Listing the Top 3 players of the 2021-22 NBA season so far in terms of Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
The NBA season has provided outstanding performances from superstars and other players who are definitely proving their worth. While LeBron James continues to impress in his 19th NBA season, others like DeMar DeRozan have been exceptionally impactful with a new team.
The reigning NBA MVP, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, has had a historic season so far, even though his team has not been dominant.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been amazing for the Milwaukee Bucks and could be in the running to again win the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award in the same season, but those awards seem to have many elite talents in contention.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, on his side, has shown his unreal talent and physical abilities on almost every night and has been a great story to follow. Meanwhile, established superstars like Stephen Curry have had a strong start but have struggled lately.
Top three NBA players in the 2021-22 season based on Player Efficiency Rating
Statistics drive most professional sports leagues, and the NBA has a ton of numbers that show a player's value or diminish it. In the first case, Player Efficiency Rating is an advanced stat that is representative of a player's impact on the game, although it is mostly about offensive production.
Columnist John Hollinger of The Athletic developed the PER.
This is Hollinger's own definition of the Player Efficiency Rating measurement:
"The PER sums up all a player's positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments and returns a per-minute rating of a player's performance."
In this article, we will take a look at the season's statitstics and give you the top three players in terms of PER so far.
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo - 30.9
The reigning Finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is having a stellar year once again and is clearly in the running for the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
He could win both trophies in the same season for an unprecedented second time, and an MVP would mean he's won it in three of the last four seasons. In terms of PER, Antetokounmpo set the all-time single-season record in 2019-20, when he put up a 31.8 and broke Wilt Chamberlain's record from 1962-63.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and a career-high six assists per game, while making 53% of his field goals and 71% of his free throws (which is good for him).
Giannis' career PER is 24.1, which is the 16th-best in NBA history, and the seventh among active players.
#2 Joel Embiid - 31.2
Although there's still noise surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers due to Ben Simmons' absence, Joel Embiid is playing at an MVP-caliber level for Doc Rivers' team. As such, Philly even has a chance to stay among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid is averaging 28.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, with a whopping 49/39/81 shooting split, which gives him a 31.2 Player Efficiency Rating.
The Cameroonian center is putting up huge numbers and could be on pace to achieve the top three in MVP voting for a second year in a row. He cold even win the award if the team finishes atop the East (currently, the Sixers are just 2.5 games away from the top seed).
Embiid's career PER is at 26.6, but he does not qualify yet for the all-time table, as a player needs at least 15,000 minutes played to qualify (he's played 9,092).
#1 Nikola Jokic - 33.2
The reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic, is running away with his second consecutive MVP award in the eyes of many, and it is certainly difficult to argue against that.
Of course, players like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were early candidates for the award, but a rough patch for Curry and KD's injury have taken them away from the battle. Antetokounmpo and Embiid might be Jokic's top threats right now, while LeBron James could be right there once the season is settled.
Jokic is currently posting a 33.2 Player Efficiency Rating, which would simply shatter the previous single-season record. The Denver Nuggets center is averaging 26.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, with a 57/36/79 shooting split.
He leads the league in Win Shares, Value over Replacement, Offensive Win Shares and field goals made. But Jokic's Denver Nuggets (24-21) are sixth in the West, 12.5 games away from the top seed.
Still, without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic's campaign could end up delivering a second consecutive MVP award.