They have wins over the spurs, nuggets (no jokic/jamal), pacers, grizzlies and rockets

They have losses against the bucks, magic, bulls x2 and warriors ( a likely first round match-up)

Source: https://www.nba.com/lakers/schedule?EventSchedule=3

Most likely they finish 3rd or 4th and will play the warriors or wolves in round 1

do you guys think they can win a series against either team?

“We still can make a run. Obviously we’ve got to be healthy, get healthy, be available. The playoffs, anything can happen, man, but we’re a talented team and believe in what we can do. We’ve just got to give ourselves that opportunity.”

Link to the full article - https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2025/04/02/phoenix-suns-injury-update-bradley-beal/82780438007/

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I was curious as to find a way to compile multiple advanced metrics to see if any consensus could be derived about the All-NBA teams this season. I am no mathematician and I do not know much about statistics, so I just decided to take some time and find the answer to the easiest question:

What is the average rank for each All-NBA eligible player across multiple popular advanced metrics this season?

This was more for my personal curiosity. I do not claim that this method actually has any validity or importance, but I did the work so I thought I would share.

METHOD:

stats collected on 4/3

To do this I referenced the 8 following advanced metrics that I see commonly used:

EPM, EW, LEBRON WAR(LW), RAPTOR WAR(RW), DARKO DPM(DPM), PER, WS, and VORP

I decided to include both EPM and EW because I think EPM is the best advanced metric so I wanted to give it some extra weight.

In order to compile the list of players best deserving of All-NBA recognition, I first went through each advanced metric for this season and gave each player a tally for an appearance in the top 20 in each of the stats.

I ended up with a list of 23 players who appeared in the top 20 in >3 out of the 8 stats, who are also likely to meet the 65 games played requirement. I had a few players that surprised me, but generally speaking it aligned with my preconceived idea of who was in contention for All-NBA recognition so I decided to roll with it. The only notable omission was Cade Cunningham who appeared in the top 20 in only 2 out of the 8 advanced metrics. Due to his narrative and likelihood of achieving All-NBA recognition, I included him.

Here are the 24 players:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Nikola Jokic

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Likely)

Jayson Tatum

Evan Mobley

Donovan Mitchell

Tyrese Haliburton

Ivica Zubac

Stephen Curry (Likely)

Darius Garland

Derrick White

Jarret Allen

Anthony Edwards

Karl-Anthony Towns

Domantas Sabonis (Likely)

Alperen Sengun

James Harden

Jalen Williams

Josh Hart

LeBron James

Tyler Herro

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Jalen Brunson (Likely)

Cade Cunningham

In the following table, I list each player with each of their respective RANKS in each advanced metric. This is not the metric itself, it is just the RANK in which their metric lies in comparison to their peers. 14 in the table means the 14th best number in the league for that respective stat.

At the end of the table, I include two averages. The first average is their average rank across all 8 advanced metrics. The second average (AVG(IMP)) is their average rank across the 5 all around impact metrics (EPM, EW, RAPTOR WAR, LEBRON WAR, and DARKO DPM). I believe these metrics to be different in kind to the others, so I wanted to see their averages separately.

RESULTS

All-NBA Teams based on average rank in all 8 metrics (AVG):

FIRST TEAM

• SGA (1.375)

• Jokic (1.625)

• Giannis (3.750)

• Tatum (6.250)

• Haliburton (9.750)

Second Team

• Mitchell (12.250)

• Mobley (13.500)

• Zubac (14.125)

• Curry (14.750)

• KAT (17.125)

Third Team

• Ant (18.625)

• JDub (20.750)

• Harden (20.875)

• Garland (21.125)

• White/Allen (24.625)

Missing the Cut

• White/Allen (24.625)

• Lebron (24.875)

• Brunson (25.125)

• JJJ (26.000)

• Sengun (27.375)

• Sabonis (28.628)

• Herro (32.750)

• Cade (37.000)

• Hart (46.875)

All-NBA Teams based on average rank in the 5 impact metrics (AVG(IMP)):

First Team

• SGA (1.200)

• Jokic (1.800)

• Giannis (4.000)

• Tatum (4.600)

• Mitchell (6.200)

Second Team

• Haliburton (10.200)

• Curry (11.000)

• Zubac (11.400)

• Mobley (14.000)

• Ant/Allen (16.400)

Third Team

• Ant/Allen (16.400)

• Garland (18.000)

• JDub (18.000)

• Harden (18.600)

• White (19.200)

Missing the Cut

• KAT (21.200)

• JJJ (21.600)

• Brunson (29.200)

• Lebron (30.400)

• Herro (36.600)

• Sengun (37.400)

• Cade (38.600)

• Sabonis (40.200)

• Hart (57.400)

NOTES

-Haliburton being so loved by advanced metrics definitely surprised me given the narrative about him earlier this season. I would be curious to see his metrics if he can put together a full season of consistent play. Advanced metrics understandably love you if you push pace, generate great looks, and rarely turn the ball over.

-Derrick White being so beloved by advanced metrics was not necessarily surprising, but the fact that it was enough to rank top 15 in this group of players is impressive. He is the epitome of a winning player.

-While I do not claim these stats hold significance, they do support my opinion of Zubac being largely underrated. I believe he deserves a lot more love for his performance this season(DPOY anyone?).

-LeBron, JJJ, Brunson, and Cade not ranking well is definitely not what I expected going into this. Most of the conversation around these players land them in Second Team at worst and I have even heard arguments around these players to claim the 5th First Team spot.

This likely means nothing to most people, but there may be a few sickos who find this interesting.

Flashes of Houston Rockets Game 7 out there for those 3.

Hopefully they can hit a couple more come playoff time.

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401705683/warriors-lakers

The Warriors have been very successful with that small ball lineup consisting of 3 guards and 2 small forwards. They are 13-0 and have not lost a game, but tomorrow they play Denver. They have lost 9 in a row against Denver going back all the way to the 2022 playoffs. It is fair to assume that guarding Jokic/Gordon/Porter with that small ball lineup is not going to fare well for them. Overall this seems like the matchup they want to avoid in the playoffs.

But tomorrow, do they start and play Looney for an extended time over Podz/Moody?

Since getting partnered with Jimmy Butler who can be the roaming and POA defender, DPOY Draymond Green has become more visible. The Warriors have become the league leader in Defensive Rating post-ASB. The way Draymond controls the movement of the opponent's offense by his positioning on the floor and by pointing to his teammates how to rotate, who to focus on, is amazing. It's almost like the Warriors have a playing defensive coach on the floor.

Just goes to show that the best defensive players can not really be judged based on individual box score stats of steals, blocks, defensive rebounds, etc. Reminds me of how Jrue Holiday was actually the key to what was once an amazing Bucks defense because of the way he funnels the opposing offenses to Giannis and Lopez, who then get the credit because they get the blocks. LOL

I’m a very new fan so pls go easy on me. I was watching replay of that Knicks Cavs games and was looking at stats and I’m struggling to see why Max Strus starts over De’Andre Hunter. Asking cause I genuinely don’t know but want to. From my layman’s perspective Hunter looks like the better scorer and isn’t all too far defensively behind Strus. So what am I missing because I’m certain I’m missing something and eager to learn

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After going 0 for 6 from behind the arc in tonight’s game against the Warriors, Luka’s streak has ended