No. 8 (tie): Malcolm Brogdon, G Milwaukee Bucks – 44 Total Points
Is Malcolm Brogdon’s appearence surprising to anyone? 2016’s NBA Rookie of the Year, Brogdon is the only NBA player this season with a legitimate shot at making the 50/40/90 club — and he’s doing so by a comfortable margin. In nearly 30 minutes per game, Brogdon is shooting .520/.421/.957 and averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Brogdon has had a breakout season, but scoring low on deep mid-range looks and from three, he remains in the bottom-half of our board. Still, he can hang his hat on the fact he’s tied with one bona-fide superstar…
No. 8 (tie): Kyrie Irving, PG Boston Celtics – 44 Total Points
Ah, our first true superstar comes in at number eight with a total of 44 points. Kyrie, who led the field in shooting percentage on shots 10-16 feet away from the basket, was kept down largely due to low(ish) three-point efficiency and free throw shooting (eleventh in both). Still, there’s not a soul alive who’d doubt Kyrie’s ability as one of the league’s top shooters, especially when he’s the focal point of the East’s fifth-place Celtics.
No. 6: Danilo Gallinari, SF Los Angeles Clippers – 46 Total Points
Danilo Gallinari has enjoyed a stellar season so far, averaging 19 points per game and 6.1 rebounds while functioning as the 1B to Tobias Harris on a surprisingly good Clippers squad. Gallinari ranked highly in the two most important categories — volume and three-point shooting — but was eleventh and twelfth in both mid-Range categories, respectively.
No. 5: Joe Harris, SG Brooklyn Nets – 49 Total Points
Raise your hand if you thought Joe Harris would be among the NBA’s three-point percentage leaders at the seasons halfway point. The four Nets fans who raised their hands can put them down. A young player on his second team in five years (three with Brooklyn), Harris hadn’t shot better than 41.9 percent from three in any season — until now. Currently hitting 47 percent of his triples, Harris is third in the NBA in three-point percentage, trailing Seth Curry and David Bertans (who narrowly missed out in making this list). Harris led in both three-point shooting and two-point shooting from 16+ feet away, but scored low in free throw shooting (twelfth) and short mid-range jumpers (eighth).