Ben Simmons leads rookies
December 11, 2017. ...Tracking the players on pace to earn the NBA's most prestigious honors is good for staying informed. To do this, we use a very simple formula that multiplies the number of minutes played by the player's EFR (HoopObsession.com's per-minute efficiency rating). The results measure total production to date. (read it all)
LeBron on track for MVP
November 30, 2017. ...The NBA regular season is as much as 28% old (for at least one team that has played 23 games). Many teams are at least at the quarter-pole. We enjoy tracking who is on pace to earn the NBA's most prestigious honors. To do this, we use a very simple formula that multiplies the number of minutes played by the player's EFR (HoopObsession.com's per-minute efficiency rating). The results lend insight to who is 'getting it done' at an efficient rate, while also measuring total production to date. (read it all)
MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA, All-Star rankings
November 13, 2017 . ...The NBA season is almost four weeks old. The entire campaign will last 25 weeks. We keep track of who is on track to achieve the various awards that are of interest. (read it all)
Summer League rosters spreadsheet
June 26, 2017. ...Keep up to-date with the rosters for the 2017 NBA Summer Leagues. We are building a spreadsheet of team rosters as information becomes available. This list figures to grow daily until July 5th. (See the 2017 Summer League spreadsheet).
Re-booting the 2012 NBA Draft
June 26, 2017. ...Those who want to judge the 2017 NBA Draft are free to do so. But the truth is, we won't know anything definitive for several years. We have made a habit of grading NBA Drafts five years after they take place. ...The 2012 NBA Draft produced four players that have become NBA All-Stars, and four players who never played a minute in the Association. The four All-Stars: Anthony Davis (pick 1), Damian Lillard (pick 6), Andre Drummond (pick 9), and Draymond Green (pick 35). The four selections that never sniffed the show were selected at positions 50, 56, 57, and 59. (read it all)
Draft player capsules growing
June 8, 2017. ...We now have 53 player capsules written for the 2017 NBA Draft. You can access the short reads by clicking on the player name on our draft board. More capsules coming!
Stat audit of 2016-17, and updated NBA Draft rankings
May 4 , 2017. ...All of the linked NBA player efficiency and defensive plus/minus ratings (by position) are updated. As well, the NBA Draft rankings are updated to inlcude all those that are presently "in" the 2017 Draft. (Read it all)
NBA Draft Rankings 5.1
March 29, 2017. ...Our latest NBA Draft rankings "big board" has weeded out all underclassmen except those that have declared, those that are likely to declare or those that are still playing in the Final Four. (Read it all)
The Sweet 16
March 22, 2017. ...Our annual look at the 16 players remaining in the NCAA Tournament that we will be watching most closely. (Read it all)
NBA Draft Rankings 5.0
March 22, 2017. ...The 2017 NBA Draft is now three months (and change) away. We continue to scour and scout. Our latest independent thinking has Lonzo Ball atop our draft board. Our top 130 draft prospects includes all eligible players. If a player formally announces he is returning to school, we remove him from this year's rankings. (Read it all)
Small forwards to watch in the NCAA Tournament
March 14, 2017. ...The 2017 NBA Draft looks rich in small forwards. Here is our list of the dozen best prospects at the "three" spot in the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Read it all)
Point guards to watch in the NCAA Tournament
March 13, 2017. ...A good point guard can get your team to the winner's circle. Here is our list of the dozen best prospects at the "one" spot in the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Read it all)
Centers to watch in the NCAA Tournament
March 13, 2017. ...The pivot man is essential to winning teams. Here is our list of the dozen best prospects at the "five" spot in the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Read it all)
Shooting guards to watch in the NCAA Tournament
March 13, 2017. ...Scorers are great. A scorer that also defends is even better. Here is our list of the dozen best prospects at the "two" spot in the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Read it all)
Power forwards to watch in the NCAA Tournament
March 13, 2017. ...The "four" position is evolving. It is now virtually mandatory that big forwards have the ability to make three-point shots. Here is our list of the dozen best prospects at the "four" spot in the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. (Read it all)
2017 NBA Draft rankings 4.0
March 8 , 2017. ...There is minor movement in the latest Hoop Obsession 2017 NBA Draft Board. Lonzo Ball is still our first choice, followed by Markelle Fultz, and Jayson Tatum. (See our draft rankings)
2017 NBA Draft rankings 3.0
February 27 , 2017. ...Lonzo Ball has ascended to the top of the Hoop Obsession 2017 NBA Draft Rankings. The UCLA point guard is the third player in as many updates that has been ranked at the top. Our first ranking had Jayson Tatum of Duke at number one (he is now 12th), and version 2.0 had Jonathan Isaac of Florida State at the top (he is now ranked second). (See our draft rankings)
2017 D-League report
January 31, 2017. ...Unquestionably, the NBA D-League is more healthy than at any time previous. Despite expansion, the pool of players, that could see NBA minutes at some point in their careers, is crowded. As we annually do, we devoted a significant chunk of our time scouting and doing a statistical audit of the D-League. (Read it all)
D-League Showcase Day Five, quick report.
