I always like to look at players’ stats adjusted to reflect starters’ minutes (36 per game). I’m fully aware it’s not an exact science; especially for players who get very few actual minutes on the court, it can present some false perceptions of a player’s ability. In addition, just because a player who normally plays 18 minutes a game would average 18 points and 11 rebounds in starters’ minutes doesn’t mean that player should necessarily get 36 minutes per game. There are often other factors that play into a player’s actual minutes (defense, maturity, basketball intelligence) that per-36 skewed stats can’t account for. That said, it’s still fun to look at a team’s roster at the end of the season and see what each players’ output would be if they were given 36 minutes per game. It’s also fun to look at these stats for young players as a possible indicator of future possibilities. Here are the 2009-10 Warriors, with their stats adjusted to reflect starters’ minutes:
POINT GUARDS
Stephen Curry: 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.9 steals, 3.0 turnovers, percentages (.462 FG, .437 3P, .885 FT)
C.J Watson: 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.4 turnovers, percentages (.468, .310, .771)
SHOOTING GUARDS
Monta Ellis: 22.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.9 steals, 3.3 turnovers, percentages (.449, .338, .753)
Anthony Morrow: 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.4 turnovers, percentages (.468, .456, .886)
SMALL FORWARDS
Corey Maggette: 24.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.9 turnovers, percentages (.516, .260, .835)
Reggie Williams: 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.3 turnovers, percentages (.495, .359, .839)
Kelenna Azubuike: 19.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.4 blocks, 1.1 turnovers, percentages (.545, .370, .679)
Devean George: 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.6 turnovers, percentages (.432, .390, .696)
POWER FORWARDS
Anthony Tolliver: 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, 1.2 turnovers, percentages (.431, .331, .769)
Anthony Randolph: 18.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.5 blocks, 2.4 turnovers, percentages (.443, .200, .801)
Vladimir Radmanovic: 10.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.9 turnovers, percentages (.385, .267, .762)
CENTERS
Andris Biedrins: 7.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 2.0 blocks, 1.4 turnovers, percentages (.591, .000, .161)
Ronny Turiaf: 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.2 blocks, 2.0 turnovers, percentages (.582, .000, .474)
Chris Hunter: 12.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, 1.4 turnovers, percentages (.502, .000, .754)
Analysis: The stats are interesting, but a few things stand out to me. First, who starts at small forward next season if the Warriors don’t acquire an elite player at the position during the offseason? I think I go with Azubuike because I like his defense. Second, will Anthony Randolph ever get those minutes so he can put up those kind of numbers? And third, I wish you could combine Biedrins and Chris Hunter. That would be a pretty good center.
