5 regular season statistics that should raise more eyebrows
NBA fans this season have been spoilt by the number of storylines going on this season. The Kyrie Irving fit in the Boston Celtics, Lonzo Ball's rookie season, the biggest sell-out tanking season of all time, James Harden's historic season with the Rockets and finally, LeBron James doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants on the basketball court in his 15th season in the league.
These headlines have grabbed more eyeballs than the rest combined, leaving a number of partly-informed onlookers with only a partial picture of what's truly happening in the league.
We attempt to bring you some of the most amazing, eyebrow-raising stats of the season which more people should know about. Here's a countdown of the top 5:
#5 Chris Paul averages more assists per 36 minutes than LeBron James despite playing a reduced role
One of the reasons why the Houston Rockets are viewed as genuine contenders for the NBA title this season is the fact that they have the ability to field one Hall of Fame point guard at all times. With the acquisition of Chris Paul in one of the blockbuster trades of the offseason, the Rockets made sure that they entered this season with the best backcourt duo in the league and one of the greatest of all time.
It has paid off handsomely as Paul and Harden have fitted in seamlessly with one another. The Rockets have the most efficient offense in the history of the game largely thanks to the playmaking-scoring punch that they possess. Despite playing over 23 minutes together per game, Paul and Harden have combined to average a mind-boggling 16.7 assists this season.
In 31.9 minutes per game, Paul is averaging 8 assists per game all by himself. In fact, Paul's 9 assists per 36 minutes rank second in the league, ahead of Harden and James who occupy the 3rd and 4th places respectively.