For the most part, the gravity of NBA players as measured by SportVU tracking data conforms to conventional wisdom. When SportVU's two gravity metrics -- gravity score and distraction score -- are combined by our Tom Haberstroh into what he terms defensive "respect," the leaders are mostly elite shooters, while nonscorers rank near the bottom of the list.
However, the relationship isn't always perfect. There are some players (besides Dwyane Wade, profiled yesterday) who rank higher or lower than we might expect based on their skill sets. While we don't have Scully and Mulder to help, we can still dig deeper into the dark matter of these counterexamples: The gravity "X-Files."
Carter-Williams
Michael Carter-Williams | PG | Philadelphia 76ers
Respect rank: 30
Carter-Williams exemplifies one truism proven out by SportVU data: When it comes to spacing, taking 3s is more important than whether they go in. The percentage of shots a player attempts from beyond the arc correlates more strongly to distraction score than 3-point percentage. That's particularly true in the case of Carter-Williams, whose 26.4 percent 3-point shooting as a rookie was one of the lowest marks in NBA history for someone with at least 200 attempts. Yet defenses were still hesitant to double off Carter-Williams, perhaps because few Sixers teammates commanded a double-team.
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins | C | Sacramento Kings
Respect rank: 311
Since only 313 players were ranked in terms of their gravitational pull, Cousins is third from the bottom -- a stunning spot for a member of the USA World Cup roster who posted a 26.1 PER last season. Cousins isn't a floor spacer, certainly, but most post players have high gravity scores because their defenders can't leave them open. There's also a strong correlation between usage rate and gravity score. Yet Cousins' gravity is below average for a center.
Raymond Felton
Raymond Felton | PG | Dallas Mavericks
Respect rank: 192
On the surface, Felton's respect rank looks reasonable. When compared to his fellow point guards, Felton plummets. In fact, he has the worst respect rating of any point guard and ranks last in the league relative to the average at his position. Felton, who made 31.8 percent of his 3-pointers last season, certainly isn't a good shooter. But nor is he the worst shooter at point guard in the NBA.
Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin | PF | Los Angeles Clippers
Respect rank: 278
Griffin made a respectable 37.2 percent of his 2-point attempts beyond 16 feet last season, per Basketball-Reference.com, and obviously teams must account for him anywhere near the basket. Nonetheless, Griffin's gravity was only average for a power forward, and his distraction score -- measuring how much his defender can help against the Clippers' ball handler -- was below it.
Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka | PF | Oklahoma City Thunder
Respect rank: 277
Since Ibaka spends so much time on the perimeter, it makes sense that his gravity score would be worse than the average power forward. Typically, that should pay off in an above-average distraction score. Not so for Ibaka, despite his excellent 45.7 percent accuracy on 2-pointers beyond 16 feet. We'll see whether Ibaka's improving 3-point shooting (38.3 percent last season, though on just 60 attempts) will give him more gravity.
Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson | G | Oklahoma City Thunder
Respect rank: 153
A decent 3-point shooter (33.9 percent last season) who got hot during the playoffs (39.6 percent, on 2.8 attempts per game), Jackson nonetheless failed to inspire much respect from defenders. Teammate Russell Westbrook had a slightly higher distraction rating as a 31.8 percent 3-point shooter. So if Jackson replaces departed Thabo Sefolosha (rank: 144) at shooting guard, it may not actually improve the Thunder's spacing.
Wes Johnson
Wes Johnson | F | Los Angeles Lakers
Respect rank: 99
Adjusted for position based on minutes played (Johnson played about two-thirds of his minutes at small forward and the other third at power forward), Johnson improves all the way to 30th in respect -- heady stuff for a 34.6 percent career 3-point shooter. He was more accurate last season (36.9 percent), but that seems to be a benefit of playing Johnson at power forward -- which, naturally, new Lakers head coach Byron Scott has said he won't do this season.
Josh McRoberts
Josh McRoberts | PF | Miami Heat
Respect rank: 290
The Heat's new stretch-4 is not only a capable 3-point shooter (36.1 percent last season in Charlotte on 3.7 attempts per game) but also an incredible passer for a frontcourt player (he ranked second among frontcourt players behind Joakim Noah in assist rate). Yet McRoberts was below average in both distraction and gravity. Besides the high-G presence of Al Jefferson in the paint, the explanation might be that McRoberts passed too much As Haberstroh noted in his Miami player profiles, McRoberts passed more frequently per touch than anyone in the league.
Nikola Pekovic
Nikola Pekovic | C | Minnesota Timberwolves
Respect rank: 195
Nobody exemplifies the gravitational pull of a post player who rarely leaves the basket area better than Pekovic. Of the top 20 players in position-adjusted respect score, 19 made at least 1.4 3-pointers per 36 minutes. The other was Pekovic, who did not attempt a single 3 all season. But Pekovic shot 63.8 percent inside three feet, per Basketball-Reference.com, meaning his defender can't leave him without risking giving up a layup.
Jason Smith
Jason Smith | F/C | New York Knicks
Respect rank: 313
As noted with Cousins, there were 313 qualifying players ranked by respect score last season, which puts Smith last in the league. The former New Orleans Pelican is known for his midrange shooting, so it's no surprise his gravity score is relatively low for a big man (only Andrew Bogut was lower among full-time post players). But while most big men with low gravity scores are above average in distraction, Smith is slightly worse than average. So his jumpers may not actually space the floor.