Visualizing the Best Scorers still in the NBA Playoffs by Role, Opportunity, and Playtype
Comparing the Best NBA Scorers remaining in the 2021-22 Regular Season based on Synergy Sports data
Analyzing the most effective scorers remaining in the NBA Playoffs by their role, opportunity, and Synergy playtype data from the 2021-22 regular season.
Players with 50+ possessions in two noted playtypes were assigned a role for the purposes of this evaluation.
On-Ball Perimeter Scorers = 50+ ISO poss & 50+ P&R Ball-Handler poss
Self-Creation No-Screen Scorers = 50+ ISO poss & 50+ Post Up poss
Self-Creation On-Screen Scorers = 50+ P&R Ball-Handler poss & 50+ Hand Off poss
Play-Finishing Off-Ball Floor-Spacers = 50+ Off Screen poss & 50+ Spot Up poss
Play-Finishing Off-Ball Rim-Runners = 50+ P&R Roll Man poss & 50+ Put Back poss
Reliable halfcourt scoring might be the most important trait a team can have in the Playoffs. Let’s zoom out first for a general overview of the best high-volume halfcourt scorers remaining in the playoffs based on this season’s scoring numbers:
Jalen Brunson and Jonas Valanciunas may be the most unheralded scorers on this graph, yet both have been reliable bucket-getters for quite some time. Brunson’s 41-pt playoff performance outburst with Luka missing time to injury is an example of what’s possible for an efficient on-ball scorer with increased opportunity.
While Nikola Jokic stands alone as the most efficient high-volume halfcourt scorer in the NBA this year, fellow top-tier scorers Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Giannis Antetokoumnpo are practically just as effective overall, all rounding to 1.1 PPP.
Top-5 halfcourt scorers by PPP among players with 1000+ possessions in the halfcourt this season:
1. Nikola Jokic (1.11)
2. Giannis Antetokoumnpo (1.09)
3. Kevin Durant (1.08)
3. Karl-Anthony Towns (1.08)
5. Joel Embiid (1.07)
Who are the best on-ball perimeter scorers still in the NBA Playoffs?
Steph Curry stands out with next-level ISO efficiency to go with top-notch P&R scoring. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson both made the good quadrant here, earning elite on-ball perimeter scorer status, even complementing each other with Doncic being better ISO than Brunson (1.11 vs. 0.95) and Brunson fairing better as a scorer in P&R ball-handler situations (1.06 vs. 0.93), while both are more than capable at filling either role for a reliable offense.
Scottie Barnes leading all of these perimeter players in pick-and-roll ball-handler scoring efficiency is a scary sight to behold for the rest of the league. Tyrese Maxey skyrocketing to an elite ISO option happened as quickly as a Tyrese Maxey fastbreak, suddenly ranking 6th in ISO efficiency among this group, while his teammate James Harden ranks 7th.
One of the best examples of the play-in dettering tanking is the ruttering New Orleans Pelicans team dealing with a hobbled Zion while facing the lottery, yet deciding to chase winning anyway by packaging lesser players for a bonafide bucket-getter. CJ McCollum brought an instant scoring punch to a Pelicans team that’s been playing solid .500 ball sinch his arrival, shooting well on and off the ball.
These players ran at least 50 ISOs and 50 pick-and-rolls as ball-handler in the regular season. Rankings among this group:
Top-10 in ISO PPP
Stephen Curry (1.197)
DeMar DeRozan (1.133)
Luka Doncic (1.11)
Kevin Durant (1.097)
Tyrese Maxey (1.078)
James Harden (1.071)
(T-6.) Nikola Jokic (1.071)
Jaylen Brown (1.045)
D'Angelo Russell (1.043)
Donovan Mitchell (1.039)
Top-10 in P&R Ball-Handler PPP
Scottie Barnes (1.123)
Bojan Bogdanovic (1.097)
Jalen Brunson (1.056)
Tobias Harris (1.055)
Kevin Durant (1.045)
Nikola Jokic (1.044)
Donovan Mitchell (1.032)
DeMar DeRozan (1.028)
CJ McCollum (1.021)
Stephen Curry (1.019)
T-10 Tyrese Maxey (1.016)
Which players still in the NBA Playoffs are the best at creating their own shot without the help of a screen?
Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Jokic sharing the top right corner of this visualization drives home a common theme in this newsletter: These three walking buckets scored as well as just about anyone else in nearly every applicable playtype this season, surprising no one when the stats show they didn’t need a screen to score.
Joel Embiid deserves a nod for his post up proficiency as well, racking up twice as many touches on the left block as any other player. Karl Anthony-Towns is having a moment, winning the three-point contest on his way to leading a playoff team in scoring behind the bouncy bravado of Antman.
