NBA 2017-18: 5 Underrated Amazing Stats
Almost halfway through March, every team in the NBA has played at least 65 games. Like any other year, this season has seen plenty of drama - the Cleveland Cavaliers' up-and-down (more down), the Houston Rockets' amazing run so far, the tankathon at the bottom of the standings in both Conferences and the slippage of the San Antonio Spurs over the past few weeks. Not to mention the reported rift between the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard over the superstars' injury rehab.
There has been plenty of news coverage on a lot of the above-listed storylines (some being broadcasted in a negative light). It's time to shine some positivity.
With these many games already ticked off, it's highly unlikely that any stat-wise rankings will see drastic changes. So without any further ado, here are 5 underrated amazing stats from this season.
Note: Ideally, these stats are under-the-radar numbers that are huge reasons for success or show the real value of players.
#5 Steven Adams - Most Valuable Teammate?
Steven Adams was a huge reason why the Oklahoma City Thunder was a menace defensively at the beginning of the season. And although the team, as a whole, has slipped on that end of the floor since losing Andre Roberson to a left knee injury on January 28th, Adams' numbers have been quite consistent and among the league's elite.
Adams' biggest value to the team doesn't show on traditional stats but when you dig deeper, his impact is clear. He ranks sixth in the league in contested shots per game with 13.0 per game. In games played till the All-Star Break, he leads the league in Box Outs (11.3 per game) with the next being Enes Kanter averaging 9.5 per game.
Those were his defensive impact. Now, for the other end of the floor. He ranks second in the league in screen assists (4.9 per game), only Rudy Gobert is better averaging 5.9 per game but the Utah Jazz center has played 23 fewer games. While that's a huge contribution in itself, his offensive rebounding numbers will say more.
He ranks second to Andre Drummond (5.2) in offensive rebounds per game (4.9). Even in terms of offensive rebound chances, he (10.5) is second only to the Pistons' big man (10.8). The two brute centers are tied, however, when it comes to contested offensive rebounds per game - 3.5.