NBA: Does the East or West have more star power now?

<span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> Grading four-team James Harden blockbuster trade </a> </div> </div> <p>Very recently, however, a trend has begun to emerge. Some of the league’s star players are now beginning to move to the Eastern Conference. Not all of them; <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leonaka01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kawhi Leonard</a> moved East-to-West in 2019. Yet that same offseason <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Kevin Durant</a> went from the Golden State Warriors to the Brooklyn Nets. Russell Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards. Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks. Finally, James Harden was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Nets.</p> <p>The East has also seen a development of its own star talent, from two-time defending MVP <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> on the Milwaukee Bucks, to young players such as Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), and Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors). Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons play in Philadelphia. Bradley Beal (Wizards) is the league’s leading scorer.</p> <p>Does that mean the tables have finally turned, and the Eastern Conference has more star players than the Western Conference? Let’s look to break it down from a few different angles. Let’s compare former MVPs, All-NBA selections, Advanced metric leaders, and finally a subjective top-30 players evaluation.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Former MVPs </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_378068" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-378068" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1989,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1158116740.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="1989" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1158116740.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1158116740-420x260.jpeg 420w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1158116740-768x477.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA, James Harden (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Turner Sports)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA MVP Power</h2> <p>There are seven active players who have won the NBA’s MVP award. Five of those seven now play in the Eastern Conference. That includes James Harden and Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets, Russell Westbrook on the Washington Wizards, Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks and Derrick Rose on the Detroit Pistons.</p> <p>Only Antetokounmpo is on the same team he won the MVPs for, while the rest have changed teams at least once since. Of that group Rose is now a low-level starter, but the rest have been in the All-NBA mix sometime in the last two seasons. Harden, Durant and Antetokounmpo all have a chance to be in the MVP discussion at season’s end.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="NBA: Picking some way too early All-Star Team rosters" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/12/nba-early-star-team-rosters/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/12/nba-early-star-team-rosters/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> NBA: Picking some way too early All-Star Team rosters </a> </div> </div> <p>Going a little deeper, what percentage of players who finished in the MVP’s top-5 in voting over the last twelve years now play in the East? There are 17 such players, led by LeBron James with an incredible 11 top-five finishes in the last twelve seasons. Of those 17, just seven are in the Eastern Conference (the last-place Detroit Pistons have two!).</p> <p>James is in the West, but the next three players with the most top-five finishes are all in the Eastern Conference; the former Oklahoma City Thunder trio of Harden, Durant and Westbrook. Players such as Rose and Dwight Howard are in the East as they hang around the league in the twilight of their careers.</p> <p>The last two MVP awards belong to the East, as do the last three winners, and four of the last five. Judging solely by MVP firepower, the Eastern Conference leads the pack now.</p> <p><strong>Verdict: Advantage East</strong></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> All-NBA Comparison </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_412328" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-412328" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1279722550.jpeg" alt="Miami Heat" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1279722550.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1279722550-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA, James Harden Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Image</p> </div> </div> <h2>All-NBA Comparison</h2> <p>The MVP award often rewards a narrow set of players, offensive engines on successful teams. That’s the most valuable type of player, so it makes sense, but looking at the All-NBA teams can give us a slightly more broad look at star power in the NBA. It’s also more helpful that All-Star teams, as each conference has equal representation for All-Star rosters but the All-NBA teams are not balanced that way.</p> <p>Looking at the last ten seasons, 39 active players have been named to an All-NBA team. Of those 39, 18 of them (46 percent) are currently in the Eastern Conference. By that quick-and-dirty mark, the West still has more stars.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="Nets: Four big men to consider in free agency" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/18/brooklyn-nets-4-bigs-free-agency/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/18/brooklyn-nets-4-bigs-free-agency/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> Nets: Four big men to consider in free agency </a> </div> </div> <p>The divide becomes even more stark when you total up the individual selections. LeBron James has made the All-NBA team all ten of the seasons in question. While the second-and-third-most selections belong to Eastern Conference players — Russell Westbrook and James Harden, respectively — in total the West far outpaces the East, with 67 total selections to the East’s 47.</p> <p>To narrow the scope more recently, last year’s 15 selections are almost evenly split, with eight players currently in the West and seven in the East. That includes a few players such as Russell Westbrook, Pascal Siakam and Jimmy Butler who at this point are not on track for another selection this year.</p> <p>The optimism for the Eastern Conference would be the age of its stars. They have had a number of young players make their first All-NBA team over the past few seasons, such as Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum and Siakam; all are young and on the rise, and can reasonably expect to be in the All-NBA mix for years to come.</p> <p>For now, however, the Western Conference still holds the edge in All-NBA players, both past and present.</p> <p><strong>Verdict: Advantage West</strong></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Win Shares and Real Plus-Minus </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_391331" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-391331" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1207757185.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1207757185.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1207757185-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA, James Harden Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>Win Shares</h2> <p>There are a number of metrics out there to measure a player’s cumulative impact over the course of a season. None of them are perfect, and in most cases it is best to compare a wide range of stats. For the sake of having one simple metric here, we will pick the historically solid “win shares” from basketballreference.com. It seeks to be an estimate of how many wins a player was worth in a season, trying to balance impact with availability.