Vander Blue turned in a brilliant offensive performance Sunday to close out the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase. Blue had 31 points (9-18 fg, 1-4 3-pt., 12-12 ft), four assists, four rebounds, and zero turnovers in 31 minutes. Blue left the game early after getting hit in the head from inadvertent contact with DaJuan Blair. Blue's L.A. Defenders beat the Texas Legends 128-115. (Read it all)
NBA charts: Winning team 3-point percentages
We looked at the three point percentage by position for each of the 15 NBA teams with the best records. (Check it out)
D-League Showcase Day Four, quick report.
Terrence Drisdom was the most efficient player on a winning team during the fourth day of play at the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase. Drisdom, a 6'5", 185 lb. shooting guard from Cal Poly Pomona (2015) had 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals in just 21 minutes. His Santa Cruz Warriors defeated the Texas Legends 113-97. (Read it all)
D-League Showcase Day Three, quick report.
Devondrick Walker gained the attention of scouts during the third day of play in the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase. The Delaware 87'ers shooting guard came off the bench to pour in 23 points (7-8 FG, 5-5 3-pt, 4-4 FT) and nab two steals in 21 minutes. Walker, a 6'5" 205 lb., shooting guard, is an unrestricted free agent who played at Texas A&M Commerce. He was not drafted in 2014. (Read it all)
D-League Showcase Day Two, quick report.
Dakari Johnson displayed his toughness in a dominant performance during day two of the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase. The 21 year-old, 7'0" 255 lb. center powered the Oklahoma City Blue to a 95-86 victory over the Santa Cruz Warriors. Johnson scored 25 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked four shots in 35 minutes. (Read it all)
D-League Showcase Day One. Cory Jefferson stars.
We say every year that the NBA D-League is improving. After digging into our Hoop Obsession stat audit of the D-League and watching games from the first day of the 2017 D-League Showcase, we believe even more strongly that D-League is stocked with players to keep NBA veterans on their toes. (Read it all)
Sacramento Kings halfway report.
The Sacramento Kings stumbled to the halfway mark of the 2016-17 NBA season with a record of 16 wins and 25 losses. The Kings are eleventh in the Western Conference but they stand only one and a half games out of the eighth, and final, Playoffs spot. In game 41, Rudy Gay went out with what appeared to be a torn achilles tendon. (Read it all)
Brooklyn Nets halfway report.
The aftermath of arrogance is the scene in Brooklyn after 41 games of the 2016-17 NBA season. The Nets are 8-33, the worst team in the NBA. The Nets foolishly put all their chips in the pot for the 2012 NBA championship. Not until 2019 will Brooklyn begin to have hope. (Read it all)
Toronto Raptors halfway report.
With a record of 28 wins and 13 losses, the Toronto Raptors hit the midpoint of their 2016-17 NBA season in second place in the Eastern Conference. Their .683 winning percentage is fifth best in the league. (Read it all)
San Antonio Spurs halfway report.
The San Antonio Spurs made it to the halfway mark of the their 2016-17 NBA regular season with a record of 32-9, in second place in the Western Conference. As usual, San Antonio is excellent on both ends of the floor. They rank fourth in the NBA at both offensive and defensive rating. (Read it all)
Phoenix Suns halfway report.
