Hey, everyone. Welcome back from a week off due to Christmas (and laziness). The Top 10 in week 9 is beginning to take a familiar form where the big guns are starting to solidify their positions. Usual suspects like Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan all made progress up the charts but no one made a jump like … who else? Kobe Bryant.
Bryant led his Lakers 5-2 during the past two weeks while putting up a phenomenal line (34.7 PPG / 7.3 RPG / 4.7 APG) while shooting 48% from the floor and a sizzling 87% from the free throw line (incredible when you’re shooting there 8.5 times a night). Ever since his return from injury, Pau Gasol has stayed atop the Top 10 list but will Kobe finally overtake his teammate? (Hint: He didn’t last year)
Biggest Jump: Kobe Bryant (5)
Biggest Fall: Kevin Durant (8)
Hello: None!
Goodbye: None!
Ineligible: Pau Gasol, Kevin Martin
| NBA Top 10 (by APP+) | |||||||
| Rank | Prev | Player | Team(s) | Pos. | GP | APP | APP+ |
1 |
1 | LeBron James |  |
F | 32 | ↓ 34.30 | ↓ 25.60 |
2 |
2 | Chris Paul |  |
G | 20 | ↓ 31.38 | ↓ 22.44 |
| - | - | Pau Gasol (Ineligible) |  |
F | 18 | ↓ 28.23 | ↓ 19.53 |
3 |
3 | Dirk Nowitzki |  |
F | 30 | ↓ 27.87 | ↓ 19.17 |
| - | - | Kevin Martin (Injured) (Ineligible) |  |
G | 5 | ↑ 27.68 | ↑ 18.74 |
| 4 | 7 | Tim Duncan |  |
F-C | 26 | ↑ 28.91 | ↑ 18.62 |
| 5 | 5 | Dwyane Wade | 
| G | 28 | ↑ 27.45 | ↑ 18.51 |
| 6 | 4 | Chris Bosh |  |
F-C | 32 | ↓ 28.29 | ↓ 18.00 |
| 7 | 12 | Kobe Bryant | |
G-F | 29 | ↑ 27.64 | ↑ 17.90 |
| 8 | 11 | Dwight Howard |  |
C-F | 30 | ↑ 26.88 | ↑ 17.63 |
| 9 | 10 | Carmelo Anthony |  |
F | 31 | ↑ 26.15 | ↑ 17.45 |
| 10 | 13 | Steve Nash |  |
G | 31 | ↑ 26.20 | ↑ 17.26 |
| Just Outside | |||||||
| Rank | Prev | Player | Team(s) | Pos. | GP | APP | APP+ |
| 11 | 9 | Deron Williams |  |
G | 28 | ↓ 25.82 | ↓ 16.88 |
| 12 | 15 | Gerald Wallace |  |
F | 27 | ↑ 25.06 | ↑ 16.36 |
| 13 | 14 | David Lee |  |
F | 30 | ↑ 24.95 | ↑ 16.25 |
| 14 | 6 | Kevin Durant |  |
G-F | 29 | ↓ 25.84 | ↓ 16.10 |
| 15 | 8 | Carlos Boozer | |
F-C | 30 | ↓ 26.05 | ↓ 15.76 |
| Positional Average APP (from 1980-Present) | |||||||
| Position | G | G-F | F-G | F | F-C | C-F | C |
| Avg. APP | 8.94 | ↓ 9.74 | 10.09 | ↓ 8.70 | 10.29 | 9.25 | 8.13 |
| # of Players | ↑ 4811 | 1229 | 803 | ↑ 3618 | 1621 | 843 | ↑ 1665 |
APP – Adjusted Pace Performance
A weighted formula for combining everything a player does on the basketball court into one number. This number is then adjusted based upon the players’ team pace to provide a balanced way to compare players’ performance.
APP+ – APP Above Positional Average APP
Player’s weighted performance minus the performance of an average player at his same position.Players are considered ineligible if they fail to play in 60% of their team’s games.
APP for an average NBA player for the 2010 season: ↓ 9.74
APP+ for an average NBA player for the 2010 season: ↓ 0.86
Stats through 12/28/2009