ESPN’s Net Points names SGA best overall
ESPN ran a season wrap using a Net Points framework across 15 categories and concluded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the league’s single most valuable player under that metric. (espn.com) The approach slices value into focused buckets — scoring, shooting, passing, etc. — and TSN’s version of the analysis landed on the same headline: SGA as best overall. (tsn.ca)
A season-long stat model from Dean Oliver at ESPN split player value into 15 separate jobs and still landed on one answer at the end: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did more total winning work than anyone else in the league. The same framework, republished by TSN, reached the same finish. (espn.com) (tsn.ca) The useful part of this model is that it does not ask one fuzzy question like “Who feels most valuable.” It asks 15 smaller questions instead, covering scoring, shooting, passing, rebounding, defense, turnovers, and other pieces that add up to possessions and points. (espn.com) (tsn.ca) That setup helps explain why Gilgeous-Alexander keeps winning these all-in evaluations even when other stars beat him in one box-score column. A player who scores 31.4 points a game on 55.2% shooting, adds 6.5 assists, and keeps turnovers at 2.2 a night is stacking value in several buckets at once. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) His team context pushes the case further. Oklahoma City entered the final stretch at 63-16 on ESPN’s standings page, which means his production was not coming on a middling team playing out the string but on the West’s clear leader. (espn.com) The style matters too. Gilgeous-Alexander does not live on hard, low-percentage shots the way some high-volume scorers do; his profile is built on drives, free throws, short-range touch, and selective three-point shooting, which is why his 2025-26 true shooting mark sat above 66% on advanced stat sites. (craftednba.com) (basketball-reference.com) That is what a “net points” idea is trying to capture in plain English. If one player creates points with his own scoring, sets up teammates, avoids empty possessions, and holds up on defense, he is helping on more trips down the floor than someone who dominates only one category. (espn.com) (tsn.ca) The result also lines up with where the broader awards conversation has been drifting in April 2026. Yahoo’s published 2026 awards ballot picked Gilgeous-Alexander for Most Valuable Player, and multiple late-season pieces framed him as the safest choice rather than a fringe analytics favorite. (sports.yahoo.com 1) (sports.yahoo.com 2) What ESPN’s exercise really did was give that case a map. Instead of saying Gilgeous-Alexander looked like the best player, it broke the season into 15 measurable jobs and showed that the same player kept showing up near the top often enough to win the whole board. (espn.com) (tsn.ca)