</p> <p>Last year’s leader in win shares was James Harden, whose 13.1 mark was 1.5 wins higher than anyone else. Of the top 30 players in the league by this metric, exactly 15 play in the Eastern Conference. Slide it out to top 40, and the East adds 8 of the next 10 players. This metric is about even, but with the slight edge to the East.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="Knicks: A trade proposal for Victor Oladipo" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/18/new-york-knicks-trade-victor-oladipo-2/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/18/new-york-knicks-trade-victor-oladipo-2/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> Knicks: A trade proposal for Victor Oladipo </a> </div> </div> <p>What about thus far this season? The numbers are all over the place given the small sample size and the plethora of postponed games due to contact tracing availability. That being said, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Nikola Jokic</a> leads the league with 2.6 win shares, but the Eastern Conference does have five of the top ten, including Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Vucevic. Similarly to last season, 15 of the top 30 players thus far this season are in the East.</p> <h2>Real Plus-Minus</h2> <p>ESPN has their all-in-one statistic, Real Plus-Minus (RPM). Last season Giannis Antetokounmpo was the leader in this stat, with the aforementioned Harden third. The West has seven of the top 10 players according to this metric, but just seven of the top 15. Expand out to 30 and 16 players are now in the East.</p> <p>Take RPM and weight it according to minutes played, and LeBron James slides into first with 19.47 wins added. Harden, Antetokounmpo, Kyle Lowry and Jayson Tatum all appear in the top eight. To continue the trend, 15 of the top 30 players are in the East, with a mirrored number in the West.</p> <p>We could continue to spin out into other metrics, but a quick glance shows that the two leagues appear to be well-balanced in this area.</p> <p><strong>Verdict: Tie</strong></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Most Top 30 Players </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_421130" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-421130" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1294160545.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1294160545.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1294160545-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA, James Harden Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images</p> </div> </div> <h2>Top 30 Player Rankings</h2> <p>Now for a more subjective comparison. I compiled my personal top-30 ranking for the NBA, which is a simple way to identify a “star” player. The name-value of players in the NBA likely extends past 30, while the list of players who can lead a contending team is shorter. We’ll strike for a happy medium.</p> <p>The Eastern Conference now has 16 of my top 30 players, from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant at the top to Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon at the bottom edge. The Western Conference dominates the top 10, with seven players to the East’s three. Yet from 11 to 28 the Eastern Conference boasts 13 of 18.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="NBA Power Rankings: Brooklyn Nets are in the house" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/17/nba-power-rankings-week-4-brooklyn-nets-house/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/17/nba-power-rankings-week-4-brooklyn-nets-house/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> NBA Power Rankings: Brooklyn Nets are in the house </a> </div> </div> <p>This is certainly subjective; if you’re lower on Brogdon, Brown and Pascal Siakam and higher on Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and Kristaps Porzingis, the math swaps based on our arbitrary cutoff line. The bottom line is that it’s close. Based on the past two decades of Western Conference star power, this is in-and-of-itself a sea change in the NBA.</p> <p>We should emphasize here that the West still dominates any look at the elite players in the league. Antetokounmpo, Durant and Harden are the East’s only representatives in my top 10; players such as Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard fill out the last few slots ahead of the East’s second-tier stars.</p> <p>Any cutoff will feel arbitrary, but any cutoff larger than top-10 balances the two conferences about evenly.</p> <p><strong>Verdict: Tie</strong></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Final Conclusion </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_389769" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-389769" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2320,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1210903564.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2320" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1210903564.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1210903564-768x557.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA, James Harden (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Final Conclusion</h2> <p>LeBron James has been the best player in the league for a decade, and as the reigning champion he has not relinquished his throne. He used to rule the Eastern Conference, but two years ago he moved West. At that point in time, it was an overwhelming victory for the West in the star power arms race.</p> <p>Since then, things have begun to swing the other way. The former Young Thunder team, all MVP winners, have all moved East: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook. Jimmy Butler returned to the East. Pascal Siakam, Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons and Bam Adebayo have all developed into players who can affect the title picture.</p> <p>The league’s proven elite players are primarily in the West, the players who have led a team to a title. LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry. Only Kevin Durant can really claim that on the Eastern side of the bracket.</p> <p>The East’s only true advantage is in recent MVP winners, with four of the past five winners. Yet weigh total MVP awards, and LeBron James’ four trophies plus Stephen Curry’s two equal the six on the Eastern side.</p> <p>Our conclusion here is that, for the first time since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were leading the Chicago Bulls to championships, the Eastern Conference can lay a reasonable claim to having as much star power as the West. If players such as Tatum, Adebayo and Trae Young continue their development the scales could be tilted in the East’s favor.</p> <p>The two sides are very close to equal. Yet if forced to pick a side, the Western Conference still holds the slight edge in star power, born out by James and Davis leading the Lakers in their title defense. Check back after the next disgruntled star is traded East.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA: Ranking every team’s best player in 2020-21" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2020/12/24/nba-ranking-every-teams-best-player/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/19/nba-east-west-star-power-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/12/24/nba-ranking-every-teams-best-player/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA: Ranking every team’s best player in 2020-21 </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">