Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala lead the league in Net Rating leading the team to a league-best record.
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The Golden State Warriors faced a devastating loss in the play-in tournament of the 2020-21 season. Yet, the Warriors made little to no changes in the core players of the team.
Consequently, media analysts gave warriors no chance of being a playoff team coming into the 2021-22 season. ESPN and FiveThirtyEight predicted 48 and 37 wins for the team respectively.
Stephen Curry-led Warriors started the season breaking all expectations. They currently hold the best record in the league sitting at 23 wins and just 5 losses. However, one of the key reasons behind the team’s success is the re-signing of Andre Iguodala.
The former All-Star has been great off the bench for the Dubs. While he is averaging a mere 3.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, his contribution is beyond traditional statistics.
The duo of Curry and Iguodala is currently leading the league in Net Rating. Net rating is the offensive rating minus the defensive rating. In simpler words, it can be defined as how much better or worse the team is when a specific player is on the court.
Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell are the most impactful players in the 2021-22 NBA season
Andre Igoudala holds the top spot in the Net Rating leaderboard with a rating of 16.9. However, Stephen Curry holds the top spot with a rating of 16.5 followed by Donovan Mitchell with a rating of 14.5 with the filter of league statistical minimums.
Andre Iguodala on his right knee, which forced him to miss 11 games recently (plus tomorrow vs Pacers): “Wasn’t any structural damage. Just 1,200 games of high intensity, running the way I run, just kind’ve caught up with you.” pic.twitter.com/htHVhzwtNE
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 12, 2021
Stephen Curry is averaging 27 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. The 2-time scoring champion has an offensive rating of 114.2 and a personal-best defensive rating of 97.7. While Steph is more popularly known for his offensive prowess, it is his defensive presence that has made the difference.
Donovan Mitchell is averaging 25 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. The 2-time All-Star has a team-high offensive rating of 120.6 and a defensive rating of 106. Riding on Spida’s coattails, the Jazz has the third-best record in the league. With 20 wins and just 7 losses, they are just 2.5 games behind the top spot in the WCF.
It is no surprise the teams led by the two most impactful players are riding high in the Western Conference rankings. While the majority of the season is yet to be played, the Warriors and Jazz are strong contenders to end the season with the best record in the league.
