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DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F

Top 10 PFs

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The list from last year can be found here.

 

Anyway, you know the drill, post your own rankings if you have one, comments, criticism, appreciated.

 

Like last year, this list is pretty packed up top.

 

12. Nikola Mirotic

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10.2 PPG/ 4.9 TRB/ .7 BPG/ 1.2 ASTs/ 1.1 TOs

18 PER/ 41% FG/ 32% 3P/ 49% eFG/ 56% TS

 

Why he didn’t make it:

If we are being honest, there are a couple people who were probably better then him this past season, but he was the most deserving of those left, at least in my opinion. Keep in mind that I’m a huge Pistons fan who absolutely hates the Bulls with a passion, it speaks volume that I would have him ranked on here. Despite his seemingly low FG% and low 3Pt %, Mirotic was extremely efficient this past season and made the most with the minutes he was given, probably better than anyone else in the NBA. This was in large part due to the fact that he got to the FT line at a ridiculous rate, and he knocked down his FTs. 10 points in 20 minutes per game is very impressive, and if you average his possessions per 36 minutes, he averages around 18 points a game, which is better than a lot of other guys who were options for this spot, and many guys who are going to be on this list. He was also 7th among power forwards in RPM which calculates value while on the court. He’s still got a long ways to go though, with shaky defense and an offense that’s still growing. At any rate, Bulls fans should be excited for what’s to come from him.

 

11. Kevin Love

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16.4 PPG/ 9.7 TRB/ 2.2 AST/ .5 BPG/ 1.6 TOs

19 PER/ 43% FG/ 37% 3P/ 51% eFG/ 56% TS

 

Why he didn’t make it:

There are a multitude of reasons why Love didn’t make the top 10. First, this position was loaded this past year, and when you compare him to the guys who made the list, he simply was outperformed. Second, this was a down year for him as he clearly was adjusting to a new role. He still put up some very good numbers, but his numbers dipped all across the board including his shooting percentage which is usually the opposite of what happens when someone takes less shots. And the defense continues to be a problem, and was one of the biggest reasons for the move to pick up Mozgov. He can’t hang with guys on the perimeter because he’s not very athletic, and he provides no rim protection, which is a worst case scenario for a PF. I would expect to see Love back in the top 5 somewhere next season however as he settles in, and he no doubts gets a bigger role on the team.

 

10. Serge Ibaka

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14.3 PPG/ 7.8 TRB/ 2.4 BPG/ .7 AST/ 1.5 TOs

17 PER/ 48% FG/ 38% 3P/ 53% eFG/ 55% TS

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Ibaka continues to work on, and steadily improve that mid-range jumper to the point where now it’s a legitimate threat. He should around 43% from the midrange area last year, which is a great number, on top of shooting a respectful 58% from inside the paint. The 3 game is also starting to come together as he shot around 38% while attempting just under 4 a game, which is great considering the fact that the season prior he attempted less than 1 a game and shot the same percentage. And then of course there the defense, where he’s probably one of the league’s best help defender. He does all the heavy lifting in terms of rim protection for OKC, and the fared the best when he was in the game, mostly due to his extremely long reach and ability to time his blocks. He had the 4th best defensive rating among power forwards, and a large part of that is due to the difference in defensive efficiency for OKC between him playing and sitting down.

 

Why he’s not higher:

His offense, outside of his improving jumper is still very much a work in progress as he doesn’t offer much else. This is not a problem as far as OKC is concerned because he gives them valuable spacing for KD and WB to operate, and they are both ball dominant players, but not being able to create your own shot can, and has proved problematic when those guys aren’t in. His man defense also isn’t on par with his help defense. When he’s on a man, and he sticks to him it’s great. But he often gets caught out of position trying to go in for a block.

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I don't think it's surprising that loves shooting percentages got worse. He was taking way more outside shots than in Minnesota.

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Yea being forced into the role of a jump shooter had probably a lot to do with his struggles. Especially when in the past a lot of his points came from either converting offensive boards into points or drawing fouls inside. By no means do I think he'll be this low next year but this year was clearly different.

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Ok, I'm kinda back again.

