doh
THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Between the assist increase and 3 shooting improvements... I'd say Draymond is the only player close.
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2015/16 NBA Season Thread
- Thread starter R2D2
- Start date
zoltan
Well-Known Member
Its because hes in rhythm.
i dont care what its because of. He does it as good/better than anyone has ever done it before and infinitely better than anyone else thats playing right now.
Tailback U
Well-Known Member
wulfman21 said:
Why not? Because it's the not the "politically correct" thing to do? Who has improved their game more than him? I'm not saying there isn't anyone that deserves it more because I don't follow the entire NBA but show me someone more deserving statistically. Here is an article that makes a case for Steph and talks about McCollum, for what it's worth:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...or-stephen-curry-as-nbas-most-improved-player
Stephen Curry has forced us to reconsider a lot of what we believed about the NBA this season.
Shot-selection norms, perimeter-based offenses, the outer limits of individual confidence—all are under reconsideration because the reigning MVP has doubled down on everything that made him singularly dominant a year ago. To that list we now add awards.
Teammate Harrison Barnes has been along for the ride, watching Curry decimate defenses and lead the Golden State Warriors to the best start in NBA history. And his thoughts, delivered on ESPN's NBA Countdown, bear repeating:
"I think Steph is probably on his way to become first MVP & most improved at same time." @hbarnes on NBA Countdown. pic.twitter.com/WFVkV0TcJn
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 19, 2015
The guy who was, by definition, the league's best player last season could and should be considered the front-runner for that honor again. Only now, by also proving the best can get better, he deserves Most Improved honors, too.
Where Curry Stands Against Previous Winners
Judged against the last five winners of the NBA's Most Improved Player award—Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Paul George, Ryan Anderson and Kevin Love—Curry's credentials are strong. The graphic below shows relevant statistical increases by Curry this year over last, as well as the margins by which past winners improved in the season they collected their award.
Here's how he stacks up against that group:
Curry has improved over last year by more than previous winners in a couple of meaningful categories, most notably points per game and win shares per 48 minutes. His increases in effective field-goal percentage and player efficiency rating are also competitive with the biggest MIP spikes of the past half-decade.
Just as telling: Curry's minutes per game haven't increased nearly as much as those of many past winners, which shows the nature of his improvement has been more qualitative than quantitative.
And in a league that prizes efficiency so much, shouldn't that matter more?
Curry's usage rate has climbed to 33.2 this season after hitting a career-high 28.9 a year ago, but his turnover rate has, incredibly, declined. He's also displaying his most efficient shot selection ever, which sounds insane when you consider he's routinely taking attempts like this:
But by the numbers, Curry's optimizing his shots, matching or setting career highs in percentage of field goals attempted from 0-3 feet and beyond the arc.
Before moving on, we have to say more about those threes.
Through games played on Nov. 30, Curry had 42 more made triples than any other player in the league. The second- and third-ranked entrants in that category, Kyle Lowry and Damian Lillard, made 103 treys combined. Curry hit 94 all by himself.
As FiveThirtyEight.com's Kirk Goldsberry wrote, this type of three-point barrage is unprecedented:
Curry leads the league in scoring, and if he wins a scoring title this season, he will be the most perimeter-oriented player to ever do so. As I wrote last season, he’s transforming the way we see point guards and 3-point shooters in the NBA. That may seem like hyperbole, but it’s not; between Curry’s volume, his efficiency and his quickness, it’s easy to argue that he is the best 3-point shooter the NBA has ever seen.The nature of Curry's improvement matters because he's getting better in a way nobody else ever has, and he's growing right along the trend line of an NBA obsessed with outside shooting and skilled perimeter play. These are trends Curry was instrumental in turbo-charging last season, but what he's doing this year blows even his own MVP efforts away.
We're talking about improvement of a league-transforming variety. If that's not award-worthy, what is?
The Resistance
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
There's still this idea that the Most Improved Player award should go to an emerging talent, usually one seeing an increased role and enjoying the statistical breakout that comes with it. George, Anderson and Love all saw significant spikes in playing time that inflated their award-winning numbers.
