LeBron James, who enters All-Star 2023 as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, leads the league in fast-break points.
NBA All-Star 2023, which takes place in Salt Lake City, will come with a little more flavor. In the sixth year of the All-Star draft, the selection of teams will take place right before the game.
Captains Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James will have some difficult decisions to make, with a bevy of All-Stars putting up historically good numbers. There are six first-timers and eight international players among this crop of 27 All-Stars, who represent 22 of the league’s 30 teams and range from 21 to 38 years old, from a pair of guys with fewer than 3,000 career points to a guy with 38,411.
Here are some numbers to know about all 27…
— Clutch time = Last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime with a score differential of five points or less.
— Effective field goal percentage = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA
— True shooting percentage = PTS / (2 * (FGM + 0.44 * FTA)))
All stats through Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Bam Adebayo, C/F, Miami Heat
1. One of three players — Royce O’Neale and Jayson Tatum are the others — who’ve played at least 40 games in each of the last six seasons (70 players total) and seen a jump in scoring average in each of the last five. Has gone from 6.9 points per game as a rookie (in 2017-18) to 21.6 this season.
2. Leads the league in total clutch minutes (140) and has shot 23-for-38 (60.5%) with the score within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. That’s the fourth-best mark among 85 players with at least 25 clutch field goal attempts.
3. Has attempted 9.6 times as many mid-range shots (106) as 3-pointers (11). That’s the highest ratio among 257 players with at least 100 total field goal attempts from outside the paint.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Milwaukee Bucks
1. Would be the fifth (different) player in NBA history (and the first in 50 years) to average at least 30 points, 12 rebounds and five assists per game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1972-73), Elgin Baylor (1960-61), Wilt Chamberlain (two times) and Oscar Robertson (1961-62).
2. Has averaged 34.8 points per 36 minutes, the third highest mark in the last 60 years, trailing only James Harden’s 35.4 points per 36 in 2018-19 and his own 34.9 per 36 in ’19-20.
3. Has drawn 9.5 fouls per game, the most for any player in the last 12 seasons.
A 2-time Kia MVP and 2021 All-Star MVP, the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo is making his 7th All-Star appearance.
Jaylen Brown, G/F, Boston Celtics
1. Has shot 79-for-155 (51.0%) from mid-range, the fourth-best mark among 60 players with at least 100 mid-range attempts.
2. Has seen a drop in the percentage of his baskets that have been assisted every season he’s been in the league, from 70.3% as a rookie to 53.1% this season.
3. Only All-Star whose team has been better with him off the floor (plus-8.4 points per 100 possession) than with him on the floor (plus-5.1).
Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors
(Editor’s note: Curry is injured and will not play in the All-Star Game)
1. The only qualified player who’s shot 48% or better from the field, 40% or better from 3-point range, and 90% or better from the line.
2. Leads the league with 2.8 pull-up 3-pointers per game. His 47.3% on pull-up 3s would be the highest mark for a player with at least 200 attempts in the 10 seasons of player tracking, topping his own mark of 43.8% in 2015-16.
3. Has grabbed 8.9% of available rebounds while he’s been on the floor. That’s a career-high rate and ranks third among 48 players 6-3 or shorter who’ve averaged at least 15 minutes per game.
DeMar DeRozan, G/F, Chicago Bulls
1. Leads the league (for the third time in the last four seasons) with 497 mid-range attempts, 224 more than any other player. The 47.1% he’s shot from mid-range ranks 12th among 60 players with at least 100 attempts.
2. Is 7-for-18 (39%) on shots to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime. Both of those totals – the seven makes and the 18 attempts – lead the league.
3. One of four players – Antetokounmpo, James and Jokic are the others – that have shot 50% or better on at least 750 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons.
Luka Doncic, F/G, Dallas Mavericks
1. Leads the league in scoring at 33.3 points per game, with four 50-point games (most in the league). His 11.7 first-quarter points per game would be the highest average for any player in any quarter in the 27 seasons for which we have by-quarter data. Would be the fourth (different) player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game, joining Michael Jordan (1988-89), Oscar Robertson (four times) and Russell Westbrook (2016-17).
2. Leads the league with 7.3 isolation possessions per game. His 1.15 points per possession on isolations ranks fifth among 38 players with 100 total isolation possessions, according to Synergy tracking.
3. Leads the league (for the third straight season) in time of possession at 9.6 minutes per game, what would be the highest mark in the 10 years of tracking data.
The 2019 Kia Rookie of the Year and three-time All-NBA selection is making his fourth All-Star appearance.
