The most effective players on exactly half of the 30 NBA teams have posted an Effectiveness Rating (ER) in the range of 31-35.6. The outliers are the following:
- LeBron James- 49.07
- Chris Paul- 48.89
- Chris Bosh- 46.34
- Kobe Bryant-45.98
- Dwyane Wade- 43.28
- Dirk Nowitzki- 42.41
- Carmelo Anthony- 42.18
- Kevin Durant- 40.05
- Deron Williams- 39.05
- Chris Kaman- 37.14
- Steve Nash-37.10
- Boris Diaw- 24.94
- Al Jefferson- 25.78
- Trevor Ariza- 28.76
- Jason Thompson- 29.29
James, Paul, Bryant, Wade, Nowitzki, Durant, and Williams were all consensus first-round fantasy draft choices, while Bosh and Nash were both safe second-round choices. Chris Kaman and Carmelo Anthony, on the other hand, have had huge fantasy starts and are big time "Sell High" candidates.
Of the other four players, Diaw's Bobcats and Jefferson's Timberwolves have looked putrid so far, while Ariza's Rockets and Thompson's Kings have had surprising success. Look for Houston and Sacramento to falter if they don't get improved contributions from their top-tier talents.
Consistency
- Rajon Rondo- .13
- Eric Gordon- .14
- Chris Bosh- .18
- Joe Johnson- .25
- Ben Gordon- .19
- Gerald Wallace- .20
- LeBron James- .20
- Rodney Stuckey- .20
- Jonny Flynn- .21
- Chris Paul- .25
- Andrew Bynum- .25
Many of the players on this list are proven commodities and big time fantasy names. However, four names in particular stand out.
The two most consistent performers over the first few weeks are young guards Rajon Rondo and Eric Gordon. Both players are integral to their teams, as seen by Rondo's huge extension and the Clippers 0-6 record without Gordon over the last 2 years.
The third is Andrew Bynum. Bynum has always been a promising young talent, but hasn't been able to stay on the floor. He looks like he has taken a huge step so far in '09 and if he keeps it up and stays healthy, he'll likely be the NBA's Most Improved Player.
Finally, speaking of post-season awards, rookie Jonny Flynn finds himself among the top 10 most consistent performers during the early season. At this point, Flynn and Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings find themselves as the early favorites for Rookie of the Year.
Overall Impressions
- James, Paul, Wade, and Bryant are widely considered the top four players in the league, and have wasted no time in hitting their stride. Chris Bosh, however, is doing his best to assert his position as the NBA's elite big man.
- Gilbert Arenas has had his ups-and-downs this season. He finally looks healthy, putting up 24 points and 6 assists per game so far, but also leads the league in turnovers, thanks in part to a 12 turnover effort against Miami on Tuesday.
- Brandon Jennings has looked like a future NBA superstar, averaging 20.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in his first 6 NBA games.
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