NBA Ball Hog Statistical Ranking: Final(?) Update

frank jackson
NBA Ball Hog Statistical Ranking: Final(?) Update
Apr 19, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross (31) makes a three point basket against Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) during the second half of game three of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

My task was simple enough – I wanted to figure out, statistically, who the biggest ball hog/black hole/teammate from hell/etc. was in the NBA.  With the plethora of stats available today, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure that out, I surmised.  While I was researching what stats I should use – Usage %, Assist % – I stumbled across a now defunct site – Basketball-Statistics – that had already done this back in 2009.  Perfect!

After giving their formula some thought and test drives, it seems to pass muster.  You can check out the formula here, but in summary it takes into account how much a player uses up his team’s possessions (Usage %), how well he shoots (True Shooting %) and how often he sets up his teammates (Assist %).  It also takes into account what position on the court the player plays and adjusts the formula based on the average numbers players playing the same position puts on the board.  So, for a true ball hog, we are looking for a guy with an above average Usage Rate (above 20%) who shoots poorly and doesn’t pass.

New #1! Pelicans point guard Frank Jackson takes over the dubious honor as the league’s biggest black hole. At the other end of the spectrum, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are as anti-ball hog as you can get.

 

Stream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today!

 

 NBA Ball Hog Statistical Ranking

(only players with a qualifying amount of minutes played included)

Rank Last Ball Hog Score
1 2 Frank Jackson Point Guard 84.3
2 1 Terrence Ross Wing 77.7
3 7 Dillon Brooks Wing 75.4
4 4 Kelly Oubre Wing 74.5
5 6 T.J. Warren Wing 68.6
6 9 Kyle Kuzma Big 68.5
7 3 Kristaps Porziņģis Big 67.6
8 5 Carmelo Anthony Big 65.9
9 8 Marcus Morris Big 62.8
10 10 RJ Barrett Wing 62.2
11 14 Bojan Bogdanović Wing 60.8
12 13 Malik Beasley Wing 60.0
13 15 Patty Mills Point Guard 59.9
14 17 Jaylen Brown Wing 58.8
15 11 Jaren Jackson Big 58.4
16 12 Kendrick Nunn Point Guard 56.3
17 NR Tyler Herro Wing 53.9
18 16 Darius Garland Point Guard 53.1
19 19 Dennis Schröder Point Guard 52.6
20 20 Lauri Markkanen Big 51.8

 

(The Hoops Manifesto is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

 

Arrow to top