Kevin Durant, F, Phoenix Suns
(Editor’s note: Durant is injured and will not play in the All-Star Game)
1. Has a true shooting percentage of 67.3%, the highest mark of his career and what would be the highest mark in NBA history for a player averaging at least 28 points per game.
2. Has shot 57.1% from mid-range, which would be the best mark on at least 200 mid-range attempts in the 27 seasons for which we have shot-location data.
3. Has averaged 1.5 blocks per game, up from 0.9 last season. That’s the eighth-biggest jump among 313 players who’ve played at least 25 games in each of the last two seasons.
Anthony Edwards, G, Minnesota Timberwolves
1. Leads the league in total minutes played (2,173) and ranks second in total miles traveled (153.9).
2. Has attempted 84 2-pointers from 18 feet or deeper, fourth most in the league. His 30-for-84 (35.7%) on those long 2s ranks 21st among 26 players who’ve attempted at least 50.
3. Ranks ninth with 1.6 steals per game this season and is fourth in total steals (284) over his three seasons in the league.
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers
1. One of two players – Franz Wagner is the other – who’ve played at least 1,000 minutes with their team at least five points per 100 possessions better on both offense and defense with them on the floor than they’ve been with them off the floor. The Sixers have been 6.2 points per 100 possessions better offensively and 5.2 per 100 better defensively with Embiid on the floor.
2. His 8.2 points per game as a roll man are the most for any player in the 19 seasons of Synergy tracking.
3. Has shot 38-for-85 (44.2%) on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, but just 12-for-54 (22.2%) on pull-up 3-pointers. That’s the fourth biggest differential among 95 players who’ve attempted at least 50 of each. Has taken only 15.3% of his total shots from 3-point range, the lowest rate of his career.
De’Aaron Fox, G, Sacramento Kings
1. Leads the league in clutch usage rate (44.3%) total clutch points (148). His 57-for-97 (58.8%) shooting on clutch shots is the best mark (by a wide margin) among 29 players with at least 50 clutch field goal attempts.
3. Has been assisted on just five (8.8%) of those 57 clutch buckets and on 23.1% of his total field goals. The latter is the fourth lowest rate among 264 players with at least 100 total field goals.
2. Effective field goal percentage of 55.0% and true shooting percentage of 59.5% are both career-best marks by healthy margins.
Paul George, F, LA Clippers
1. True shooting percentage of 59.1% is the second-highest mark of his career. Has shot 58.1% in the paint, the best mark of his career and up from 50.2% last season.
2. One of 12 players who’ve shot 50% or better on at least 30 clutch field goal attempts. He’s 14-for-19 (74%) on clutch 2-pointers, but 4-for-17 (24%) on clutch 3s.
3. Ranks fifth with 3.5 deflections per game, but has averaged just 1.5 steals, down from 2.2 last season. That’s the third biggest drop among 313 players who’ve played at least 25 games in each of the last two seasons.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
1. Leads the league (for the third straight season) with 24.2 drives per game, the second most for any player in the 10 seasons of tracking data, trailing only his own mark of 25.2 drives per game two seasons ago.
2. Leads the league with 506 total free throws made. Would be just the second player in NBA history to shoot 90% or better on at least 10 free throw attempts per game, joining Durant (with the Thunder) in 2009-10. He’s accounted for 63.2% of the Thunder’s made free throws while he’s been on the floor, which would be the highest rate for any player in the 27 seasons for which we have play-by-play data.
3. Ranks third in total deflections (153) and seventh with 3.4 deflections per game.
Tyrese Haliburton, G, Indiana Pacers
1. Ranks fourth with 10.1 assists per game, up from 8.2 last season. That’s the fourth-biggest jump among 313 players who’ve played at least 25 games in each of the last two seasons. His 4.3 assists per game on 3-pointers would be the fourth-highest mark in the 27 seasons of play-by-play data.
2. Ranks third with 1.8 steals per game. Is one of five players who’ve played at least 500 minutes with more steals (84) than personal fouls (56).
3. One of three players – Curry and Irving are the others – who have shot 37% or better on at least 100 pull-up 3-pointers in each of the last three seasons.
A 2020-21 All-Rookie team member, the Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton is making his first All-Star appearance.
Jrue Holiday, G, Milwaukee Bucks
1. Has taken 39.5% of his shots, the highest rate of his career, from 3-point range. One of six players – Doncic, Haliburton Mitchell are three of the others – who’ve made at least 100 3-pointers with less than half of them being assisted.
