1) PER = This is essentially a combo rate stat, attempting to sum up a player's offensive and
rebounding contribution into one handy number. However, it is not that great when in comes in
terms of incorporating defense; the world of defensive stats is very small, since things like
holds and bad shots forced are not kept track of. As it stands, PER is the best method I've found
for ranking players, provided you adjust for defensive value based on personal observation. The
formula itself incorporates about 20 different stats, including but not limited to shooting
percentage, rebounds, blocked shots, steals and turnovers. For purposes of convenience, a league
average player is generally considered to be around 12.
PER can eliminate the inconsistencies of conventional stats and almost always passes the smell
test. For example, PER consistently ranks Shaq among the best NBA players, whereas other stats
overemphasis his FT shooting. As a litmus test, PER also recognizes Delonte West and
Jameer Nelson as the top two in the 2003-2004 season. Given that, it's not surprising that
St. Joe's demolished the Atlantic 10 that year.
2) Gross PER = PER is a rate stat, meaning it doesn't rely on minutes per game or games played
to be derived. Gross PER simply takes a player's PER, multiples it by their minutes played and
divides it by 100 for a more managable number. This provides the actual contribution a player
provided to his team as opposed to what he theoretically could have done. A player with a high
PER on a good team might not rank as high as a player with a lower PER forced into a lot of minutes
on a bad team.
As an example, a continually injured player like Wally Sczerbiak of the Timberwolves might have
a high PER, but he probably does not have as much value as Ricky Davis, a slightly inferior player
who manages to stay healthy.
3) Usage Rate = This attempts to put an emphasis on how easily a player can get his own shot.
Players scoring high in this are normally guys like Allen Iverson and Marques Green. Ideally,
you want a player with a high usage rate who also shoots a high percentage, but even bad shooters
with high usage rates have value. A bad shot attempt is still better than a turnover.
4) Rebound Rate = Roughly said, what percentage of his team's rebounds does a player get when
he's on the floor? This compensates for things beyond the player's control, such as playing time
decisions and playing at a faster or slower pace than other teams. Leaders tend to be players
like Dennis Rodman, Danny Fortson and Tim Duncan as opposed to players who get a lot of
rebounds because they play lots of minutes - Think Antoine Walker.
5) Turnover Ratio = Similar to rebound rate, how often does a player turn over the ball when he
is in possession of it? This is generally higher for big men with bad hands (Jahidi White) and
star players who are the only option on their team (Allen Iverson). Turnovers are generally the
most overlooked difference between great and legendary players - Michael Jordan almost never
turned the ball over even with a very high usage rate, while Kobe Bryant has a fairly normal
turnover ratio.
6) Assist Ratio = This replaces the ineffective assist to turnover ratio. If you look at that
stat, it's normally full of three point specialists and other players who avoid turnovers more
than they pass the ball. Assist ratio emphasizes assists more, and as a result has more point
and shooting guards at the top of the ranking.
7) PSA = Points per Shot Attempt. Somewhat self-explanatory, but for every shot, how much does
the player typically score? Players at the top of this list are normally three point gunners
like Fred Hoiberg or dunkers and fastbreak finishers like Shaq and Tony Allen. It hurts two point
jump shooters like Latrell Sprewell who do not get to the free throw line.
8) Team Pace Factors = The higher the number, the faster-paced the team plays. It should be
self-evident, since teams like Dallas and St. Bonaventure will rank toward the top of the list.
Pace adjustments are used throughout the site - A player scoring 20 points on a team that only
scores 50 per game is more valuable than one on a team scoring 75 per game, all other things equal.
9) Team Offense and Defense Efficiency = How many points does the team score or give up per 100
posessions, pace equalized? The pace equalization is key, since traditional points per game
scored/allowed doesn't account for the vast difference between teams' playing styles.
