CSL Top Scoring Trios

We always hear, especially in the NBA, the big three. The big three this, the big three that...Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. So I thought it'd be interesting to see every team's top three scoring players...not necessarily the team's top players value wise...but their top scoring players. Some may surprise you...

STATS/LIST BASED OFF PREVIOUS SIM


1. Miami Heat - Kevin Durant, Monta Ellis, Isaiah Thomas: 76.8
Well, it's not hard to believe that the Miami Heat sport the highest scoring trio in the league, especially when Durant is putting up 43+ by himself. Just let that sink in first...He's doing 43+ by himself. Then you throw in Ellis and Thomas to bring it up to 76.8 points per game. That means that the rest of the players are only putting up 36.4 points per game...You gotta wonder how this team would be doing if Parka was still here.

2. Indiana Pacers - LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker: 70.9
You can't really be surprised by the Indiana Pacers with this one when LeBron is putting up 38+ on a nightly basis. I still think that this team, come playoff time, will be dangerous and no one will want to play against them. I stand by my prediction of them making the finals too. But this trio of players has been lighting it up all season long...they just lack a center in the middle that's strong enough to hang.

3. New Orleans Pelicans - Marcus Smart, Anthony Davis, DeAndre Jordan: 67.1
Funny thing seeing DeAndre Jordan in a top scoring trio but that's only because Dion Waiters has yet to play a game this season. When he gets back, we may see this team jump Indiana...or even Miami. Every one claims them to be the heavy favorites this year to win it all...and it's hard to argue when you've got Smart and Davis carrying the load for your team with the right amount of role players around them.

4. Portland Trail Blazers - Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Avery Bradly: 65
This one surprised me at first but after looking into them more and seeing what kind of a year Lillard is having. The kid is special...real special. He has transitioned from star player to superstar franchise player for the Trail Blazers. Aldridge isn't a slouch either as he'd likely be the leading scorer on 90% of any other team. Avery Bradley, after resigning with the Blazers, lost his starting spot but still plays a key role off the bench. It's working for Portland.

5. Houston Rockets - James Harden, Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari - 62.7
James Harden and Andre Iguodala continue to lead the charge for the defending Western Conference Champs. They aren't leading the conference or anything but they're still a dangerous team. Adding Gallo to the team during the off season via trade was great for them too. I've always liked Gallo as a player so I loved that trade for Houston. It'll be tough for Houston to make it back to the finals in an even tougher Western Conference.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers - Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, Enes Kanter: 61.8
Look out everyone, the new guy in the front office in Cleveland is making shit happen. He added two players via trade and has turned the Cavs right around...And put them in the top 10 in scoring trios in the league too. Currently 10th in the East, there's still plenty of time to swoop in and steal a playoff spot, especially with the lineup they've got now. And when Milsap comes back...the Cavs will be ready.

7. Philadelphia 76ers - Andrew Bynum, Eric Gordon, Lance Stephenson: 60.1
This is on that surprised me when I was making this list...this team just hasn't gelled at all. They've got new management now and have already sent Wade packing...was Wade the problem? We'll see. Can Stephenson mature enough and actually be a contributing factor for the '6ers? Lot's of questions with this team for me.

8. Washington Wizards - John Wall, Blake Griffin, Jonas Valanciunas: 59.9
The team that I passed on when I first entered the league. This team is just fun to watch. You have athletic freaks of nature in both Wall and Griffin and add a capable big in Jonas...they've got potential to make a splash in the playoffs. I wouldn't sleep on this team at all. They've got a good mix of scoring and defense. I like this team a lot, great job by the front office.

9. Chicago - Derrick Rose, Tiago Splitter, Joe Johnson: 58.7
A lot of people questioned the moves Ben made during the off season, bringing in the likes of Splitter and Johnson...but it's been working for the Bulls. Good enough for the 3rd seed in the East might I add. Rose is having himself an amazing season this year and he doesn't look like he's going to be slowing down either. The Bulls are meshing well and will be tough in the East.