The Phoenix Suns are in a full rebuild. They reached the halfway point of the 2016-17 NBA season with a record of 13-28, last in the Western Conference. The Suns are young and their defense is sketchy. Phoenix was 26th of 30 in defensive rating after 41 games. (Read it all)
Golden State Warriors halfway report.
After 41 games of the 2016-17 season, the best team in the NBA is the Golden State Warriors. Incredibly, they have the top ranked offensive rating AND defensive rating. Their record is 35-6. (Read it all)
Charlotte Hornets halfway report.
The Charlotte Hornets are 20-21, a half game out of the eighth spot in the NBA's Eastern Conference Playoffs race. They struggled to the midpoint of the season having lost five straight games. (Read it all)
Atlanta Hawks halfway report.
The Atlanta Hawks are the hottest team in the NBA as they reached their midpoint of the 2016-17 season. The Hawks have won nine of their last ten games after struggling for much of November and December. Atlanta sits at 24-17, fourth in the Eastern Conference. (Read it all)
Boston Celtics halfway report.
The Boston Celtics are 26-15, third in the Eastern Conference at the halfway point of the 2016-17 NBA regular season. Despite having a sketchy defense, Boston has found ways to win through the on-court leadership of Isaiah Thomas. "I.T." is running at a career-high efficiency clip, an unquestionable All-Star, with averages of 28.4 points, 6.1 assists per game while shooting 38% from three-point land. (Read it all)
Minnesota Timberwolves halfway report.
Las Vegas sports books set the Minnesota Timberwolves over/under season win total at 41.5. The T-Wolves are falling woefully short of that clip as they reached the halfway mark of the NBA season with a record of 14 wins and 27 losses. (Read it all)
New York Knicks halfway report.
The New York Knicks hit the midway point of their 2016-17 NBA season at 18-23, two and a half games behind the last Playoffs position in the Eastern Conference. (Read it all)
New Orleans Pelicans halfway report.
The New Orleans Pelicans reached the midpoint of their 2016-17 NBA season with a record of 16-25. The "Pels" are eleventh in the Western Conference but they are just a game and a half out of the Playoffs. Anthony Davis is way too good of a two-way player to have his team be 16-25. (Read it all)
Chicago Bulls halfway report.
The Chicago Bulls reached the midpoint of the 2016-17 NBA season with one more loss than win. At 20-21, Chicago sits a half game out of the last Playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference. Given their talent level, we find their record very disappointing. (Read it all)
Oklahoma City Thunder halfway report.
With a record of 24-17 the Oklahoma City Thunder made it to the halfway point of their 2016-17 NBA season in seventh place in the Western Conference. Russell Westbrook is a candidate for Most Valuable Player. Westbrook is averaging 30.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.5 assists per game. Trying to do something that has not been done since the days of Oscar Robertson, Westbrook is averaging a triple-double! (Read it all)
Utah Jazz halfway report.
The Utah Jazz should be thrilled with their first half of the 2016-17 NBA season. At 25-16 the Jazz are in fifth place in the Western Conference. They have the number one ranked defense in the league, anchored by Rudy Gobert. (Read it all)
Miami Heat halfway report.
Eleven wins and 30 losses is the reality for the Miami Heat in the first half of the 2016-17 NBA season. Many thought the Heat might struggle without Chris Bosh but not to the degree of having the second worst record in the league. Bosh is not expected to play this season due to continuing issues related to blood clots. Without Bosh, the Heat offense has been more chilly than hot. (Read it all)
Orlando Magic halfway report.
The Orlando Magic reached the halfway point of their season with a record of 17 wins and 24 losses. They are still somewhat in the hunt for the last Playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference. The Magic sit three and a half games behind the eighth place Washington Wizards. Positives for the Magic include Nikola Vucevic (who has improved his defensive rating under Head Coach Frank Vogel) and off-season acquisition Serge Ibaka. (Read it all)
Detroit Pistons halfway report.
Despite being in eleventh place in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons are still in the thick of the Playoffs fight. The East is all bunched up from 5th through where the Pistons presently reside. The Pistons played 22 games without Reggie Jackson, their starting point guard. Jackson, while playing well individually, has yet to mesh back into the Pistons core. Since Jackson's return Detroit has been losing two games for every one victory. (Read it all)
Portland Trailblazers halfway report.
