The statistics tab on NBA.com offers a considerable database with reliable statistics, so every now and again, we like to poke our heads in to take a look. Here's a look at a list of interesting advanced statistics:
Distance statistics strike us as some of the most fascinating available stats. Surprisingly, Kobe Bryant still leads the Lakers with 71.1 miles traveled on the court this season despite sitting out five games to rest. Jordan Hill (69.5 miles) and Jeremy Lin (68.4 miles) rank second and third, respectively, but both have appeared in all 37 games for the Lakers.
Again, no surprise that Bryant averages the most touches per game on the team at 67.0. However, those folks who believe Bryant overly dominates the ball would be surprised to learn that Bryant ranks close to 40th in the NBA in that metric. Michael Carter-Williams, Kemba Walker, Chris Paul, John Wall and Rajon Rondo are the top five in the NBA in touches, and all five of those players average more than 90 touches per game.
Lin ranks second on the team in that category with 57.8 touches per game. Through 37 games, Lin's 2,140 total touches trail Bryant's total touches of 2,144 this season by the slimmest of margins.
Nick Young, who averages 29.2 touches per game ranks second in the NBA in points per touch at 0.495 (minimum 10 games). Minnesota's Shabazz Muhammad and Golden State's Klay Thompson sandwich Young in that category.
Rookie Jordan Clarkson has the highest offensive rating at 106. This means that the Lakers average 106 points per 100 possessions the rookie plays on the court. Defensively, Ryan Kelly has the best rating at 92.7, which means the Lakers only give up 92.7 points per 100 possessions Kelly spends on the court. Kelly also has the best net rating at 12.6, but nine Lakers have negative net ratings.
Ronnie Price's absence for the fourth quarter in Portland and the full 48 minutes against the Clippers highlighted how much the Lakers rely on their starting point guard. Lakers coach Byron Scott has referred to Price as the "head of the snake" in multiple contexts. Price leads the Lakers with an assists-to-turnover ratio of 3.2, which ranks 20th in the NBA. Price also ranks 12th in the NBA in the assist ratio metric, which measures the number of assists a player averages per 100 possessions. To provide context, Price slots in behind Ty Lawson and ahead of John Wall.
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For a look at some of the traditional stats analysis of the Kobe-less Lakers, check out the latest Inside the Numbers analysis.
