NSL Preaseason Stat Leaders.

This preseason was a fun one to remember. Tons of teams, with new looks and old ones, all preparing and trying new things, all with one goal in mind, to come out as the best team in the regular season. Statistically speaking, when you get guys who are at the top of those statistics, you'll tend to be up there with the best. Let's take a look at the leader of the five major statistical categories and talk about why leading them in the preseason is a good sign for similar production in the regular season. 

PPG Leader - Shai Gilgeous Alexander- 38.9ppg

2nd - Steph Curry- 36ppg

3rd - Damian Lillard- 32.4ppg

4th - Ja Morant- 32ppg

5th - Giannis Antetokunmpo- 31.9ppg

SGA is good, like really good. Arguably the best point guard in the league right now and most definitely a top 10 talent. Last season he averaged around 24ppg in 74 games for Daz and the Bucks, with him looking to take another massive jump this season. There�s two reasons he�s gonna take this jump. One being that he's taking a leap himself, being one of the highest rated players in the game, and 2? Well besides Clarkson and Payton, he�s the only other guard on the team. The ball is gonna be in his hands the majority of the time, so it�s no real surprise his scoring will go up. Now the question will be is he going to win the scoring title, or will someone emerge and steal it from him? 

RPG Leader - Andre Drummond- 19.9rpg

2nd - Joel Embiid- 17.8rpg

3rd - Jonas Valanciunas- 17.8rpg

4th - DeAndre Jordan- 15.7rpg

5th - Jericho Sims- 15.3rpg

It�s no surprise Drummond is the leading rebounder, he�s been among the league's best his whole career. This is a bit different though as his career average is just below 16 a game. The difference? As of right now he's the only true big man on LA�s roster. Now that number may dip a bit with the recent acquisition of the Slim Reaper but I don't expect it to drop much unless LA somehow lands a solid rebounding big in FA, which could be anyone's guess if it happens or not. As for Andre, even if he doesn�t lead the league in rebounds, it would be no surprise to anyone if he stays in the top 5 throughout the season. 

APG Leader - Darius Garland- 10.2apg

2nd - Jordan Poole- 9.7apg

3rd - Delon Wright- 9.2apg

4th - immanuel Quickly- 8.5apg

5th - LaMelo Ball- 7.8apg

Garland is shifty, so shifty, arguably the shiftiest player in the league. The way he moves the ball is like he�s got it on a string 24/7. Garland averaged 5.3apg last season so it wouldn�t be a surprise to see it increase this year, especially with the whole KPJ situation that happened, and him no longer being on a team now. However he could definitely have some competition this year. I can see Ball giving him some fun for his money, and some guys not in the top 5 like CP3 and Haliburton. One thing for sure is don�t be surprised at all if Garland averages even a little more next season than 10 per game. 

SPG Leader - Delon Wright- 2.62spg

2nd - Alex Caruso- 2spg

3rd - Victor Wembanyama- 2spg

4th - Jonathan Issac- 1.85spg

5th - Giannis Antetokounmpo- 1.77spg

An argument can definitely be made that Delon Wright should�ve made All Defense in his career at least once, but he sadly hasn�t. Wright is a great defender with a keen eye at knowing when to stick his hand in the cookie jar and stealing a cookie or two, with a career average of 1.2spg. However this category, arguably, will have the most competition, with a single steal separating 1st from 5th, I fully expect the steals category to have some healthy competition with other names throwing their hats in the ring, with guys like Jrue Holiday and Jalen Brunson seeing success with their new teams and in larger roles. Defense is gonna be very, very fun this year. 

BPG Leader - Victor Wembanyama- 5.31bpg

2nd - Chet Holmgrem- 4.38bpg

3rd - Walker Kessler- 4.15bpg

4th - Jaren Jackson Jr- 3.92bpg

5th - Joel Embiid- 3.77bpg

If SPG is gonna have the closest competition during the season, then BPG might have the least. Yes, it�s only preseason and yes, he�s a rookie, but getting 5 blocks in a game is really good, and averaging it over a 13 game span? Bonkers. Wemby, the 7�4 alien is primed to be the best, if not one of the best defenders in the league this year, finishing first in the preseason in blocks and tied for second in steals, the only player to finish top 5 in the two defensive categories. However he will have some competitors. Fellow Rookie Chet Holmgrem and sophomore Walker Kessler are both going to be protectors of the rim this year and are both in great positions to also be candidates to make NSL ALL Defense. 

This year is going to be fun closes races all around, many games going down to the wire. Game winning shots and stops will litter the highlight reels, but only some can do that highlight worthy stuff on a nightly base. Those guys are the ones that will show up in those statistical boxes with insane performances. I wouldn�t be surprised to maybe even see a record or two be broken this year. Strap in and clench your buttcheeks, gonna be a wild ride this season.