The NBA's Best at Really Specific Things

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Today we're going to get specific. Nerdily specific. While everyone knows Nikola Jokic is elite at passing, Steph Curry is elite at shooting, and Rudy Gobert is elite at defense, today we want to focus on non-superstars who are absolutely ELITE at very specific aspects of the game. By reading, you will learn who is the best at charges, floaters, screening, pick n' rolls, and much more! Let's get specific. But first....

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Dropping Dimes Without Turnovers - Tyus and Tre Jones

A fantastic metric to determine how well a facilitator orchestrates the offense is his ratio of assists to turnovers. For reference, a solid ratio is around 3 assists for every 1 turnover, and Chris Paul had a terrific 4.6/1 ratio last season. But, the Memphis Grizzlies' Tyus Jones had a league-leading 7/1 assist-to-turnover ratio! Even more insane is that his younger brother Tre is 3rd in the league with a 5/1 ratio! NBA teams should be hiring the Jones' parents to teach their point guards basketball IQ! Tyus was especially DESTROYING teams in college alongside Jahlil Okafor and Justice Winslow at Duke:

Drawing Charges - Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Garrison Matthews

You know that one scrawny kid that your JV coach absolutely ADORED because he took one charge a game? That's these guys. Kevin Love and Blake Griffin lead the NBA last season with 26 charges drawn, with Derrick White, Kyle Lowry, and Garrison Matthews right behind them at 25. Matthews' appearance on this list is pretty shocking because he is a perimeter guy on the tanking Rockets, which makes it more impressive that he puts his body on the line every night. Blake Griffin also went crazy with it this year, putting up these charge numbers in only 56 games in limited minutes.

Floaters - Jalen Brunson

At just 6'1" tall, Jalen Brunson has to find creative ways to finish amongst the trees. As a solution, the new Knick developed the most efficient floater in the league last season. Of the 29 players who attempted 300+ floaters, Brunson lead them all in converting 52% of them. By pairing this elite floater with impeccable footwork, Jalen has managed to be one of the best interior scorers without Morant-like athleticism or a Luka-like frame. If you want to nerd-out on Jalen Brunson fakes, footwork, and floaters, take a look:

Catch and Shoot Threes - Anfernee Simons

We all know Seth Curry is a legendary catch-and-shoot player, but do you know who was even better than him at threes off the catch? Anfernee Simons. He buried 47.8% of his catch-and-shoot three's on 4 attempts per game, leading the league of players putting up at least 2 attempts. With Damian Lillard alleviating the on-ball responsibilities, Simons may gain further room to snipe off the catch.

Screen Assists - Jakob Poeltl

In any big man category, whether it be put backs, paint points, or shots altered at the rim, Jakob Poeltl is near the top of the list. One of the most underrated centers in basketball is also one of the best screeners in basketball. With 5.5 screen assists per game, Poeltl absolutely lays defenders out at the same rates as other behemoths Steven Adams and Rudy Gobert. Plus the Poeltl Game is GOATed.

DEEP Threes - Fred VanVleet

While Steph Curry is the best deep-baller we've ever seen, Fred VanVleet was the second best last season. From 25-29 feet, around 1.5+ feet behind the three point line, Freddy attempted an insane seven shots a game and sunk 37% of them. For context, this is a greater combination of efficiency and volume at that range than Klay Thompson or Luka Doncic. While we would all be airballing at the NBA three point line, a 6-foot undrafted VanVleet is raining bombs from multiple steps behind the line on our favorite team's heads. Jeez.

Pick n' Roll Roller Scoring - Mitchell Robinson

Mitchell Robinson is somewhat of an efficiency hack for any statistic because the man runs, jumps, and dunks at an elite level. Looking at the most efficient high-volume pick n' roll bigs, names like John Collins, Dwight Powell, and Brandon Clarke are at the top but have elite point guards feeding them the ball. Mitchell Robinson, on the other hand, put up the same efficiency on similar volume without the likes of Trae Young, Luka Doncic, or Ja Morant tossing precise lobs and drawing the defense's attention. Hopefully Jalen Brunson and a developing RJ Barrett will create even more opportunity for Mitch to blossom.

