I thought +\- was shown as a meaningless stat when kyrie scored 55 vs spurs Smith had a higher +\- than kyrie.
I don't think anyone will argue it is a perfect stat but -38?!
We're not talking about 1 or 2 points here. That is a crazy negative score.
Look at some of Wiggins' metrics:
His ORPM on the season is 0.38. That's #115 in the NBA.
His DRPM on the season is -1.75. That's #375 in the NBA. Yikes.
His RPM on the season is -1.37. That's #246 in the NBA.
His WAR on the season is 1.57. That's #159 in the NBA.
All I'm pointing out is highlight dunks don't mean a whole lot at this juncture. Is he an exciting young player? Of course but people vastly overrate him
today. He's very good for a rookie but people frame it as if he's very good when compared to other proven veterans, which he really is not. His ORPM is slightly below guys like Courtney Lee, Kendall Marshall and (gulp) Delly. I'm not stating those guys are or will be better but AW's efficiency stats are generally awful for someone treated like a future star.
I mean, just look at the much maligned Kevin Love
His ORPM on the season is 1.61. That's #53 in the NBA.
His DRPM on the season is 1.67. That's #66 in the NBA.
His RPM on the season is 3.28. That's #42 in the NBA.
His WAR on the season is 8.21. That's #27 in the NBA.
If his DRPM continues to inch up, he'll be a top 60 player in all those markers, which is INCREDIBLE for a third option on a winning team. Especially since those markers aren't restricted by minutes played. Even in a year where he got off to a really slow start, his war is still really strong at 8.21. That's the 7th best out of all PF's and ahead of guys like Ibaka and Griffin. His Real plus minus stats align with Jimmy Butler, who is a 1B option on a top Eastern Conference team.
Maybe most impressive is his DRPM improvement. Of players that play at least 30 minutes a game, he ranks 8th among all PF's in that defensive metric. For all the people ragging on his defense, he's been more than adequate there and has improved from his time in Minnesota.
Now, can you imagine if he continues to shoot like he has post All-Star? He's shooting 45% from the floor and 40% from 3 (even while he's shot 1 more attempt per game).