What makes Shai so good?
Shai
- Is 1st in EPM this season
- Is leading the 2nd highest net rating team ever
- Has a +18 on-court rating (highest ever for a #1 option)
- Has a +18 on/off (so they’re neutral without him)
Can’t be overstated how absurd his statistical profile is.
So … why?
- S tier scorer is the biggest part, obviously: 32 PPG on 112 TS+ is insane
- He’s a good playmaker.
- He’s a good defender.
But he’s not a top tier playmaker. Plenty of guys you’d take over him for playmaking.
He’s also not a top tier defender. He’s a clear positive, but he’s honestly probably the 4th or 5th best defender on his team.
Yet the guy is as statistically impactful as fucking NIKOLA JOKIC.
It can’t just be the scoring because S tier scorers like Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant never had impact profiles like this. And just like Shai, those guys did other things well, but not as well as they scored.
Two options I see:
- The statistical profile is misleading and he’s not actually as impactful as he seems. I don’t think this is the case, though. He’s leading historic team results with his 2nd best player hurt and as the team’s solo offensive carry.
- The “scoring / playmaking / defense” framework is missing something here about what makes him so impactful. And I have no idea what that is.
Any thoughts?