Analytics is sometimes useful, and most the time it’s used for finding fun ways of telling statistics. Ever heard of win shares? It’s the change in wins a player can bring to your team, the players ‘share of the wins’. With the off-season in full throttle, players moving and teams changing every day, Sports Illustrated has shown who is supposed to dominate each conference, statistically:
Eastern Conference
1. Toronto Raptors (52.9 combined win shares)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (51.4)
3. Chicago Bulls (51.2)
4. Atlanta Hawks (50.8)
5. Boston Celtics (47.4)
6. Washington Wizards (44.3)
7. Charlotte Hornets (41.6)
8. Miami Heat (41.4)
9. Milwaukee Bucks (40.0)
10. Detroit Pistons (39.9)
11. Indiana Pacers (39.0)
12. Orlando Magic (31.6)
13. Brooklyn Nets (29.7)
14. New York Knicks (28.0)
15. Philadelphia 76ers (23.2)
Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors (63.0)
2. Los Angeles Clippers (61.9)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (60.0)
4. San Antonio Spurs (57.5)
5. Memphis Grizzlies (56.6)
6. Houston Rockets (53.2)
7. New Orleans Pelicans (45.7)
8. Phoenix Suns (41.3)
9. Dallas Mavericks (41.2)
10. Utah Jazz (41.2)
11. Portland Trail-Blazers (38.6)
12. Sacramento Kings (33.5)
13. Los Angeles Lakers (29.9)
14. Denver Nuggets (29.6)
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (23.5)
Everything seems to be in place here except for the Raptors. The Raptors will probably eventually end up making the Playoffs but in the top-6. They did add key defensive players like DeMarre Carroll, Corey Joseph and Bismack Biyombo which adds to the win shares total. Despite the absence of a starting Power Forward, the Raptors have improved this year. I think LeBron James, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat have something to say about Sports Illustrated’s statistics.