So the search for challengers to Curry this year has to start with those types of players.
C.J. McCollum's scoring average has climbed by 13.1 points per game, a jump that might as well be a deafening siren to national media and broadcasters who want to make the safest MIP decision. But he's getting those numbers on a bad team, while carrying a bigger load by necessity and also, significantly, because he's finally healthy in his third season.
McCollum's minutes per game are up from 15.7 last year to 34.9 this year, but his effective field-goal percentage is actually down by just a hair. Curry's PER has actually risen by more, which bolsters the case thatMcCollum hasn't really improved as much as he's finally gotten a chance to show what he can do. Kudos to him for capitalizing; he's had a great start.
But he hasn't gotten better in the same way Curry has.
Evan Fournier is another McColllum-like option. He's seeing six more minutes per game and scoring an extra 5.2 points. But his effective field-goal percentage has risen not even half as much as Curry's, and his PER is only up 2.9 points, barely above the league average.
Nicolas Batum is bouncing back with the Charlotte Hornets, but his play has been more of a rediscovery of past skill than an improvement. If the award's name hadn't changed from Comeback Player of the Year, he'd be worth consideration.
Then there's Andre Drummond, precisely the kind of breakout star this award seems to favor. He's increased his scoring and rebounding averages by roughly four per game since last season, doing it with some hard-to-ignore box-score nights. His improvement has been conspicuous, riddled with highlights and tied to genuine growth in skill.
Yet Curry's PER, effective field-goal percentage and win shares per 48 minutes have all increased by more than Drummond's this season. And nobody has been more conspicuous than Curry.
So, Why Not?
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
That's not a toss-away, "this award's just for fun" rhetorical question.
Seriously: Why shouldn't Curry be the MIP front-runner?
Because the award somehow isn't for players who are already superstars? Because the history of the award has never featured a returning MVP finishing in the top 10 in voting, per ESPN.com's Micah Adams?
That's arbitrary stuff, and the award isn't engraved with anything like "Most Improved Who Also Wasn't Really Good in the First Place." And while there's leeway to quibble over what valuable means in the context of MVP, there's no such wiggle room with the word "improved." It's just asking whose growth was most significant.
And Curry's statistical case is as compelling as anyone's so far.
But there's also a key distinction that gives him an added edge: Curry has improved from great to greater, which is a far steeper climb than the decent-to-good or even good-to-great ascents the award typically recognizes. The degree of difficulty is markedly higher for Curry because it's objectively hard to improve on what he did a year ago, and because each neuron in every opponent's brain is devoted to stopping him from even touching the ball.
Danny Moloshok/Associated Press
No other MIP candidate faces a focus like that. And even with such scrutiny and scheming in his way, Curry has still improved more than anyone—past award winners and current competitors included.
So even if you're staunchly opposed to the idea of an MVP winning Most Improved, and even if you're just not going to acknowledge Curry's statistical case, let's agree we've glossed over something significant: There is no longer any debate about the identity of the league's best player.
Curry, barring disaster, will win another MVP this year. And this one won't come with the contentions that James Harden or LeBron James or Russell Westbrook deserved it more. There was debate when Curry took home that trophy a year ago.
If he keeps playing like this, there will be none this time around.
That's a pretty important improvement on its own.
All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and current through games played Nov. 30.
Skilled as in he uses his skill set (shooting, passing, dribbling, movement, vision, etc.) more than his physicality. Because he is undersized, he needs to be more skilled in order to dominate like he does because he is not going to physically impose his will on anyone. How effortlessly and easy he makes it all look factors in as well.
NML
Well-Known Member
He's one of two players I've seen in my lifetime who could balance themselves in mid air to constantly hit jumpers while drifting sideways. Ray Allen was the other.
You'll notice when he comes off a screen that even though all of his body weight is shifting in one direction, he's completely perpendicular to the ground. It's amazing.
You'll notice when he comes off a screen that even though all of his body weight is shifting in one direction, he's completely perpendicular to the ground. It's amazing.
silverwheels
PLAY LA BAMBA BABY
Thudner are so bad defensively. SERG has regressed so much in all phases this year. Roberson is our best perimeter defender, and he's out for a little while. Otherwise, it seems like a lack of energy and effort. Going to get stomped by SA in the 2nd round if they keep playing like this. If they even get that far.
