Post#7 » by drza » Tue Jul 30, 2013 9:12 pm
Vote: still no strong feeling, but I'll go with Curry
Nominate: Kevin Garnett
Since KG hasn't gotten any traction yet, I figured I'd post a small blurb on why I think he should rank this high.
1) He's still very arguably the best defensive player in the NBA. By the numbers he's had a very strong case for Defensive Player of the Year in at least two of the last three seasons, and last year was no exception as he once again was right at the top of the league in every +/- based defensive stat.
2) He still is much more productive than his narrative. In fact, his production over the past couple of years looks eerily similar to the player voted #5 on this list. Over the past 2 years, Garnett has played in one more regular season game than Duncan and averaged 1 more minute per game in the regular season. And while Duncan has better box score stats in the regular season over that span, KG tops him in the playoffs in both the boxes and +/-. To whit:
TD reg season '12, '13: 16.7 ppg on 54.4% TS, 9.5 rpg (2013 RAPM +4.2, 15th in league) in 29.2 mpg
KG reg season '12, '13: 15.2 ppg on 54.2% TS, 8.0 rpg (2013 RAPM +6.1, 3rd in league) in 30.4 mpg
TD playoffs '12, '13: 17.8 ppg, 52.6% TS, 9.9 rpg (on/off +/- of +9.8 per 48) in 34.2 mpg
KG playoffs '12, '13: 17.7 ppg, 54.4% TS, 11.1 rpg (on/off +/- of +28.5 per 48) in 36.5 mpg
Garnett isn't what he used to be, but he's still one of the best in the league.