Stephen Curry’s 2015-16 season was amongst the best ever in NBA history

Stephen Curry’s 2016 season: What the advanced stats say

Typically, I wouldn’t be the person to resort straight to advanced stats when arguing how great a player/season was; doing so is a slippery slope But, evidently, the advanced metrics for Curry’s 2016 are too absurd not to kick off with. Take this stat as an introductory example:

Curry had .318 win shares per 48 minutes in 2016; that is first all-time among point guards and seventh all-time across all positions. For a few comparisons, Jordan had 0.32 win shares per 48 in 1991, and LeBron had 0.32 back in 2013. In terms of win shares, he’s right on par with two of the more consensus “best seasons of all-time.”

Win Shares Per 48

• 2016 Curry: 0.318
• 2013 Lebron: 0.322
• 1991 Jordan: 0.321

Essentially all of the advanced stats suggest this same kind of ranking. Take PIPM (Player Impact Plus-Minus) for example, the stat that arguably most accurately measures a player’s value. Curry’s PIPM in 2016 was 8.2 (6th highest of the decade); LeBron’s PIPM in 2013 was 7.78 (11th highest of the decade. For further comparison, Jordan also had an 8.2 PIPM in 1991. Think of some of the other great basketball seasons: Kevin Garnett in 2004, Tim Duncan in 2003, or Kareem in 1972. Yeah, Curry ranks above all of them with his 2016 PIPM.

Player Impact Plus Minus

• 2016 Curry: +8.20
• 2013 LeBron: +7.78
• 1991 Jordan: +8.20

When you account for the fact that Curry’s regular season PIPM was 9.74 and that would be enough to place him third in the all-time rankings; I then think you begin to see the absurdity.

Now, I don’t want to flood you with “impact” metrics that, in my opinion, get overstated by the general consensus. But again, because of the argument’s sake, that is exactly what I’m going to do; I’m going to flood you with more impact metrics. Take FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR stat (Robust Algorithm using Player Tracking and On/Off Rating) as another example. I think that, with these results, it is at least possible to entertain Curry’s belonging alongside some of the best basketball seasons ever played. I say that because these are the results:

FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR

• 2016 Curry: +12.5
• 2013 LeBron: +9.6
• 1991 Jordan: +12.3

That will be the final advanced statistic I will throw at you today; not only for the own good of your own inner “eye test” embracer but also for the own good of my argument. Again, I feel as if the discussed numbers point to 2016 Curry fitting perfectly in with the “greatest basketball season ever” conversation. My next step is to separate him from that conversation; to solidify his ranking near the top. The way to do that is by, of course, first diving into his most dominant attribute.

For Curry in 2016, his most dominant attribute was unequivocally his scoring and shooting ability. His 2016 O-PIPM (Offensive Player Impact Plus-Minus) is second only topped by his 2017 season (sorry, one last advanced stat, I guess). The best basketball seasons of all-time should all have one big defining characteristic; Curry’s 2016 season has that. It was arguably the best offensive season of ever, and more specifically, it was inarguably the best shooting season of all-time.