There have been almost 60,000 minutes of basketball played inthis NBA season. That's 40-plus days straight of no sleep. That's an NBA coach's life to an extreme -- a hard life, as I can attest to. But even coaches don't watch 60,000 minutes worth of games. I personally needed numbers to help me capture what I couldn't see.

That's why there is this long-standing phrase in analytics: People see games better than the numbers, but the numbers see all the games. The robots sit there and digest the data coming in, not perfectly but steadily and reliably.

For the purpose of this article, the numbers are going to tell stories about what players are good at in different areas of the game -- midrange shooting, floaters, passing, clutch play and so forth. For that, it is useful to have metrics that see all the games and put them in context. Your eyes don't necessarily remember the air-ball floater thatJalen Brunsontossed up the other day against Charlotte, but the numbers do and they add them up. And, at the end of the season, those numbers are useful.

We'll start with some of the lesser-pondered parts of the game and work up to the best overall players at the end. It's kind of like the Oscars with things such as the Best Short Films early and closing with Best Picture.

The metric used here isNet Points, which balances volume with efficiency to add up to teams' scoring margin. There are automatic leaderboards availablehere, where you can decide for yourself whether to do things as total net points or per game or per-100 possessions. For this list, we did things per game:

Toumani Camara,Portland Trail Blazers

Net points:plus-3.2 per game, plus-255 total

Why he ranks No. 1:What separates Camara from others is that he forces a lot of dead ball turnovers, namely drawing fouls. I would not recommend watching the "highlights" of him taking fouls, but it would be educational for players who want to be a real pest. Camara draws charges at a high rate and he seems to goad players off the ball into pushing him off before falling down for good measure. It's ugly genius.

The runners-up:Tyrese Maxey(plus-3.1),Dyson Daniels(plus-3.0),Nickeil Alexander-Walker(plus-3.0)

Top rookie:VJ Edgecombe(plus-2.6)

Luka Doncic,Los Angeles Lakers

Net points:plus-0.3 per game, plus-20 total

Why he ranks No. 1:The league's tracking of shot types is a little subjective and "fadeaways" often seem to be captured in step-backs. I definitely think of Luka with regard to step-backs, which he takes more than anyone, per Genius IQ. He's not the most proficient, but he's proficient enough that, with the volume, he comes out the best.

The runners-up:Cade Cunningham(plus-0.2),Tobias Harris(plus-0.1),De'Aaron Fox(plus-0.1)

Top rookie:Edgecombe (plus-0.1)

Ajay Mitchell,Oklahoma City Thunder

Net points:plus-2.0 per game (off the bench only, not starting), plus-83 total (off the bench)

Why he ranks No. 1:The Thunder develop talent, don't they? Mitchell was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft and his rookie year was considerably under-noticed when he came off the bench. He made sure to make a mark this year by doing well as a starter when he had to step in.

On the defensive side, amid all the other great defenders in OKC, he allowed the second-lowest shot quality to his matchup -- behind onlyAlex Caruso. Whereas Caruso has seven nicknames, per Basketball-Reference, Mitchell has none and is now playing like he deserves one.

The runners-up:Mitchell Robinson(plus-1.7),Isaiah Joe(plus-1.5),Keldon Johnson(plus-1.3)

Top rookie:Ryan Kalkbrenner(plus-1.1)

Cade Cunningham,Detroit Pistons

Net points:plus-1.3 per game, plus-81 total

Why he ranks No. 1:The two teammates Cunningham has the most assists to this season areJalen DurenandDuncan Robinson, Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside. They are shooting 69% and 66% effectively off his passes, per Genius IQ. That ability to create and see both options without making excessive mistakes is why he edges out Denver'sNikola Jokicthis year.