2. Registering career-high marks in offensive rebounding percentage (3.7%), defensive rebounding percentage (10.8%) and total rebounding percentage (7.3%).
3. Has shot 10-for-13 (77%) with the score within three points in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. That’s the best mark among 25 players with at least 10 field goal attempts in those situations. He’s also 10-for-10 from the free throw line with the score within three in the last three.
Kyrie Irving, G, Dallas Mavericks
1. Leads the league in both fourth-quarter minutes (10.8) and fourth-quarter points (9.8) per game.
2. Has shot 122-for-221 (55.2%) on pull-up 2-pointers, the second-best mark (behind that of Durant) among 114 players with at least 75 attempts.
3. Has shot 22-for-23 (96%) on clutch free throws, the second-best mark (behind that of Lillard) among 38 players who’ve attempted at least 20.
Jaren Jackson Jr., F/C, Memphis Grizzlies
1. Leads the league with 3.3 blocks per game, which would be the second-highest average for qualified players in the last 10 seasons. Opponents have shot 44.8% at the rim when he’s been there, the best mark (by a wide margin) among 56 players who’ve defended at least 200 shots at the rim.
2. The Grizzlies have allowed just 103.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. That’s the lowest mark (by a wide margin) among 170 players who’ve averaged at least 25 minutes per game.
3. Has an effective field goal percentage of 56.6%, up from 47.7% last season. That’s the third-biggest jump among 224 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons.
LeBron James, F, Los Angeles Lakers
1. Averaging 29.8 points per 36 minutes, the highest rate of his career, topping his rate of 29.3 per 36 last season. His usage rate of 32.3% ranks fifth in the league and is his highest rate in the last 13 seasons (since 2009-10).
2. Leads the league with 6.4 fast-break points per game, the highest mark of his career.
3. Has shot 66.7% in the paint and has an effective field goal percentage of 43.3% on shots from outside the paint. That’s the second biggest differential among 96 players with at least 200 field goal attempts from both in and outside the paint, smaller than only that of Antetokounmpo (63.6% vs. 38.0%).
A three-time All-Star MVP and four-time Kia MVP, the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James is making his 19th All-Star appearance.
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
1. At 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game, would be the third (different) player in NBA history to average a triple-double, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook (four times).
2. Has a true shooting percentage of 70.3%, the highest mark of his career and what would be the highest mark (by a wide margin) in NBA history for a player averaging at least 20 points per game, topping Curry’s mark of 67.5% in 2017-18.
3. Leads the league in cumulative plus-minus by a wide margin, with the Nuggets having outscored their opponents by 531 points with him on the floor. Denver has been 25.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (plus-14.3) than its been with him off the floor (minus-11.0). That would be the second biggest on-off differential (minimum 1,000 minutes on the floor) in the 17 seasons for which we have on-off data, topped only by Draymond Green’s differential of 26.1 per 100 possessions in 2015-16.
Damian Lillard, G, Portland Trail Blazers
1. Registering career-high marks for both points per game (31.4) and points per 36 minutes (31.1).
2. Has a true shooting percentage of 64.8%, up from 55.0% last season. That’s the biggest jump among 224 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons. Leads the league with six games of scoring 30 or more points on a true shooting percentage of 80% or better, with no other player having more than four.
3. Has shot 24-for-25 (96%) on clutch free throws, the best mark among 38 players who’ve attempted at least 20.
Lauri Markkanen, F/C, Utah Jazz
1. Has averaged 24.9 points per game and 26.1 points per 36 minutes, up from 14.8 and 17.3 last season. Those are each the biggest jump (by healthy margins) among players who played at least 25 games or 500 minutes each of the last two seasons. He’s also seen the fourth-biggest jump in rebounds per game and the third-biggest jump in rebounds per 36.
2. Has scored 0.490 points per touch, most among 363 players with at least 500 touches. One of two players – Curry is the other – who’ve shot 55% or better on at least 300 2-point attempts and 40% or better on at least 200 3-point attempts.
3. Only All-Star that’s been assisted on more than 70% of his field goals. Ranks second with 2.8 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game. The 42.3% he’s shot on catch-and-shoot 3s ranks 27th among 179 players who’ve attempted at least 100.
The Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen is making his first All-Star appearance.
Donovan Mitchell, G, Cleveland Cavaliers
1. Registering career-highs for points per game (27.2), effective field goal percentage (57.2%) and true shooting percentage (61.6%).