Roll Fizzlebeef (aka USF)
Active Member
While I mostly enjoy the modern day NBA, leaps and bounds over the turn of the century style of "clear out so Kobe/AI/Marbury can go iso on some guy and shoot 11-31" I kind of mourn the death of the post player. Unless you are simply a pick and roll/alley oop big man, you have to be able to shoot 3's or you are a piece of garbage that clogs the lane and can't hang when the opponent makes you guard a 6'7 shooter. Ibaka is somewhat an example, a great shot blocker and rebounder who either he or his team is trying to pigeon hole into a "3 and D" guy. He'd be much better served as a spot up 15 foot shooter, or even developing a post game, but again, those things are taboo now.
And I can't blame the teams, they are taking the most advantage of how the game is played to maximize production.
I personally would like it if they widen the court a few feet, and extend the 3 point line enough that teams would once again utilize the entire offensive area, instead of killing the jump shot. However, I have no idea if this would affect the game negatively, and if thats possible I'm fine with the status quo over the late 90's early 00's when the Knicks, Heat and David Stern ruined basketball
And I can't blame the teams, they are taking the most advantage of how the game is played to maximize production.
I personally would like it if they widen the court a few feet, and extend the 3 point line enough that teams would once again utilize the entire offensive area, instead of killing the jump shot. However, I have no idea if this would affect the game negatively, and if thats possible I'm fine with the status quo over the late 90's early 00's when the Knicks, Heat and David Stern ruined basketball
COTY
GuyIncognito
pressure cooker full of skittles
Even the Spurs front office guys got jokes.
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...oss-to-warriors-well-fired-shots-at-cavaliers
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...oss-to-warriors-well-fired-shots-at-cavaliers
Man I'll take the death of the post player over that nonsense. The league was practically unwatchable back then. Pistons won a championship scoring like 50pts a game.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
BasinBictory
OUT with the GOUT
Went to the Erzzzz-Clips game last night. It was technically a Clippers home game. I was amazed at how quiet a Clippers crowd is. You could hear individual fans cat-calling and whatnot, and it looked like it was a sellout crowd.
Erzzzz are reely bad. No real stars, no offensive flow, and reely bad defense. Clips could have easily won by a lot more, but it felt all night like a middleweight fighter against a heavyweight. The middleweight struggled mightily just to land a few shots, and the heavyweight barely broke a sweat and looked to be content to win on points.
Erzzzz are reely bad. No real stars, no offensive flow, and reely bad defense. Clips could have easily won by a lot more, but it felt all night like a middleweight fighter against a heavyweight. The middleweight struggled mightily just to land a few shots, and the heavyweight barely broke a sweat and looked to be content to win on points.
Dr. Shats Basoon
Closed mouths don't get fed
Crowd was quiet cause the Lakers are 76ers level bad.
Too bad, Kobe deserved to go out on a higher note
Too bad, Kobe deserved to go out on a higher note
goblue96
Disney and Curling Expert
Sixers after they re-acquired Ish Smith. Pre-Ish Smith, there were HS teams that could hang with the Sixers.
ur come back gjge
atlbraves
Well-Known Member
MSUFanatic
Well-Known Member
Draymond Kawhi Harden Green had another triple double last night
BasinBictory
OUT with the GOUT
Tight, open, and wide-open percentages sound like a porn star's stats.
Freeman
Well-Known Member
Or their career trajectory.
Bucksin04
Well-Known Member
Believe those are called ANALytics.
MSUFanatic
Well-Known Member
LeBron's Mom loved Delonte West's percentages
MSUFanatic
Well-Known Member
silverwheels
PLAY LA BAMBA BABY
Curry with 51 points tonight, RUSS with 24-19-14. Saturday night is going to be fun. Still expect the Warriors to win by double digits, but OKC will score some points.
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GuyIncognito
pressure cooker full of skittles
MSUFanatic
Well-Known Member
Draymong another triple double 12, 10, 11 and 5 blocks.
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