The Portland Trailblazers reached the halfway point of their NBA season as the eighth best team in the Western Conference with 18 wins and 23 losses. Their struggles are one of the interesting stories of the first half of the 2016-17 NBA season. (Read it all)
L.A. Clippers halfway report.
The Los Angeles Clippers reached the halfway point of their NBA season as the fourth best team in the Western Conference with 27 wins and 14 losses. They accomplished this despite missing star forward Blake Griffin for 15 games, and Chris Paul for seven contests. The Clippers are sixth in the league in team defensive rating (105.9). (Read it all)
Memphis Grizzlies halfway report.
The Memphis Grizzlies reached the halfway point of their NBA season in seventh place in the Western Conference with a record of 24-17. First year Head Coach David Fizdale has seamlessly maintained the Memphis identity as a rugged defensive minded team. The Grizzlies are third in the league in team defensive rating (104.8). (Read it all)
Houston Rockets halfway report.
The Rockets surprised most observers with a tremendous first half to the 2016-17 NBA Season. As the league shifts to the majority of teams now playing with "four out" and "one in", it made perfect sense to bring in the head coach that popularized that style in professional basketball in the USA. Mike D'Antoni and his system that insists on utilizing a 'stretch four' is being aided by the elite play of James Harden. Is it possible for the Rockets to be be even better now? Are they in touch with reality? Who are the five most efficient at each position? And, which players have defensive ratings better than the team defrtg? These are the questions we will answer in our Hoop Obsession mid-season report. (Read it all)
Los Angeles Lakers halfway report.
The first team to reach the halfway point of the NBA regular season is the Los Angeles Lakers. After an outstanding start to the season, the Lakers win-line receded and they are now 15-26. How could they be better now? Are they in touch with reality? Who are the five most efficient at each position? And, which players have defensive ratings better than the team defrtg? These are the questions we will answer in our Hoop Obsession mid-season reports. (read it all)
Average size, by position, of NBA players on winning teams.
Annually, we calculate the average of the listed height and weight for the five NBA players that have played the most minutes on the 16 teams with the best records in the NBA. The latest results: average point guards are 6' 1.5" 188 lbs., shooting guards are 6'5" 206 lbs., small forwards are 6' 7.75" 220 lbs., power forwards are 6'8.5" 231 lbs, and centers are 6'11" 248 lbs.
The only noticeable trend is the shrinking size of the power forward who is more often referred to as a stretch-four these days. Just last season the average size of a PF was 6'10" 244 lbs. The loss of an inch and a half, and 13 lbs. at the position, is easy to see on NBA floors as teams play better shooters (often smaller players) for offensive spacing.
2017 NBA Draft, First Look.
The 2017 NBA Draft will take place June 22nd. Josh Jackson, a Kansas freshman forward, is listed number one on our initial Hoop Obsession Draft Board for 2017. We had a very hard time deciding between five players for the top spot. We also like Jayson Tatum (Duke), Jonathan Isaac (Florida St.), and both Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox of Kentucky.
Our first 2017 NBA Draft, player rankings page is a very rough sketch. The draft board will change often as we continue to gain knowledge about the prospects. It is not uncommon for our lists to change right up to NBA Draft day in June.
At this stage of the process, we use the Hoop Obsession draft board to help us identify and prioritize the players that we want to zero-in on. By June, we will have a much more stable list of the top 130 prospects. (see 2017 Draft list)
Do the Kings really want to make the Playoffs this season?
The object of the game is to win. But what is the prize? That is the question Sacramento Kings officials must address over the course of the next month and a half. The Kings are presently flirting with having the eighth best record in the Western Conference, which, should they finish there, would give them a first round date with the NBA's present overall number one seed, the Golden State Warriors. While making the Playoffs would be a sign of modest progress for Sacramento, it would also guarantee that the Kings 2017 first round draft pick would go to the Chicago Bulls. And while not a guarantee, it seems unlikely that Sacramento would win one game in a best-of-seven series with the Warriors.
Back to the Draft. If the Kings pick falls between 11 and 30, it will transfer to the Bulls. The only way the Kings can keep their first round pick in 2017 is to have the Philadelphia 76'ers and the Kings end up with picks in the one through ten range. Philly has the right to swap with Sacramento if the Kings pick is a better one. (read it all)