10. Los Angeles Clippers - Chris Paul, Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson: 58.6
The Clippers traded Deron Williams to break up the elite point guard duo, only to eventually bring in another point guard to run along side Paul with Walker coming to town. Walker earned himself a fat contract extension and was putting up stellar numbers next to CP...only to land awkwardly on a fast break to put himself out for 2+ months. The Clippers have hung in there despite their injuries and will still be dangerous come playoff time...even without a defensive anchor in the paint in Josh Smith.

11. Atlanta Hawks - DeMarcus Cousins, Harrison Barnes, Ty Lawson: 58.3
BI has done a great job with his Hawks, doing every thing he can to push them into the elite of the league, to get people talking about the Hawks and how they can go all the way this post season. People don't give much credit to the Hawks because of other teams in the league, but do not sleep on this team at all. Cousins is wreaking havoc in the paint and isn't looking to stop either. MVP candidate in easily in my opinion. The Hawks are the real deal.

12. Dallas Mavericks - DeMar DeRozan, Jeff Teague, OJ Mayo: 57.7
The Mavericks are finally starting to click despite both Teague and Mayo having not played the last couple of games. We made some moves to help our bench to allow our starters some more rest. The Mavs have been able to close out games in the closing minutes of the quarter to pull out wins over Brooklyn, OKC, LAL, Memphis, Utah, and Cleveland. All those teams with the exception of Memphis, have much better records than the Mavs.

13. Los Angeles Lakers - Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, Pau Gasol: 57.1
The Lakers had the steal of free agency signing Luol Deng to an amazing contract and become one of the favorites in the West...but it wasn't working out for them. Then, they got hit by the injury bug again and lost Westbrook for 3 months when he was having himself a fantastic year. The Lakers were clicking...they still are but if they had Westbrook, they could be leading their division.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder - Deron Williams, Paul George, Dwight Howard: 56.9
The Thunder would easily be leading the category if this were the Top Scoring Quads...They've got a lot of talent and are trying to make it work and find the right offense to run. If any coach could handle the egos on this team, it's certainly Phil Jackson. The Thunder were also hit with multiple injuries but they're making it work as well. Now let's see if the Thunder are done making moves to try and keep some stability for the team.

15. Charlotte Hornets - Rudy Gay, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Amare Stoudemire: 54.7
The Hornets haven't been playing like they made it to the Conference finals last year...and are fighting for the 8th seed with the Brooklyn Nets. But they pulled off a trade to hopefully gain some leverage by bringing in Rudy Gay, who we all know can score the ball and defend too. I honestly could see the Hornets sneaking into the playoffs over the Nets...but just barely. Look out for the Hornets to have a new sense of urgency with Rudy on board now.

16. Sacramento Kings - Tyreke Evans, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Pekovic: 54.1
Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to get this article done in time as the Kings, Hawks, and Bulls pulled off a three team trade to send Evans to Atlanta. Oh well, I'll keep this going. Look out for Sacramento next year (and even this year, they aren't push overs anymore).

17. Detroit Pistons - Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Knight, Andre Drummond: 54
The Pistons are proof that you don't need scorers to have one of the best records in the league. They have the third best in the CSL and first in the East with a commanding lead over the Knicks too. The Pistons have a fantastic defense and offense that's working amazingly for them. I'm not sure anyone predicted that the Pistons would be this good this season but dang...they are killing it right now. I give major props to the front office and the coaching staff.

18. Denver Nuggets - Gordon Hayward, Greg Monroe, Jrue Holiday - 53.6
The Nuggets started off the season as the last team to lose a game...and things haven't ever looked the same since. They made a trade to bring in a scorer in Hayward that's helped them to some more wins but being in the toughest division in the league and the tougher conference of the league...it's been rough for the Nuggets. I still like the way this team looks on paper though.

19. New York Knicks - Chris Bosh, Ricky Rubio, JaVale McGee: 52.8
Another example of defense versus offense. The Knicks rank pretty low on these but sit at second in the Eastern Conference thanks to the likes of Rubio coming to New York during the off season. I wasn't sold on this team at the start of the season to be honest but they have certainly proven me wrong. I knew they were a playoff team but I thought they were going to be a lower seed...Nope. Not in the least.

