Post by Contract Year on Oct 27, 2009 11:06:05 GMT -5
The Pure Point Rating (PPR) is a statistic created by NBA analyst John Hollinger. The PPR is essentially a superior way to look at the Assist-to-Turnover ratio (assists divided by turnovers). The A/T ratio is largely problematic because it sticks turnovers into the denominator which rewards perimeter guards rather than guards who are constantly penetrating (and thus more likely to turn the ball over on occasion).
The bottom line for PPR, for me at least, is that it produces more relevant numbers based on a given player's ability as a distributor. That being said, this formula doesn't care how many points you score per 48 or how many rebounds you get. It strictly measures a player's distribution ability. Strangely enough (or not), the results are quite in-line with who people consider as the top guards in the league.
I started these calculations two days ago. I did try to go through and update everything, but I apologize in advance as I'm sure I missed a DC change here or there. A few general managers have recently started point guards who where previously on the bench. Depending on how they are performing in those limited minutes, their numbers could be a bit skewed. For example, I'd really doubt that Bob Sura would have a PPR of nearly 11 had he been starting all season. I also apologize for any grammatical errors; it's early
Without further ado, here are the rankings for the starting point guards around the league:
The Elite[/color][/b][/u]
1. Jason Kidd (SAC) - 14.175
2. Steve Nash (SEA) - 13.058
3. Mike Bibby (HOU) - 12.403
4. Terrell Brandon (NYK) - 11.423
5. Etienne Preira (CHI) - 11.398
[li] I would hope that no one was surprised to see Sacramento's Jason Kidd come in first place. On the season thus far, Kidd is averaging his career best and league best 11.4 assists. Couple that with the fact that he is only turning the ball over 2 times a game, and this was a no-brainer choice for the 1st spot. I've never seen a PPR of 14 in any league, so this is truly impressive stuff here. The rest of the top 5 should not come as a surprise either. Seattle's Steve Nash and New York's Terrell Brandon have always been amongst the top 5 point guards in the league, while Houston's Mike Bibby has officially stepped onto the scene as an elite guard this year. Of course, Etienne Preira rounds out the top 5.
The Above Average[/color][/b][/u]
6. Bob Sura (MIA) - 10.919
7. Sam Cassell (ORL) - 10.687
8. Damon Stoudamire (DAL) - 10.683
9. Travis Best (DET) - 10.576
10. Larry Hughes (BOS) - 10.344
11. Rafer Alston (UTH) - 10.277
12. Rod Strickland (MEM) - 9.537
13. William Avery (CLE) - 9.090
14. Allen Iverson (MIL) - 8.934
15. AJ Guyton (NOH) - 8.801
[/li][li] I felt dirty about the PPR having Miami's Bob Sura so damn high, but the fact is that his 3.5 assists to .5 turnovers in a limited amount of time is going to look impressive in a formula like this. Orlando's newly acquired guard in Sam Cassell is showing that his extra terrestrial abilities isn't used for just scoring, while Damon Stoudamire and Travis Best are both proving how underrated they are amongst the rest of the point guards. Coming in 11th place, Rafer Alston of the Utah Jazz is one of the best play makers in the league and yet cannot fetch anything worthwhile for Dmoney's crew. Maybe this article can help boost his trade value around the league. Players such as Larry Hughes, Allen Iverson and Rod Strickland round out the rest of the above average group.
The Average/Below Average[/color][/b][/u]
16. Andre Miller (PHX) - 7.991
17. Anthony Johnson (LAC) - 7.788
18. Penny Hardaway (PHI) - 7.751
19. Stephon Marbury (MIN) - 7.596
20. Earl Watson (DEN) - 6.755
[/li][li] Not much to say about the average/below average guys. With Penny Hardaway is a league leader in assists at 9 per game, I did expect his PPR to be a little more impressive. Phoenix's Andre Miller is quietly developing into a nice play maker, while the leading candidate for rookie of the year, Earl Watson, is posting up a solid PPR of nearly 7. It would seem that the Los Angeles Clippers were too quick cut ties with Anthony Johnson while making their deal with the New Jersey Nets. The 26 year old guard averaged a very solid 4.3 assists to 1.2 turnovers in just 21 minutes. A team in need of a play maker in the back court would be very wise to pick up Johnson for this last stretch of the season.
The Shooting Guards Masquerading as Point Guards [/color][/b][/u]
21. Shammond Williams (LAL) - 6.642
22. Randolph Childress (GSW) - 6.323
23. Steve Francis (TOR) - 6.052
24. Jamaal Tinsley (IND) - 5.833
25. Jerry Stackhouse (NJN) - 5.767
26. Mark Jackson (POR) - 5.417
27. Jamal Crawford (WSH) - 4.556
[/li][li] Here we have our shooting guards who just happen to be playing the 1 for their teams. If guys like Los Angeles' Shammond Williams and Toronto's Steve Francis had the height to play the 2, they probably would not be asked to run an offense. Because of their size limitations though, these undersized scorers are forced to play a position that doesn't really favor them. Unlike the scorers in the average and above average groups, the scorers in this group either turnover the rock at an excessive rate or simply don't get many assists at all. New Jersey's Jerry Stackhouse is averaging 7 assists a game. While that is an impressive number for a wing player like himself, he just isn't a point guard and the Nets will be ecstatic when Chauncey Billups returns. Luckily for some of these teams, guys like Jamaal Tinsley and Jamal Crawford are still young and have a lot more time to improve.
The Laugh Out Loud[/color][/b][/u]
28. Dajuan Wagner (ATL) - 2.229
29. Mo Williams (SA) - (-)1.313
[/li][li] It's not very often that you see a negative PPR. I'll leave it at that. Absolutely atrocious[/center][/li][/ul]
Hollingers formula is