 

9. Dirk Nowitzki

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17.3 PPG/ 5.4 TRB/ .4 BLK/ 1,9 AST/ 1.1 TOs

19.2 PER/ 46% FG/ 38% 3P/ 51% eFG/ 56% TS

 

Why he’s not higher:

He didn’t play as much this season as in seasons past, but he was still a valuable part of the Mavericks offense when he was on the court. He had the 4th higher offensive RPM of all PFs and that’s because of the incredible value he presents an offense with his mid-range game. The Mavericks scored around 5 more points per 100 possessions with him in the game then him out. He managed to shoot around 38% from the 3 during a season where he struggled everywhere which is still very impressive.

 

Why he’s not higher:

There really isn’t much else positive things to say about Dirk’s game this past season. He had one of his worst shooting years, possibly ever, and his numbers were lower from everywhere including the free throw line. What makes this worse is that he actually attempted less shots this season then in seasons past and his numbers were worse. I think a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that he was assisted in more than 60% of his shots, a mark he hasn’t reached in over 10 years. This hurt him in my opinion because it means he was creating less of his own offense and was forced into the role of a jump shooter, which Dirk is much more than just that. The good news is that with Deron Williams taking over as the primary ball handler, he is as effective without the ball as he is with it, which opens the game up for Dirk.

 

8. Zack Randolph

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16.1 PPG/ 10.5 TRB/ .2 BLKs/ 2.2 AST/ 2.2 TOs

20 PER/ 49% FG/ 49% eFG/ 54% TS

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

As long as Randolph continues to play the way he has been for the last couple of years, there’s no reason he doesn’t get a spot in the top 10. One of the few big men who work exclusively out of the post area and is used to beating players with his back to the basket with multiple moves, and amazing footwork. The other area he continues to excel at is the offensive glass, where if you look at the top offensive rebounding rates among PFs who play at least 30 minutes per game, he ranks the highest. As a rebounder in general Randolph is as good as it gets, and is on area he’s better than anyone else on this list. He was 5th in the league among all big men in rebound chances, which measures how often a player is within 3 feet of a rebound, and only Favors (47%) and Davis (45%) had a higher percentage of contested rebounds then Randolph at 41%. These are incredible numbers when you consider that Randolph is probably pretty undersized (height wise) for a power forward, and has no vertical game.

 

Why he’s not higher:

He was much better this past season on defense, but at the end of the day it’s still an rea where he simply doesn’t contribute enough. Most of it isn’t entirely his fault as, he doesn’t have the ideal height/weight for a PF and isn’t athletic, but he is often the one that offense try to exploit. Defense from the power forward position is very crucial in almost all defenses in the NBA, and when you aren’t great at it, it limits how high I’m willing to put you. This past season he also started shooting more threes, which hurt his efficiency. I’m not a Grizzlies fan, and I’ve only watch about 10-20 games of there’s this season, so the reason why eludes me. Outside of that, not much complaints about his game.

 

7. Tim Duncan

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14 PPG/ 9.1 TRB/ 2.0 BPG/ 3.0 AST/ 1.7 TOs

23 PER/ 51% FG/ 51% eFG/ 56% TS

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Where do you start with Tim Duncan? This past season he took on a smaller load then in the years past, and all he did was continue to put up crazy good numbers with great efficiency. Putting up a PER of 23 while only playing about 29 minutes speaks volumes of how many ways he’s contributing while on the court. Shooting over 50% on FG attempts, grabbing around 9 rebounds a game and even dishing out a lot of assists. He’s probably one of the best passing big men, and is one of the many reasons he is perfect for Pop’s system. Even more interesting then his offensive numbers which were very impressive was his impact on defense. This past year Duncan was great as a rim protector. Teams averaged around 9 attempts around the rim when he was on defense (5th most and he only played 29 minutes) and they were held to below 47%. Not only that but when asked to take on a man he did a more then decent job of limiting them to a low FG %.

 

Why he’s not higher:

To be honest, he’s simply not higher because there were guys who played better this past year. There really aren’t many negative things to say about Duncan, or his whole game. We are talking about one of the greatest players of all time, so you shouldn’t expect anything else. He didn’t play as many minutes as other guys on this list, and had fewer responsibilities this season than anyone else so he was always more well rested.

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Well I tried, but couldn't resist. Lol. So I'm back.