The runners-up:Jokic (plus-1.3),Jalen Williams(plus-1.0),LaMelo Ball(plus-0.9)

Top rookie:Cooper Flagg(plus-0.7)

Jamal Murray,Denver Nuggets

Net points:plus-2.3 per game, plus-163 total

Why he ranks No. 1:Murray has been good at shooting 3s for years, but this year he is great. Per Genius IQ, he's shooting 46% on 3s off the catch, 2% better than his previous high. He's shooting 42% off the dribble, equaling his career high, but on an extra 1.5 attempts per game. Defending players who can create 3s off the dribble is hard, especially with guys such as Murray, who can also get by you with a dribble. That's why his shooting has led to his best overall offensive season.

The runners-up:Stephen Curry(+2.1),Kon Knueppel(plus-1.9),Anthony Edwards(plus-1.8)

Top rookie:Knueppel (plus-1.9)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Net points:plus-1.0 per game, plus-67 total

Why he ranks No. 1:Not a lot of guys can really help a team with this shot, which is why it has been gradually phased out for most players. Gilgeous-Alexander still adds +1.0 net points per game, which is better than all but 42 players shooting 3s. If we include the fouls he draws on midrange shots (imagine every coach yelling, "Don't foul a midrange shooter!"), his value on shot attempts in the midrange doubles to +2.1 per game. He has mastered a weapon that few can even attempt.

The runners-up:Jokic (+0.5),T.J. McConnell(+0.4),Kevin Durant(+0.4)

Top rookie:Knueppel (+0.0)

Donovan Mitchell,Cleveland Cavaliers

Net points:plus-0.6 per game, plus-38 total

Why he ranks No. 1:Floaters are critical for smaller guards, who can have trouble right at the rim because bigs can intimidate them. But launching from around 10 feet away can neutralize some of the height discrepancies. Mitchell is only 6-foot-2, though his explosiveness at the rim sometimes makes you think he is bigger at times. But, when he can't get to the rim, he has the floater skill, too.

The runners-up:Jokic (plus-0.5),Tyler Herro(plus-0.4), Doncic (plus-0.3)

Top rookie:Maxime Raynaud(plus-0.1)

Giannis Antetokounmpo,Milwaukee Bucks

Net points:plus-3.8 per game, plus-136 total

Why he ranks No. 1:No 65-game requirement for us! Even in just 36 games, Antetokounmpo will finish in the top three of total net points for the season on shots at the rim. That's how good he is at getting to and converting at the rim. Only Duren is close to him in terms of volume at the rim, but Giannis shoots 5% better there and his attempts are self-created 62% of the time vs 35% of the time for Duren (Genius IQ).

The runners-up:Jokic (plus-2.3),Zion Williamson(plus-2.1), Gilgeous-Alexander (plus-2.0)

Top rookie:Flagg (plus-1.2)

Amen Thompson,Houston Rockets

Net points:plus-1.1 per game, plus-88 total

Why he ranks No. 1:You have to have controversy at awards shows, don't you? Here's the category. Thompson is 22nd in terms of rebounds per game, so how does he show up first in terms of net points? Net points captures how many rebounds players allow. Thompson is getting rebounds as a wing and not letting his man have them -- on both sides of the court. This very much comes from an emphasis by the coaching staff down because the Rockets are dominant in this aspect of the game.

The runners-up:Tari Eason(plus-1.0),Donovan Clingan(plus-0.8),Moussa Diabate(plus-0.8)

Top rookie:Knueppel (plus-0.6). Yes, I was surprised, too, but you can check this and he gets a lot of rebounds compared to what he allows individually and teamwise (per GeniusIQ).

Jalen Duren,Detroit Pistons

Net points:plus-1.0 per game, plus-66 total

Why he ranks No. 1:Putback artists thrive when their man helps off of them and on the ball. They force a defender to try to intimidate a shooter but also get back to box out. Duren is that big, strong guy, who can get up for a lob or be patient for a miss that he can rebound and put back. His interior off-ball gravity is around 65th, per the NBA, but maybe some of those defenders should stay home a little more.

The runners-up:Jokic (plus-0.9),Day'Ron Sharpe(plus-0.7), Clingan (plus-0.7)

Top rookie:Kalkbrenner (plus-0.4)