NBA Team Stats Leaders 2023

2023 Stats Leaders: Best in the NBA

Top Offenses Of The 2021-22 Season

The Dallas Mavericks have taken a turn after a few slumping years once Dirk Nowitzki left. Drafting Luka Doncic and trading for Kristaps Porzingis certainly help. Overall Dallas is tops in offensive rating, and by a few points as well. They have been tremendous with taking care of the ball, as well as creating shots for others. The Mavericks have moved to the three-ball era, although to be fair this organization has always been a high flying offense. Overall they are averaging over 15 threes made a game, and hitting them at a high rate as well. As far as the most efficient offense goes so far.

Houston remains one of the more interesting projects in basketball, as Daryl Morey continues to try and be ahead of the curve. Their layup and three-point heavy approach went one step further, as they traded their only true center, Clint Capela. They added a three-and-d guy with Robert Covington. This fits right into what they are trying to do. This is also the first season with Russell Westbrook, and overall they have had their ups and downs, but are still one of the fastest playing teams in the game and are scoring at will. The one thing that is down from prior years is the assists.

Both Los Angeles teams are playing at a high rate, and both rank inside the top five in offensive efficiency. They are both producing at a high rate from in close, and do not take as many threes as the rest of the league. Both are balanced offenses and we see more bigs on both sides who do play well. The efficiency of both sides has been high as they both rank in the top half in true shooting percentage. The Lakers are a bit more involved in ball movement, and that comes from LeBron James at the helm where he has been a playmaking god this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the ore dominant offenses in basketball right now. Their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming off an MVP season and has taken his numbers to another level. Overall they rank inside the top ten in offensive efficiency but are a top-three team in points per game. They are excellent on the glass and are also one of the top field goal percentage teams as they often get a ton of good looks within their games.

Top Defenses Of The 2021-22 Season

No surprise to see the Bucks at the top of the defensive rankings, and more importantly defensive rating by a wide margin. For one their starting lineup length is extremely long. This helps them as they are creating a ton of steals and blocked shots. Overall they are also limiting field goal percentage against them as well. The Bucks are an excellent group of players who bring it on both sides. This is why they have the best record in the NBA and are on par with some of the game’s best teams when it comes to their average margin of victory.

Despite losing Kawhi Leonard in the offseason, the Toronto Raptors remain one of the top defensive teams in the game. That has been the case for the past few years now. Overall the Raptors are a team that produce a lot of turnovers, mainly through blocks as well. They are also a team that cleans up on the glass, which is always a big plus for defenses not giving up second-chance points. Also, good luck shooting against Toronto, they are a very stingy defense against shooters, especially those shooting from beyond the arc.

No surprise to see the Clippers and Lakers at the top of the defensive charts. Adding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George brings over two of the top wing defenders in the game. Patrick Beverley is also a pesky guard defender as well. Doc Rivers at the helm has always had top-notch defenses wherever he has coached. The Lakers have a reigning defensive player of the year player in Anthony Davis, but also some length that makes it tougher for teams to shoot over them. Both teams are cruising this season, and while offense tends to catch the eyes of the public, both of their defenses have been fantastic.

The Celtics have had strong defenses over the last few seasons, which is largely a result of the personnel they've drafted. They are a pesky defense that works very hard and have key defenders like Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Patrick Williams. As a result of their defensive prowess and the emergence of Jason Tatum as an offensive standout, major sportsbooks such as DraftKings Massachusetts FanDuel Massachusetts have the Boston Celtics listed as odds on favorites to win the NBA championship.

A couple of Eastern Conference teams, Orlando and Indiana have strong defensive numbers. Indiana is a decent offensive team, but Orlando solely relies upon their defense to pick up wins. They do not have a great offense and it shows. Overall they are top ten in defensive efficiency, and they also slow down the pace. They play a bit more like the teams of decades before where things are slowed down and games are a grind for opponents. Both of these teams are also not playing on the smaller side either with traditional big man centers, and bigger wings and guards than some of the average teams.

