan 19, 2024 2:13:24 GMT
NBN PER: Top 10 Cs
Earlier this week, hunt54 and I introduced the PER metric, crowning league MVP Nikola Jokic the top player according to PER. Who else will round out the top 10 at the C position?
Joel Embiid informing Jokic he'll be in second next year
PER Intro & Overall Top 10
1. Nikola Jokic – 30.8 PPG/ 14 RPG/ 5.5 APG/ 1.4 StPG, 30.88 PER
Nikola Jokic was the league’s first MVP, putting up eye-popping numbers for the 52-win Nuggets. Jokic led the league in rebounds and came in 3rd in scoring while leading all Cs in assists. His low stock numbers and #2 in the league foul-rate hurt his PER, but it was still enough to make him the highest-rating player in the league.
2. Joel Embiid – 26.7 PPG/ 12.1 RPG/ 4.6 APG/ 3.0 StPG, 26.96 PER
Joel Embiid proved his ability throughout the season, putting up incredible numbers on a 76ers team that reached the Eastern Conference title en route to an All-Star appearance and All-League 2nd Team. Embiid’s worth was most notable in the first half of the season as the star C missed 14 games and his team limped to a .500 record before he led the resurgence in the second half.
3. Karl Anthony Towns – 26.3 PPG/ 12.2 RPG/ 2.1 APG/ 1.9 StPG, 24.47 PER
KAT combined with Rudy Gobert to make one of the best frontcourts in the league. Both players perfectly complemented each other - KAT is an incredibly talented scorer (#9 overall in the league) but weak defender, Gobert perhaps the best defensive big in the league, but underwhelming offensively. KAT was able to lead the T’Wolves to 51 wins as the team’s top scorer despite competing with Anthony Edwards for opportunities and proved himself among the best, leading the Wolves to the first NBN title.
4. Chet Holmgren – 19.6 PPG/ 10 RPG/ 2.5 APG/ 3.3 StPG, 22.45 PER
Chet Holmgren cracks the top 5 in his position in just his rookie season! The sky is the limit for Chet, as he scored incredibly well on both sides of the court, averaging nearly 20 PPG on the season and coming in #5 in the blocks leaderboard. Chet can score from anywhere on the court, scoring the 2nd most 3 pointers from the C position, and looks like he can anchor a strong defense in his prime. With some improvement in his rebounding, Chet should be the face of the league soon.
5. Domantas Sabonis – 19.3 PPG/ 11.2 RPG/ 5.4 APG/ 2 StPG, 21.16 PER
Domantas Sabonis had an under the radar season on the 7th seed Kings but came away with the All-NBN 3rd Team selection. He stands with Nikola Jokic as the best playmakers at the C position and led all bigs in total assists this year. He possesses a great overall game, but doesn’t rack up enough defensive counting stats for many big-man purists seeking the prototypical FBB big.
6. Jaren Jackson Jr – 20 PPG/ 10.1 RPG/ 2.2 APG/ 4.2 StPG, 21.05 PER
Jaren Jackson was a league-favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award, tying Gobert as the league leader in blocks. He also showed a lot of promise on the offensive side, averaging 20 PPG on the season. Jackson is a relatively weak rebounder, racks up a lot of fouls, and lost some touches when Morant came back from suspension leading to his slide down the rankings at C.
7. Anthony Davis – 17.3 PPG/ 12.6 RPG/ 2.1 APG/ 3.6 StPG, 20.90 PER
AD’s numbers aren’t quite as eye-catching as one would expect given the name and ratings but he was just one of a myriad of superstars in Miami, limiting individual stats around the board. Davis shared the frontcourt with the next player in our rankings, but still made the top ten in rebounds (#7) and blocks (#4) per game. He also, unfortunately, led the league in fouls per game.
8. Bam Adebayo – 15.6 PPG/ 10 RPG/ 2.1 APG/ 2.6 StPG, 20.86 PER
Similarly, Bam’s numbers seemed to take a hit based on the stars around him but he more than made up for it with efficiency and defense. The Heat were a top 10 defensive team, anchored by their insane front-court, and Bam came in #8 in FG % while fouling significantly less than the big men around him in the rankings.
9. Nikola Vucevic – 17.1 PPG/ 10.4 RPG/ 1.8 APG/ 2 StPG, 20.79 PER
I would not have guessed that Vucevic would’ve made the top 10 Cs, but he put up a good all-around season on a really good Magic team. Similar to Bam, he didn’t foul much this year, led a great team defense, and didn’t turn the ball over much. The team did a good job bringing in Clint Capela to cover Vucevic’s rebounding and shot blocking weaknesses as he’s an otherwise complete player at the C position.
10. Alperen Sengun – 19.3 PPG/ 10.2 RPG/ 3.7 APG/ 2.1 StPG, 20.51 PER
Alperen Sengun lived up to his Nikola Jokic-lite reputation, coming in fourth among Cs in assists (behind Jokic, Sabonis, and Embiid) and 7th in 3 pointers made. He still has room for improvement as a rebounder and defender, he’s among the lowest in both on our rankings and his team was average to below-average in both areas, but the potential is there for the 21 year old.
Notable Misses: Victor Wembanyama (11th, 20.36), Rudy Gobert (12th, 18.31), Nic Claxton (22nd, 15.89)
Who are you surprised to see make or miss the list?