 

6. Derrick Favors

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16.0 PPG/ 8.2 TRB/ 1.5 AST/ 1.7 BPG/ 1.6 TOs

22 PER/ 53% FG/ 70% FT/ 53% eFG/ 56% TS

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Favors is another in a line of players from Utah who are secretly coming together to form what could be a playoff contender next year. He operates almost exclusively out of the paint, and the post, which makes him very valuable to have on offense. 68% of his offense came from the paint where he shot a very good 65% from, and he shot 70% on the left side of the basket. Defense is another area where Favor has continued to show ability and promise. Last year Favors was ranked second among all players who played at least 30 minutes, 50 games in defensive field goal around the rim allowing players 43.8% from the field. Favors was one of the biggest reasons why despite perimeter players who struggled to defend the Jazz had a top ranked defense after Kanter left. He also did tremendous work as a rebounder, as 47% of his total rebounds were contested rebounds putting him among the top of the league in that category.

 

Why he’s not higher:

He’s still a work in progress on offense as he hasn’t really developed a shot of any kind. Outside of his work when rolling to the basket, or when he gets the ball deep, he doesn’t contribute much else on offense. Outside of his work on offense, Favors sometimes struggles against iso ball on defense, which is really the only area where he can be faulted. Favors is another younger player who’s on his way up and baring some major setback, should be even higher next year.

 

5. Paul Millsap

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17 PPG/ 7.8 TRB/ 3.1 AST/ 1.8 STLs/ 2.3 TOs
20.0 PER/ 48% FG/ 36% 3P/ 52% eFG/ 57% TS

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

One of the most consistent players in the league, Millsap is no doubt one of the players that is the glue to the Hawks, and what made them a great team last year. Among power forwards who played at least 30 minutes a game last year, Millsap was 2nd only to Anthony Davis in terms of true shooting %, which speaks volumes considering the fact that he hoisted up tougher shots. He may never be a 20/10 guy, but he does such great job of scoring from virtually everywhere that he has to be accounted for. He is extremely versatile as he is also one of the best passers among big men, which is very useful in the Hawk’s offense which relies heavily on passing and creating space. On top of all of that is his great defense, he was the highest rated Hawks defender in terms of RPM. He will never be confused for an elite stopper on defense, but he does his job well, and knows his role, which is really all you can ask of him considering his athleticism.

 

Why he’s not higher:

Despite his consistency, Millsap just doesn’t have the overall talent to really climb to that next level, in my opinion. Most of it is not his fault as he’s just not overly athletic, but that athleticism limits what he can be as a player. The only other area outside from his occasional spotty shooting outside of the paint is on defense where despite everything he does well, he could still stand to improve in that area. Simply put, everyone ahead of him were simply better last year.

 

4. Pau Gasol

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18.5 PPG/ 12 RPG/ 2.7 AST/ 1.9 BPG/ 1.9 TOs

23.0 PER/ 49% FG/ 50% eFG/ 80% FT/ 55% TS

 

Why he’s in the top 10:

Pau Gasol this past season was able to reverse the clock on everyone including myself, as I didn’t see this kinda season coming from him. He was able to score from virtually everywhere on the court. He shot over 50% from the paint, over 45% from inside the 3 point line, and even shot 40% from the 3 point line (although he only attempted 30 shots). He was forced into the role of a jump shooter as a majority of his shots came off the pass from teammates, and he was able to make nearly half of all his shots. He also grabbed a ton of rebounds this year. More than any season prior, and finished the season 3rd behind Jordan and Drummond in that department. Defense is another area where Gasol continued to excel, at least as far as numbers, and percentages go. He allowed players around the rim to shoot 48%, which is good enough to land him in the top 10 in that category, and he was the second most valuable player on the Bulls this past season.

 

Why he’s not higher:

The first and most obvious he isn’t higher is simply because the guys in the top 3 were simply better this past season. But beyond that, many of Gasol’s numbers are misleading, and some Bulls fans might hate me for saying that. Gasol’s numbers often came at the expense of everyone else on offense, and there are numbers out there that show this. He touched the ball more than a vast majority of bigs (5389 touches per game), and only has 2.7 ASTs to show for it while averaging almost 2 TOs per game. In fact, you’ll have to look back 10 years to see the last time Gasol accounted for this low a percentage of his team’s total assists (14.4 AST%). Despite his big offensive numbers, the Bulls were barely any better per 100 possessions with him in the game then they were without him. And on defense it’s no different. Gasol went out of his way on defense to not do anything outside of protecting the rim. He didn’t contribute as a backside helper, didn’t contribute on pick and roll situations, and his great defensive field goal % is worse when he’s playing iso on defense.

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