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J.P. Prince is the most efficient player in the SEC
By rbk | February 16, 2009
Sound sensational? Sound ridiculous? I assure you that it is neither.
It’s been clear to anyone with eyes that J.P. has been one of our best players in recent weeks, so I decided to take a look at some stats to see just how well he is doing. Thanks to StatSheet.com, there are some nice stats available to look at and we can break them down to just SEC play if we like. That’s precisely what I want.
Let’s cut to the chase. The following is a ranking of SEC players (SEC games only) in terms of offensive rating– an individual analog to the offensive efficiency of a team.
1 ) 130.5 J.P. Prince (TENN)
2 ) 127.3 Jodie Meeks (UK)
3 ) 124.9 Marcus Thornton (LSU)
4 ) 122.2 Tasmin Mitchell (LSU)
5 ) 120.7 Erving Walker (FLA)
6 ) 120.6 Sam Muldrow (SC)
7 ) 117.0 Phil Turner (MSST)
8 ) 117.0 Tyler Smith (TENN)
9 ) 116.3 Mikhail Torrance (ALA)
10) 115.5 Nick Calathes (FLA)
Your eyes do not deceive you. Higher than Jodie Meeks, higher than Marcus Thornton, higher than Nick Calathes, there sits J.P. Prince atop a very impressive group, statistically. For a guy with far more than his share of detractors, he sure is playing good basketball.
To drive the point further, Prince is 1st in eFG%, 1st in raw FG%, 6th in 2FG%, and 2nd in FT rate (getting to the line). He’s also 1st in assist/TO ratio and 5th in assist rate, 8th in steal rate, and 11th in block%. If that’s not a complete game from a veteran leader, I don’t know what is.
Here’s to you, J.P. You’re a major reason we are competing to win the East and your continued strong play will be crucial down the stretch. Keep it up!
To those of you who like to criticize him for a lack of a jumpshot or a supposed me-first attitude (an accusation for which I have never seen any real evidence), it might help if you paid attention to what he’s doing for our team these days before you rush to judgment. He’s one of our best team players and we wouldn’t be where we are without him.
Carry on.
Topic: Uncategorized | Tags: J.P. Prince
February 16th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Impressive, and I’m not surprised! He’s one of my favorite Vols, and I don’t see how anyone can accuse him of being selfish. He’s a rebounding an assist machine, and he’s been very unselfish this year.
February 16th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
rbk, the issue with JP is not ability or his contributions when his desire level is where it needs to be; the issue with JP is his willingness to do the little things to fill up the stat sheet every night. Compare the Auburn game and the Vandy game to see what I mean.
His outstanding efforts more than offset the weak ones so he averages out as the most efficient player in the SEC. My point is that he could be third team All-American level if he played that way all the time. He has “out of this world” talent but he has to consistently show some “want to”.
Specifically, JP can defend, getting deflections and anticipating passes; he can make amazing passes; he can get the garbage, loose balls; and, he can create his shot on the drive.
But, he doesn’t have a jump shot and is a below average free throw shooter (guessing here). He doesn’t always want to play defense (closing out on three ball shooters, hustling back into plays on the rotations and otherwise taking plays off). And, he doesn’t always rebound. He can. He just has to want to.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Great post. So he can’t shoot jumpshots? Who cares? At least he’s smart enough not to take them. Instead he drives to the whole and either finishes or dishes with great efficiency. And he’s a nightmare for the opponent guarding the top of the zone in our halfcourt defense with his long ass arms.
Keep it up J.P.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Pete,
That’s what I’m talking about . . . sort of. The notion that he doesn’t give full effort I believe to be false. If you watch some of the other players I could name names that more regularly don’t put out the kind of effort J.P. does.
Again I think this comes back to body language. J.P. sometimes carries himself in a way that suggests he’s too nonchalant, but I think his effort on the court is clear nonetheless. He has up games and down games but since SEC play started it would be hard to find a more consistent Vol than Prince.
You and I don’t disagree often but I think we’ll have to agree to do just that on the J.P. issue. Regardless, I’m sure we can both agree that a good, consistent game from J.P. is key to winning the East and bettering our seeding.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Kappy, JP was 0-2 on wide open threes (1-5 overall). Normally, he refrains from shooting threes because he stinks as a jump shooter. I agree with you that it’s great when he drives to the rim because he finishes well and he passes beautifully. Unfortunately, he didn’t do anything particularly well in this game (but he had lots of company).
rbk, I don’t know that we disagree as much as it seems. JP is a very efficient player, so your post was great. He shot a high percentage (FG 74%) in SEC play before last night’s game. That sharply boosts his efficiency numbers. He has a good assist/TO ratio as well.
He can fill up the rest of the stat sheet when he shows some “want to”. Vandy would be a good example of that. Auburn would not (zero rebounds, 1 steal).
My point is that his effort level isn’t always there. With his size and hands, he can create more disruption through deflections and steals. He doesn’t always work hard on the boards because he can be a great rebounder for a guard. He’s amazingly talented.
My frustration stems from JP whining at the refs and not putting forth the effort to fill up the stat sheet every night. Ole Miss would be a great example of not being focused on that. I’d suggest the argument about effort should be focused on rebounds and steals (effort plays) instead of efficiency.
We agree JP is a big key to our success. We both bleed orange and really want this TN team to live up to its talent level. Here’s hoping for a good finish. Keep up the great posts.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
[...] been Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism (with five star emphasis if Patterson sits out), and J.P. Prince - the most efficient player in the SEC - has been everywhere the last few weeks. If form holds and both teams have struggles with the [...]