This series examines the Sacramento Kings players’ most recent season giving them a performance grade. Today we will take a look at Anthony Tolliver.
Anthony Tolliver joined the Sacramento Kings last offseason on a contract of 2 years for $16 million. At the time, I chronicled if Tolliver was worth that money here and it turns out he was worth every penny even he never plays another minute on the court for the Kings.
Tolliver proved himself to be a contributor both on and off the court. He played well any time Sacramento put him on the floor, and he was a presence in the locker room mentoring the young players.
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Let us now take a closer look at Tolliver’s on-court exploits on both ends of the floor to examine and explain the performance grades he received.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: For this series, the players on the Kings will be graded on a curve, meaning that the grades handed out to each player reflect more about their ranking on the team rather than their actual performance output.
OFFENSE: Grade- B+
Anthony Tolliver’s traditional stats this season were not attention grabbing. He averaged 7.1 points, 1.4 three-pointers made, 1.2 assists, and 0.9 turnovers per game in his 22.7 minutes a night. The traditional stats far from tell the tale of Tolliver’s on-court contributions, though.
First, enjoy this highlight video of some of Tolliver’s best plays from the first half of this season.
Tolliver provided the Kings with some efficient and effective three-point shooting this season. Sacramento needed three-point help after struggling the previous season, and he provided a nice boost. He shot 39.1% from beyond the arch and 40.6% on corner threes this season. Anthony Tolliver’s floor spacing and three-point efficient was a big boost to Sacramento’s offense and gave them a reserve stretch four they desperately needed.
Let us take a look at a few advanced metrics to see how they rated Tolliver’s offensive production (All advanced metrics courtesy of Basketball Reference). Tolliver earned a positive 0.2 offensive box score plus/minus and offensive win shares of positive 1.5. The advanced metrics approved of Tolliver’s offensive play, and that went a long way in earning him a B+ grade on the season.
DEFENSE: Grade- B-
Anthony Tolliver’s traditional defensive stats are not eye-popping either. He averaged 3.7 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.7 personal fouls a game this season. Even if we extrapolate those to per-36 numbers, they are not unusual traditional numbers.
The traditional statistics were not high, but let us look at the advanced metrics to see if they tell a different story. Tolliver earned positive 0.8 defensive win shares this season. That number alone drove me into the B’s with his grade. The Kings were a bad defensive team this season so for Tolliver to earn a positive defensive win shares number was impressive.
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Tolliver for his career has been a good on-ball defender and can guard his man without producing significant statistical outputs. That often leaves his defense underrated to the average NBA fan, but I believe he earned a B- for his defensive play this season.
Overall 2016-2017: Grade- B
I settled on an overall grade of a B for Anthony Tolliver for this regular season. I was impressed with Tolliver’s play specifically his three-point prowess and defensive abilities. This production was nothing foreign for him, but I guess it went unnoticed by me until I viewed him over the course of a full season.
The advanced metrics rated Tolliver with a positive 0.5 value over replacement player (VORP) and 0.075 win shares per 48 number. That means he rated as an above replacement level player, but slightly below league average. Not bad for a player who rarely receives significant minutes or produces substantial statistical outputs.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, my 2016-2017 season report card for Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver will continue to be underrated next season. The lack of flash and statistical outputs will always allow him to fly under the radar, but I do not think Anthony minds.
Anthony Tolliver’s off-court contributions did not factor into this grading, but I believe he is net positive in that area too. He seems like the type of guy you would always want on your team, and I hope the Kings keep Tolliver around next season (He is under contract, but could be traded away especially since Sacramento appears to be rebuilding).
Next: Sacramento Kings Report Card: Rudy Gay
A Royal Pain will feature all the offseason Sacramento Kings’ content you desire. We will be covering the draft, free agency, and all the juicy rumors, so please check in with us often. Thank you for reading.