Kyrie Irving remains a one-of-a-kind scoring talent, where his on-court unpredictability makes him a matchup nightmare the later he plays in the season. James Harden’s numbers are with the Nets, but he’s actually averaging the same volume of ISO possessions in Philadelphia with literally a 0.01 difference in efficiency.
Danilo Gallinaaaaaariiii has been a putting the ball through the net his entire career. Whether you set him up on the block, on the wing, on or off ball, Danilo remains an offensive threat for defenses to respect.
Miami has Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Boston has Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Milwaukee has Giannis Antetokoumnpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton; all three top-seeded squads share similar traits of elite defense, team-first play, and reliable star players. All of these players are amongst the best in the league at scoring without a screen, yet some are even better when setting screens for each other, most notably when Bam and Giannis set screens, look for hand offs, and roll hard to the rim.
These players ran at least 50 Post Ups and 50 ISOs in the regular season. Rankings among this group:
Top-10 in Post Up PPP
Nikola Jokic (1.17)
Kevin Durant (1.126)
DeMar DeRozan (1.098)
Danilo Gallinari (1.058)
Joel Embiid (1.051)
Tobias Harris (1.036)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (1.009)
Jimmy Butler (0.993)
Jrue Holiday (0.989)
Bam Adebayo (0.982)
Top-10 in ISO PPP
DeMar DeRozan (1.133)
Karl-Anthony Towns (1.128)
Luka Doncic (1.11)
Kevin Durant (1.097)
Nikola Jokic (1.071)
Jaylen Brown (1.045)
Bam Adebayo (1.04)
Jimmy Butler (1.006)
Jrue Holiday (1.005)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.96)
A quick glance at the premeir ISO options remaining in the NBA Playoffs:
Top ISO Players remaining in the postseason
by ISO PPP:
(min. 50 ISO poss)
Stephen Curry (1.197)
DeMar DeRozan (1.133)
Karl-Anthony Towns (1.128)
Luka Doncic (1.11)
Kevin Durant (1.097)
Tyrese Maxey (1.078)
James Harden (1.071)
(T-7) Nikola Jokic (1.071)
Jaylen Brown (1.045)
D'Angelo Russell (1.043)
Bam Adebayo (1.04)
Donovan Mitchell (1.039)
Bogdan Bogdanovic (1.038)
Zach Lavine (1.02)
Kyle Lowry (1.018)
Jimmy Butler (1.006)
(T-16) Kyrie Irving (1.006)
Jrue Holiday (1.005)
CJ McCollum (1.0)
(T-19) Gary Trent Jr. (1.0)
(T-19) Mike Conley (1.0)
Ja Morant (0.994)
Trae Young (0.982)
Jordan Clarkson (0.974)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.96)
Cam Thomas (0.956)
Joel Embiid (0.95)
Jalen Brunson (0.947)
Nah'Shon Hyland (0.937)
Devin Booker (0.916)
Which players still in the NBA Playoffs are the best at creating their own shot with the help of a screen?
Seth Curry’s league-leading Hand Off numbers arrived while playing with Joel Embiid before the Ben Simmons trade. Embiid installed this play as a go-to move in his arsenal ever since one of the most unstoppable sets a few years back with JJ Redick dominated the league. Duncan Robinson took the motion-shooter torch, cooled off for a moment before returning to form with another Hand Off specialist, Bam Adebayo.
D’Angelo Russell has become comfortable in the two-man game playing off sharpshooter Karl Anthony Towns. Monte Morris is scoring similarly in his cerebral connection with Nikola Jokic. Maxey has stepped into some of the void left by Seth Curry in Philadelphia with his versatile scoring profile. Brunson scores as efficiently in these roles as Durant and McCollum this season.
These players ran at least 50 Hand Offs and 50 P&R Ball-Handler possessions in the regular season. Rankings among this group:
Top-10 P&R Ball-Handler PPP
Malik Beasley (1.16)
Duncan Robinson (1.148)
Jalen Brunson (1.056)
Kevin Durant (1.045)
Donovan Mitchell (1.032)
DeMar DeRozan (1.028)
CJ McCollum (1.021)
Stephen Curry (1.019)
Tyrese Maxey (1.016)
Jordan Poole (1.0)
Top-10 in Handoff PPP:
Seth Curry (1.3)
D'Angelo Russell (1.219)
DeMar DeRozan (1.164)
Monte Morris (1.143)
Bogdan Bogdanovic (1.085)
Zach Lavine (1.065)
Jalen Brunson (1.057)
Gabe Vincent (1.054)
Kevin Durant (1.043)
T-9. Duncan Robinson (1.043)
Which players still in the NBA Playoffs are the best at finishing plays in off-ball floor-spacing opportunities?