Top Benches Of The 2021-22 Season

Having a strong bench is extremely important in this day and age, and teams that can go to their second unit can have a big advantage. We have seen this be a difference-maker late in the year, especially come playoff time. The Clippers have this big edge, as they have a ton of depth, and a few of these names could be starting on other teams. They have also added to their bench throughout the season. Montrezl Harrell comes off the bench but plays more starters minutes. He has developed into one of the better bigs this season. They have added Reggie Jackson, who has had an injury-prone history of late but has been productive in Los Angeles. Lou Williams is one of the best sixth man shooters in the game today.

The Miami Heat are having a strong year, and they are a very well rounded group of players. Goran Dragic is an aged guard these days, but playing the sixth man role has worked out for this team, especially because they have had some injuries where he has needed to step into a starter’s role. Duncan Robinson has shown he can produce big games from his three-point shooting alone, which gives the Heat another dynamic for their offense. They also drafted Tyler Herro who can do the same. Adding Jae Crowder has been a solid move for them, as they got another wing who can help them out.

Memphis has been building the last few years, and they are building a very strong team. This is a young group that have a lot of names with big potential for the future. Drafting Brandon Clarke was a big steal for them, who has been showing his value coming off the bench this season. They have also had De’Anthony Melton, who has given them smaller minutes but has produced in the time given. Adding Gorgui Dieng from Minnesota over the offseason was also another big grab for this group, who gives them some depth at center and power forward. With the bench they have built, it gives them a chance to keep some of their younger players fresh and that is key with the NBA workload being tough on some of these names nowadays. Look out for Memphis within the next season or two.

The San Antonio Spurs might not be the team they used to be, but they have always had a lot of depth. Their guards continue to rotate in and out, so we see a lot of different names in and out of the starting lineup. Overall names like Derrick White, Bryn Forbes, Dejounte Murray, and Patty Milles continue to chip in with scoring on most nights. One of the younger role players who has bounced around lately is Trey Lyles, and his production off the bench has been strong when called upon. The same goes for Jakob Poltl, who has been a great big man. Rudy Gay also really figured out his role within the team once he moved to San Antonio. He has taken on a strong leadership role but has also been strong playing around 25 minutes a game.

Most Important Team Stats

We can generally point towards the points allowed and points scored being the most important stats a team can generate. This gives us the overall look at how teams are performing. Now if a team is scoring 115+ points a game, it certainly does them no good if they are allowing 119 points per game. On the offensive side, assists can be a telling stat for how well a team moves the ball. This can be tied with pace and offensive style of course. Teams that don’t assist as much on buckets could have more isolated movement or play at a smaller place. Larger teams in the NBA currently have an advantage on the glass, especially with teams that are going small. However this doesn’t always translate into how good an offense is, but it does give teams second-chance points. Taking advantage of the second chance opportunities is more important though.

Protecting the ball from turnovers is extremely important, and this is another stat that can also be tied with pace. More teams pushing in transition and playing fast will also generate more turnovers. However, some of the lower teams in the league are up top at the turnover department. Field goals and three-point attempts that are made are tied to teams that are in the playoff picture currently, and not so much in terms of volume. The one true measure we like to look at is true shooting percentage (TS%) It measures free throws, three-pointers, and field goals in their weight and it gives us a great look at the more efficient offenses that also balance out their shot selection.

Offensive and defensive ratings will give us an easy snapshot of how good an offense or defense is. It breaks down the efficiency for us without having to dive into too much. This is a big plus in a more advanced era of stats where things can get a little blurry in basic stats. As far as defensive stats go, rebounding is extremely important. Teams that fail to rebound tend to struggle, as they allow second-chance points but also can’t get second chance points of their own. That is certainly the one downside for teams playing true small ball these days. Teams that block shots and create turnovers are a plus, but this is only solid if tied into other stats like points allowed.

NBA Team Stats Frequently Asked Questions

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• What NBA Team Has The Lowest Field Goal Percentage?

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