May 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) and Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) in the first half of game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Durability Matters
Would you rather have Tony Parker, who has played 70-plus games in only one of the past six seasons, or Goran Dragic, who has similar stats and averaging 77 games over the last three seasons? When looking at last season’s stats, I removed players who did not meet at least one of the NBA’s official stat requirements:
- 70 games played
- 2,000 minutes played
- 800 total rebounds
- 400 total assists
- 125 total steals
- 100 total blocks
- 1,400 total points
In total, there were 195 players who qualified. Prominent names that didn’t make the cut due to injuries include Al Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose. I will do a similar analysis next month with season projections that will include all players, including rookies.
Next: Categories Matter