2. Tied for second with 22 3-pointers in the last four seconds of the shot clock.
3. Has shot 116-for-292 (39.7%) on pull-up 3-pointers, the second-best mark among 17 players with at least 200 attempts. His 49.7% on pull-up 2s is the best mark of his career and ranks 12th among 81 players with at least 100 attempts.
Ja Morant, G, Memphis Grizzlies
1. Leads the league with 12.4 pick-and-roll ball-handler points per game. His 0.93 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball-handler ranks 51st among 111 players with at least 100 total ball-handler possessions.
2. Has averaged 9.1 assists per 36 minutes, up from 7.3 last season. That’s the 11th biggest jump among 263 players who’ve played at least 500 minutes in each of the last two seasons. Already has more double-doubles (17) than he had in any of his previous three seasons and more triple-doubles (5) than he had in his first three seasons combined (4).
3. Has averaged 13.0 points in the paint per game over his four seasons, the most among all guards over that stretch, with his 16.6 per game last season behind the highest mark for any guard in the 27 seasons for which points in the paint have been tracked. His 52.5% shooting in the paint this season is down from 55.6% last season.
Julius Randle, F/C, New York Knicks
1. Ranks second in the league with 4.3 second-chance points per game.
2. Leads the league (for the second time in the last three seasons) with 59 field goals in the last four seconds of the shot clock. The 46.8% he’s shot in the last four seconds ranks fifth among 84 players with at least 50 attempts.
3.His 80 3-pointers in the first quarter are more than any other player has in any quarter and more than he has in the second, third and fourth quarters combined (78).
Domantas Sabonis, F-C, Sacramento Kings
1. Leads the league with 45 double-doubles and has averaged a career-high 6.9 assists per game. On pace to be just the second player in NBA history – joining Wilt Chamberlain – to average at least 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in multiple seasons, having also done so in 2020-21. Only three other players – Jokic, Kevin Garnett and Oscar Robertson – have done it once.
2. Has an effective field goal percentage of 62.9%, the best mark of his career and the fourth-best mark among 112 players with at least 500 field goal attempts.
3. Has defended 478 total shots at the rim, 55 more than any other player. The 64.2% that opponents have shot at the rim when he’s been there ranks 41st among 56 players who’ve defended at least 200 shots at the rim.
Pascal Siakam, F, Toronto Raptors
1. Leads the league (for the second straight season) in minutes per game (37.6) and ranks fifth in miles traveled per game (2.72).
2. One of five players – Curry, Doncic, James and Morant are the others – that have averaged at least 25 points, six rebounds and six assists per game. His 25.2 points and 6.1 assists per game are both career-high marks.
3. Has seen a jump in free throw rate, from 31.4 attempts per 100 shots from the field last season to 39.7 per 100 this season. That has allowed him to see a jump in true shooting percentage while seeing a drop in effective field goal percentage.
Jayson Tatum, F-G, Boston Celtics
1. Has seen jumps in usage rate (from 19.2% as a rookie to 32.1% this season), points per game (from 13.9 to 30.6), rebounds per game (from 5.0 to 8.6) and assists per game (from 1.6 to 4.5) every season he’s been in the league. His true shooting percentage (60.8%) is also a career-high mark and ranks 20th among the 51 players who’ve averaged at least 20 points per game.
2. Has registered the two highest single-game plus-minus marks in the league this season, a plus-46 against Brooklyn on Feb. 1 and a plus-45 against Charlotte on Nov. 28. Overall, the Celtics have been 11.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (plus-9.6) than they’ve been with him off the floor (minus-1.8). That’s the eighth-biggest differential among 206 players that have played at least 1,000 minutes for a single team.
3. Has shot 101-for-238 (42.4%) on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, the eighth-best mark among 54 players who’ve attempted at least 200. But he’s shot just (75-for-262) 28.6% on pull-up 3-pointers, the worst mark among 31 players who’ve attempted at least 150.
A two-time All-NBA team member and 2022 Larry Bird Trophy winner, the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum is receiving his fourth All-Star selection.
Zion Williamson, F, New Orleans Pelicans
(Editor’s note: Williamson is injured and will not play in the All-Star Game)
1. Leads the league with 19.1 points in the paint per game, which would be the second-highest mark in the last 20 seasons, trailing only his own 20.3 points in the paint per game in 2020-21.
2. True shooting percentage of 65.2% the best mark of his career and the third-best mark (behind those of Durant and Curry) among the 19 players who’ve averaged at least 25 points per game.
3. His 0.24 made 3-pointers per game would be the second-fewest for any player averaging at least 25 points in the last 10 seasons, higher than only his own 0.16 3s per game two seasons ago.
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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