Up next: We look at PFs!
Earlier this week, hunt54 and I introduced the PER metric, crowning league MVP Nikola Jokic the top player according to PER. Who else will round out the top 10 at the C position?
Joel Embiid informing Jokic he'll be in second next year
PER Intro & Overall Top 10
1. Nikola Jokic – 30.8 PPG/ 14 RPG/ 5.5 APG/ 1.4 StPG, 30.88 PER
Nikola Jokic was the league’s first MVP, putting up eye-popping numbers for the 52-win Nuggets. Jokic led the league in rebounds and came in 3rd in scoring while leading all Cs in assists. His low stock numbers and #2 in the league foul-rate hurt his PER, but it was still enough to make him the highest-rating player in the league.
2. Joel Embiid – 26.7 PPG/ 12.1 RPG/ 4.6 APG/ 3.0 StPG, 26.96 PER
Joel Embiid proved his ability throughout the season, putting up incredible numbers on a 76ers team that reached the Eastern Conference title en route to an All-Star appearance and All-League 2nd Team. Embiid’s worth was most notable in the first half of the season as the star C missed 14 games and his team limped to a .500 record before he led the resurgence in the second half.
3. Karl Anthony Towns – 26.3 PPG/ 12.2 RPG/ 2.1 APG/ 1.9 StPG, 24.47 PER
KAT combined with Rudy Gobert to make one of the best frontcourts in the league. Both players perfectly complemented each other - KAT is an incredibly talented scorer (#9 overall in the league) but weak defender, Gobert perhaps the best defensive big in the league, but underwhelming offensively. KAT was able to lead the T’Wolves to 51 wins as the team’s top scorer despite competing with Anthony Edwards for opportunities and proved himself among the best, leading the Wolves to the first NBN title.
4. Chet Holmgren – 19.6 PPG/ 10 RPG/ 2.5 APG/ 3.3 StPG, 22.45 PER
Chet Holmgren cracks the top 5 in his position in just his rookie season! The sky is the limit for Chet, as he scored incredibly well on both sides of the court, averaging nearly 20 PPG on the season and coming in #5 in the blocks leaderboard. Chet can score from anywhere on the court, scoring the 2nd most 3 pointers from the C position, and looks like he can anchor a strong defense in his prime. With some improvement in his rebounding, Chet should be the face of the league soon.
5. Domantas Sabonis – 19.3 PPG/ 11.2 RPG/ 5.4 APG/ 2 StPG, 21.16 PER
Domantas Sabonis had an under the radar season on the 7th seed Kings but came away with the All-NBN 3rd Team selection. He stands with Nikola Jokic as the best playmakers at the C position and led all bigs in total assists this year. He possesses a great overall game, but doesn’t rack up enough defensive counting stats for many big-man purists seeking the prototypical FBB big.
6. Jaren Jackson Jr – 20 PPG/ 10.1 RPG/ 2.2 APG/ 4.2 StPG, 21.05 PER
Jaren Jackson was a league-favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award, tying Gobert as the league leader in blocks. He also showed a lot of promise on the offensive side, averaging 20 PPG on the season. Jackson is a relatively weak rebounder, racks up a lot of fouls, and lost some touches when Morant came back from suspension leading to his slide down the rankings at C.
7. Anthony Davis – 17.3 PPG/ 12.6 RPG/ 2.1 APG/ 3.6 StPG, 20.90 PER
AD’s numbers aren’t quite as eye-catching as one would expect given the name and ratings but he was just one of a myriad of superstars in Miami, limiting individual stats around the board. Davis shared the frontcourt with the next player in our rankings, but still made the top ten in rebounds (#7) and blocks (#4) per game. He also, unfortunately, led the league in fouls per game.
8. Bam Adebayo – 15.6 PPG/ 10 RPG/ 2.1 APG/ 2.6 StPG, 20.86 PER
Similarly, Bam’s numbers seemed to take a hit based on the stars around him but he more than made up for it with efficiency and defense. The Heat were a top 10 defensive team, anchored by their insane front-court, and Bam came in #8 in FG % while fouling significantly less than the big men around him in the rankings.
9. Nikola Vucevic – 17.1 PPG/ 10.4 RPG/ 1.8 APG/ 2 StPG, 20.79 PER
I would not have guessed that Vucevic would’ve made the top 10 Cs, but he put up a good all-around season on a really good Magic team. Similar to Bam, he didn’t foul much this year, led a great team defense, and didn’t turn the ball over much. The team did a good job bringing in Clint Capela to cover Vucevic’s rebounding and shot blocking weaknesses as he’s an otherwise complete player at the C position.
10. Alperen Sengun – 19.3 PPG/ 10.2 RPG/ 3.7 APG/ 2.1 StPG, 20.51 PER
Alperen Sengun lived up to his Nikola Jokic-lite reputation, coming in fourth among Cs in assists (behind Jokic, Sabonis, and Embiid) and 7th in 3 pointers made. He still has room for improvement as a rebounder and defender, he’s among the lowest in both on our rankings and his team was average to below-average in both areas, but the potential is there for the 21 year old.
Notable Misses: Victor Wembanyama (11th, 20.36), Rudy Gobert (12th, 18.31), Nic Claxton (22nd, 15.89)
Who are you surprised to see make or miss the list?
Up next: We look at PFs!
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