Today’s Sports Stats: December 22, 2018
Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon has played 152 games in his NBA career and is a couple months into his third season in the Association. He won the league’s Rookie of the Year honor in 2016-17 and he is a starter and important part of the Bucks team that has one of the best records in the NBA this season.
With all that being said, Brogdon has certainly been a solid performer in his short career… but would you be ready to say that Brogdon is one of the best shooters in the league? Or, are you ready to call him one of the greatest shooters in NBA history?
Before you answer that, let me offer you a few stats that might affect your answer.
Brogdon leads the NBA this season in free throw percentage by making 50 of 51, a .980 percentage (through games of December 21). His career free throw percentage is .893. Of all NBA players with a minimum of 250 career free throw attempts, Brogdon’s.893 percentage ranks 11th all-time in the league.
But in addition to a stellar free throw percentage are a couple of other eye-opening shooting stats. First, Brogdon has a career .408 shooting percentage from three-point range and is a career .510 shooter in two-point attempts in his career. Add it all together and Brogdon’s career shooting percentages are .408 (three-pointers), .510 (two-pointers) and .893 (free throws).
This is where Brogdon’s shooting percentages might get your attention. Of all players with a minimum of 150 career NBA games, Brogdon is one of only seven players in history with a career three-point percentage above .400, a career two-point percentage over .500, and a career free throw percentage over .850.
Of course Brogdon’s career is in the early stages and those percentages have a lot of time (as long as Brogdon’s maintains a long NBA career) to deviate up or down. But if you put stock in these shooting percentages, you would have to say that Brogdon has made a case that he is today one of the league’s best shooters. If we say that years from now is another story.
Here’s a look at the seven players in NBA history with a career three-point percentage above .400, a career two-point percentage over .500, and a career free throw percentage over .850 (through games of December 21, 2018).
Player, Career Games, 2-pt pct, 3-pt pct, FT pct
Wally Szczerbiak, 651 games, .505, .406, .860
Mark Price, 722 games, .501, .402, .904
Steve Nash, 1217 games, .518, .428, .904
Jeff Hornacek, 1077 games, .515, .403, .877
Stephen Curry, 646 games, .514, .438, .905 *
Jose Calderon, 870 games, .507, .408, .872 *
Malcolm Brogdon, 152 games, .510, .408, .893 *
Active players: *
Thoughts? Opinions?
One other quick note: If he continues this pace from the free throw line, Brogdon has a good chance to break the Bucks’ all-time record for highest free throw percentage in a season. Here is a look at the Bucks players who have the highest free throw percentage in a season (minimum of 82 free throw attempts in a season to qualify).
Keith Van Horn, .945 pct, 91 attempts, 2003-04
Jack Sikma, .922 pct, 348 attempts, 1987-88
Ray Allen, .913 pct, 195 attempts, 2002-03
Luke Ridnour, .907 pct, 140 attempts, 2009-10
Ricky Pierce, .907 pct, 311 attempts, 1990-91
Jack Sikma, .905 pct, 294 attempts, 1988-89
Ray Allen, .903 pct, 195 attempts, 1998-99
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Today’s Sports Stat: December 22, 2018
If you are an NFL fan who likes parity and close games, then you have to like what has happened in the league through the first 14 games (15 weeks) of this season.
Consider this: Of the 224 games that have been played in the NFL through Week 15 (games through December 17), 121 games have been decided by one score… eight points or less. If you add the fact that there have been two games that ended in a tie that brings that number to 123. That means that 123 of the 224 games played so far in 2018, or 55%, have been decided by one score.
There have been a few teams that have lost each of their games this year by eight points or less. Topping the list are the Seattle Seahawks. They have lost six games this season, all by eight points or less; their losses have been by 3, 7, 2, 8, 5 and 3 points in 2018.
The Carolina Panthers top the league this season with the most losses by eight points or less this year with seven.
Here’s a look at what percentage of losses each NFL team have suffered this season have been by eight points or less.
100%: Seattle (6 of 6); Chicago (4 of 4); Houston (4 of 4); Kansas City (3 of 3); New Orleans (2 of 2)
88%: Carolina (7 of 8)
86%: Philadelphia (6 of 7)
80%: Pittsburgh (4 of 5)
75%: Denver (6 of 8); Green Bay (6 of 8)
67%: N.Y. Giants (6 of 9); Baltimore (4 of 6); Indianapolis (4 of 6);
60%: Jacksonville (6 of 10)
55%: Tampa Bay (5 of 9)
50%: N.Y. Jets (5 of 10); San Francisco (5 of 10); Dallas (3 of 6); Tennessee (3 of 6)
44%: Atlanta (4 of 9); Detroit (4 of 9)
43%: Cleveland (3 of 7)
40%: New England (2 of 5)
37%: Cincinnati (3 of 8)
33%: Buffalo (3 of 9); Minnesota (2 of 6); L.A. Chargers (1 of 3); L.A. Rams (1 of 3)
29%: Washington (2 of 7)
27%: Arizona (3 of 11); Oakland (3 of 11)
14%: Miami (1 of 7)
The most one-score losses the Packers have had in a season are eight. That happened in 2005 when the team suffered eight of their 12 losses by eight points or less. They lost seven one-score games in 2008 and lost six one-score games in 1984, 1991 and 2010 (in addition to this season).
The 1984 Cleveland Browns hold the NFL record for most losses by four points or less in a season with eight. New England (1993), Houston (1994), Carolina (2001) and the 2008 Packers are tied for second with seven losses by four points or less in a season. This year’s Pack has three losses by four points or less.
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