In the NBA analytics landscape, Plus/Minus emerges as a crucial metric, offering insights into a player’s impact on the game. This statistic exposes the point differentials when a player is on the court, providing a practical gauge of their team’s performance. A positive plus/minus denotes a team that has outscored its opponents, reflecting the player’s positive influence, while a negative reading implies the opposite – the team fell behind during the player’s on-court presence.
A plus/minus of +10, for instance, encapsulates the story of a player fostering a 10-point advantage for their team against the opponent. Significantly, Plus/Minus goes beyond offensive contributions, acknowledging defensive prowess and applauding players who excel on both ends of the court.
Here’s the 25 players that have the best TOTAL plus/minus in NBA history. Keeping in mind that plus/minus has only been officially been available since the 2007-08 NBA season.
| # | PLAYER | Plus/Minus | TEAM | GP | NBA Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Duncan | +8910 | San Antonio Spurs | 1392 | 5 |
| 2 | LeBron James | +7269 | Miami Heat | 1432 | 4 |
| 3 | Dirk Nowitzki | +6541 | Dallas Mavericks | 1522 | 1 |
| 4 | Chris Paul | +6039 | New Orleans Hornets | 1227 | 0 |
| 5 | Tony Parker | +5690 | San Antonio Spurs | 1254 | 4 |
| 6 | Stephen Curry | +5689 | Golden State Warriors | 893 | 4 |
| 7 | Manu Ginobili | +5468 | San Antonio Spurs | 1057 | 4 |
| 8 | Steve Nash | +5043 | Phoenix Suns | 1217 | 0 |
| 9 | Kevin Garnett | +4913 | Boston Celtics | 1382 | 1 |
| 10 | Shaquille O'Neal | +4887 | Los Angeles Lakers | 912 | 4 |
| 11 | Kevin Durant | +4539 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 997 | 2 |
| 12 | Rasheed Wallace | +4390 | Detroit Pistons | 1044 | 1 |
| 13 | Derek Fisher | +4164 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1287 | 5 |
| 14 | Kobe Bryant | +4153 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1346 | 5 |
| 15 | Draymond Green | +4133 | Golden State Warriors | 767 | 4 |
| 16 | Kawhi Leonard | +3954 | San Antonio Spurs | 638 | 2 |
| 17 | James Harden | +3902 | Houston Rockets | 1005 | 0 |
| 18 | Klay Thompson | +3897 | Golden State Warriors | 728 | 4 |
| 19 | Jason Kidd | +3868 | Dallas Mavericks | 1231 | 1 |
| 20 | Ray Allen | +3491 | Boston Celtics | 1300 | 2 |
| 21 | Danny Green | +3449 | San Antonio Spurs | 832 | 3 |
| 22 | Paul Pierce | +3345 | Boston Celtics | 1343 | 1 |
| 23 | Paul George | +3062 | Indiana Pacers | 803 | 0 |
| 24 | Andre Iguodala | +3024 | Golden State Warriors | 1231 | 4 |
| 25 | Karl Malone | +3010 | Utah Jazz | 578 | 0 |
For coaches and analysts, this plus/minus stat has becomes a cornerstone in assessing a player’s comprehensive impact. While one game with extremely high +/- can be a fluke, a player having a long stretch of games in the positive plus/minus certainly points to that player’s positive contribution to that team’s success and in that particular system.
Plus/Minus leads to winning, and often NBA Championships
Given the strong correlation between plus/minus numbers and team success, it’s not surprising that NBA enthusiasts keen on strategic NBA betting often look closely at players’ career plus/minus stats. The dominance of key players from perennially successful teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers has undoubtedly influenced the dynamics of NBA betting.
Tim Duncan reigns supreme at the top of this list with nearly a +9000 in plus/minus since the 2007-08 season, underscoring his pivotal role in hundreds of victories and five NBA titles. This statistical insight adds an intriguing layer to the NBA betting landscape, where fans analyze not only team dynamics but also the individual contributions that shape the outcomes of games.
There are only five players on the list of players with the highest cumulative +/- that don’t have an NBA championship to their names: Chris Paul, Steve Nash, James Harden, Paul George, and Karl Malone. Outside of these five players, an excellent career plus/minus number often correlates with a great chance at having an NBA title on your resume.
Again, plus/minus has only been officially recorded since the 2007-08 NBA season, so that’s why we don’t see the likes of NBA players that are known for winning and multiple championships: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Russell, Isiah Thomas, and Robert Horry (whose last year in the league was 2007-08).
Essentially, plus/minus stands as the NBA’s acknowledgment of a player’s undeniable contribution to favorable outcomes, capturing the intricate interplay between individual performance and team success, but as you’ve read, a high plus/minus total definitely means you won a lot of games in your career, and can correlate to winning an NBA championship, or three.
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