NBA Star Power Index: De’Aaron Fox, LeBron James, LaMelo Ball, Jalen Brunson all shooting

welcome back NBA Star Power Index: A weekly metric that measures the most talked about players in the league. Being included on this list isn’t necessarily a good thing — it just means you’re attracting the NBA world’s attention. This is not a ranking either. The players are listed here in no particular order. This column will run weekly throughout the regular season.

James shot 6-for-10 in the Lakers’ win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, his best shooting percentage in November down. This is what LeBron has been like over the past three weeks.

Our Sam Quinn reports on arguably the best shooting month of LeBron’s career here.

After going 3-for-5 from 3-point range on Tuesday, LeBron is now shooting over 45 percent from 3-point range in November and 41 percent overall. It was only fitting that James, already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, hit an early three-pointer against the Jazz to surpass the 39,000-point career mark.

At this point, there is nothing more that can be said about what he has done at this age. The man is entering his 21st season and is one of two players averaging at least 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting 50/40 from the field.

Ball scored 36 points in Charlotte’s overtime win over Boston on Monday. He has now scored at least 25 points in eight straight games, including six of eight with at least 30 points. During this period, he averaged more than 9 three-pointers per game and shot 45% from the field.

The problem is, the Hornets are 2-6 in that same stretch, with one of those wins coming against the Wizards, which barely counts. The Hornets have lost a total of 95 points to Ball so far, which is the worst 461 points among 476 players this season.

Of course, this is largely the team’s statistics, and the Hornets are not a good team. But how much does that have to do with Ball? It’s clear he’s a very talented player, but without a better background on the team, it’s hard to know exactly what that is. His gorgeous figures are as high as In terms of winning impact, especially since he’s still an ineffective scorer from behind the arc.

Fox, already an All-Star and All-NBA Third Team selection last season, has taken his game to new heights, taking and hitting more 3-pointers than at any time in his career.

With the mandatory qualifiers still too early, Fox increased its shot attempts from five per game last year to nine this year and its conversion rate from 32% to 38%…and that’s still 2-for-12. in the case of. Monday’s game against the Pelicans.

Fox’s 1.32 points per possession as a pick-and-roll scorer is the best among point guards in the league, according to Synergy. The formula is simple: As one of the fastest players in the league, defenders, especially big men, are forced to give in and/or go under screens to have a chance to stay in front of Fox, allowing for a pull-up three.

In the past, this was a mathematical trade-off that defenses were willing to accept. But Fox is changing that equation, shooting 44 percent from three-point range off the dribble, with 48 percent of those coming in isolation or pick-and-roll situations.

Today, this space is too big:

Fox is tied with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for sixth in the league in scoring with 29.6 points per game, a career high to date. The Kings are 6-2 when he’s on the floor, and their offense ranks just outside the top five when he’s on the floor.

Brunson, named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, has hit 19 of his past 34 three-pointers. This year, his three-point shooting percentage is 48%, a career high. Will he persevere? Not likely at this level, but there’s more in the tank to draw from.

Brunson has excelled in short and mid-range situations over the past few years, but this season, according to CTG, he’s shooting just 35 percent from 4-14 feet, down from 49 percent and 51 percent over the past three seasons. % and 51%. He also shot only 47% from the basket.

These numbers will improve. When they do, if Brunson stays around his current three-point efficiency, the Knicks, already a top-10 offense, will move to another level.

Haliburton continued his MVP-caliber season with 37 points and 16 assists in Indiana’s absolutely insane win over the Hawks on Tuesday. The total of 252.2 points was the highest over/under mark since 1995, and both teams surpassed that mark with just over eight minutes left in the game. The Pacers defeated the Hawks 157-152 and scored a total of 309 points, the ninth-highest non-overtime score in NBA history.

Haliburton scored 26 points in the third quarter, setting a franchise record. Atlanta ranks first in the league in assists per game, assist points per game (per PBP statistics) and assist percentage (per CTG). He also led all point guards with 60 percent mid-range shooting, according to CTG, and 43 percent from three, scoring 134.2 points per 100 possessions, second only among point guards. Stephen Curry.