Pick n' Roll Handler Scoring - Jrue Holiday

In a league with Chris Paul, Trae Young, James Harden, and so many other pick n' roll mistros, Jrue Holiday was the most efficient PnR scorer last season. Of players who run the pick n' roll over twice a game, Jrue leads all in efficiency at a remarkable 57 eFG% and making the Bucks offense that much more dynamic. Plus, he is a defensive wizard. If Khash Money Khris Middleton is healthy for next year's playoffs, the Bucks could soon be back on top.

Deflections - Gary Trent Jr. and Nikola Jokic

When looking at the leaders in deflections per game, the usual suspects pop up: Dejounte Murray, Fred VanVleet, Mattisse Thybulle, and Alex Caruso. But right with them is Gary Trent Jr, who got 3.4 deflections per game last season. Trent often flies under most NBA fans' radar as a defensive menace in the passing lanes, but he is a main reason why Toronto is a no fly zone for passes. Also, shoutout to Jokic for leading all big men with 2.9 deflections per game!

Post Ups - Lauri Markannen

Alongside Nikola Jokic, Lauri Markannen lead the NBA in points per post up possession! While Lauri Legend only posts up 1.4 times per game, that number is similar to more traditional bigs like Myles Turner and Jarrett Allen. While Lauri is obviously not one of the very best post up players in the NBA, he is a lot better than the average fan might guess!

Patrick Beverly traded to Lakers, Talen Horton-Tucker to Jazz

The Utah Jazz have traded Patrick Beverley to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson, per Adrian Wojnarowski. Woj added that "Beverley was eager to join the Lakers in a trade, and thrilled to learn of the impending deal."

The Jazz continue to unload older talent for younger guys in a rebuild that gets more and more defined by the day, so this trade seems to make sense for both sides. As usual, this trade has juicy implications for the Lakers. Pat Beverley and Russell Westbrook have a long and semi-public beef dating back to when Bev caused a season-ending knee injury to Russ in the 2013 playoffs. Can the two bury the hatchet? It's hard to convince ourselves of it once watching the full saga:

Chet Holmgren Out for Season

Chet Holmgren is out for the entire 2022-2023 season, according to Shams Charania. The no. 2 overall pick suffered a Lisfranc injury in his right foot at a CrawsOver Pro-Am event last weekend while defending LeBron James on a fast break.

It is an absolutely devastating blow for OKC Thunder fans, and for anyone who wants to see the NBA flourish. Chet looked outstanding in Summer League and offers a unique skillset which we'll now have to wait a full year to witness. However, this hopefully will not affect Chet in the longterm. Per GM Sam Presti, Holmgren has already resumed weight training and shooting exercises without applying pressure to his foot.

Chet Holmgren’s injury shouldn’t be an indictment on NBA players in Pro-Am leagues - Law Murray (The Athletic)

Eight NBA Players Looking to Secure the Bag This Season - Dan Devine (The Ringer)

It's Time to Give Sylvia Fowles Her Dang Flowers - Napheesa Collier (The Players' Tribune)

Blazing the Trail: Andrei Kirilenko, the five-tool defender - Mat Issa (Basketball News)

That'll do it for us here at Enjoy Basketball! This edition was a love letter to the odd niches of basketball which certain players have mastered and yet might fly under the radar. If you've read all the way down to this point, your attention span is in the top percentile. Go you!

- Conor Geelan

Trivia Answer: Before the 2005-06 season, the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz swapped 13 players in the largest trade in NBA history. It was most impactful for the Heat, who brought in Antoine Walker, James Posey, Jayson Williams and then won a NBA Championship later that season.

Trivia Question: Who blocked the most shots in a single game in NBA Finals history? (hint: it was in the 21st Century)