Khris Middleton’s shooting gravity next to the force known as the Greek Freek subtly mirrors Klay Thompson’s spacing on those death lineup Dubs teams. Warriors fans are too busy riding this Jordan Poole hot streak back to the finals to comment. The Death Poole Party lineup may sound like a theme for a kid’s birthday party, but like a cool anti-hero super team kid’s birthday party theme.
Multiple teams have the luxury of leaving a sniper on the floor at all times. Everyone knows Steph Curry, Jordan Poole, and Klay can light it up from deep, while Andrew Wiggins has never been more open in his entire career, attacking closeouts at will.
Max Strus, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson all being incredible off-ball shooters is a credit to their work ethic and Miami’s development team. Defenses have to respect the range of Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, and Donovan Mitchell.
Devin Booker and Zach Lavine have fine-tuned two of the most versatile scoring profiles in the league. Landry Shamet provides instant spacing for Phoenix as soon as Devin Booker checks out, serving as a capable fill-in for any Suns unit where stretching defenses is vital. Add Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges to the mix and suddenly Phoenix is stretching defenses to every corner of the court.
These players ran at least 50 Spot Ups and 50 Off Screen possessions in the regular season. Rankings among this group:
Top-10 in Spot Up PPP:
CJ McCollum (1.305)
Khris Middleton (1.268)
Grayson Allen (1.249)
Cameron Johnson (1.246)
(T-4) Max Strus (1.246)
Tyler Herro (1.225)
Desmond Bane (1.219)
Patty Mills (1.208)
Fred VanVleet (1.198)
Zach Lavine (1.19)
Top-10 in Off Screen PPP:
Landry Shamet (1.288)
Gary Trent Jr. (1.16)
Jordan Poole (1.139)
Kevin Durant (1.13)
Devonte' Graham (1.119)
Mike Conley (1.115)
Jaylen Brown (1.108)
Nikola Jokic (1.094)
Bojan Bogdanovic (1.076)
Brandon Ingram (1.059)
Which players still in the NBA Playoffs are the best at finishing plays in off-ball rim-running opportunities?
With Zion sidelined, does Aaron Gordon have the quickest second jump in the league? For two magical weeks, Denver’s offense at full-strength featuring Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic, and Gordon looked truly unguardable; sending even one double-team was a death sentence. AG may now be overtasked with Jamal and Porter out, yet he still finds easy off-ball opportunities for his effort, the benefits of playing hard next to pristine decision-makers in Jokic and Monte Morris.
Brandon Clarke, Dwight Powell, Jaxson Hayes, Hassan Whiteside serve as examples of ready-made rim-rollers who use length, hands, and bounce to finish at the rim. Clint Capela and Rudy Gobert are the all-defense rim-protectors who fill a similar role as play-finishing rim-rollers. Pascal Siakam and John Collins are all-star level players with broader scoring profiles who can also be effective scorers when rolling in P&R. Nikola Vucevic remains a pick-and-pop threat who should be a capable play-finisher next to P&R maestro DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine’s tough shotmaking.
Giannis discovered during his Finals run that the Bucks were most unguardable not with Giannis creating tough shots from scratch, but when Giannis looks to set screens for teammates once he realized he was the best off-ball rim-rolling play-finisher around. When Milwaukee’s offense is humming with Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton mismatching-hunting while Giannis is setting his third screen of the possession, the Bucks become near impossible to guard, before even mentioning their defensive versatility on the other end.
The Dubs are back, the Suns are on a revenge rampage, and The Greek Freek’s motor never stops running. Something’s gotta give.
These players ran at least 50 Put Backs and 50 P&R Roll-Man possessions in the regular season. Rankings among this group:
Top-10 in P&R Roll-Man PPP
John Collins (1.441)
Aaron Gordon (1.431)
Dwight Powell (1.419)
Brandon Clarke (1.412)
JaVale McGee (1.399)
Hassan Whiteside (1.394)
Pascal Siakam (1.392)
Jaxson Hayes (1.389)
Clint Capela (1.368)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (1.341)
Top-10 in Put Back PPP:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (1.36)
Bam Adebayo (1.333)
Nikola Vucevic (1.33)
Rudy Gobert (1.312)
T-4. Brandon Clarke (1.312)
Nikola Jokic (1.307)
Dwight Powell (1.29)
LaMarcus Aldridge (1.255)
Naz Reid (1.253)
Robert Williams III (1.241)
Data Sources: Synergy Sports (04/19/22)
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