For as long as the NBA has been around, superstar players have carried the mail.
The league’s first star, George Mikan, paved the way for Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 70s, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 80s, Michael Jordan in the 90s, Kobe Bryant in the 2000s and LeBron James and Stephen Curry in the 2010s.
Today’s NBA has a slew of shining stars, but it’s very tough to determine the true pecking order because there are so many variables. Some players have championships, while others have more impressive stats. Comparing a 33-year-old future Hall of Famer to a 23-year-old phenom isn’t exactly fair, either.
However, we can quantify a star’s true value thanks to the point spread.
Legendary Las Vegas oddsmaker Kenny White has made power ratings and spreads for four decades for all the major professional and collegiate sports. Not only does White have numbers on every team, he takes it to another level and assigns a point value to every player above his replacement, too.
Kenny White’s NBA player power ratings:
6 — Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo
5.5 — Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard
5 — Nikola Jokic
4.5 — Trae Young
4 — Anthony Davis, Paul George, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns
For context, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is worth three points.
It didn’t take long for White’s numerical prowess to pass the test. News broke Friday that Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol. He’ll miss Friday’s playoff game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Before all hell broke loose, the Clippers were a 4-point favorite and the game is now a pick ’em.
That’s four points — exactly how many White said George was worth.
Another injury storyline to follow involves Curry’s availability for Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets. Oddsmakers opened Golden State -4.5 with the belief that the Warriors sharpshooter might play. It’s sounding more and more like Curry will play and the line is now -6.5 and headed for -7.
If Curry isn’t able to go, that betting line could crash down to Warriors -1 or -1.5.
Debates will never stop around bars and barber shops about which NBA player is the best, but White’s power ratings from Las Vegas say that Curry, Durant and Giannis are all a half-point above the rest.