20. Memphis Grizzlies - Marcus Thornton, Thaddeus Young, Julius Randle: 53.6
It's a shame this team doesn't have a general manager to run this young squad. GMs around the league have said how it'd be a fun franchise to turn around but switching teams isn't allowed in the league. So not much else to say about this team. Thornton sure can score the ball though.

21. Minnesota Timberwolves - Ben McLemore, Kevin Love, Jeremy Lin: 50.2
Easily the most underachieving team in the league. You've got Kevin Love, who hasn't been performing up to standards, Jeremy Lin hasn't been having the season he had in New York, they recently shipped out Andrew Bogut, who was having an off year. Even with the addition of Marc Gasol, it hasn't turned into wins yet. This team should be competing for a top seed, not a lower seed. I guess as long as they make it to the playoffs, that's all that matters, right?

22. Utah Jazz - Derrick Favors, Mike Conley, Nicolas Batum: 49.7
Another defensive juggernaut in the league that doesn't rely on scoring like other teams do. The Jazz don't allow very many points to be scored against them but execute well enough to get the job done. For me, this Jazz team sort of reminds me of the NBA San Antonio Spurs. Not very flashy at all but play together to get wins.

23. Phoenix Suns - Mitch McGary, Otto Porter, Kendall Marshall: 48.7
The Suns are a young up and coming team in the league. McGary has taken a step further to elevate his game to be one of the leaders on this team. Along with Porter helping with the scoring load and a floor general in Marshall...this is a great trio that could be dangerous if they're allowed to develop together. It's already been said that Jestor will not be trading any of the three either.

24. Brooklyn Nets - Stephen Curry, David Lee, Carlos Boozer: 48.5
A team that was vastly hurt when their front office was on vacation. I don't think they'd be fighting for a last playoff spot if Goikiri hadn't left but it is what it is and he's got a lot of catching up to do. I just don't think they've got the fire power to outlast the Hornets, as sad as that is. Let's see if they can prove me wrong, which I wouldn't be surprised...I just don't see it. Still though, Steph Curry is a stud.

25. Golden State Warriors - Brook Lopez, Klay Thompson, Rajon Rondo: 48
Yet another example of defense over scoring. They Warriors traded a scoring machine for a defensive anchor. Imagine if Chandler wasn't hurt...having Rondo and Chandler leading your defense? Yeah, that sounds pretty awesome. Still, even without Chandler, the Warriors are a top 4 team in the league battling with the Clippers for the division title.

26. Orlando Magic - Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shane Larkin: 47.6
One of the youngest teams in the league with a bright bright future ahead of them. Wiggins, Giannis, and Noel is pretty sweet, then you add in Larkin and Micic...Give this team a few more years to get there and they'll be competing easily for a spot in the post season. How far they'll go? I'm not quite sure but they'll be fun to watch.

27. Milwaukee Bucks - Kenneth Faried, Kyle Anderson, Nikola Vucevic: 43
The Bucks got the duo inside that I wanted in Faried and Vucevic...And it's been giving the Bucks a few more wins. It's finally allowed Vucevic to have the paint for himself unlike when he was in Dallas. This team has great potential to be something big. They've got the right pieces...but are still a bit raw outside of Vucevic and Faried. With Anderson and Harrison still growing, they'll be good very soon.

28. San Antonio Spurs - Kevin Marin, Ed Davis, Ekpe Udoh: 42.4
A very forgetful season for the Spurs this year. They're in rebuilding mode right now with the likes of Carter-Williams, Davis, Green, and Udoh and trying to let them develop their skills as players. I don't see Kevin Martin staying around for long as he doesn't quite fit in San Antonio, but he's there to score the ball for the Spurs, and he's doing it well.

29. Toronto Raptors - Brandon Jennings, Marcin Gortat, Kevin Seraphin: 42.3
The Raptors have had a disastrous of season. They didn't expect themselves to be the bottom dwellers in the league. They made moves to try and get more wins, but it just hasn't amounted to anything. It didn't help that they lost Paul Pierce for most of the season as well as Trevor Booker for the rest of the season...and some of next season. It's been rough but they do own the picks of Boston, Memphis, and Milwaukee, so that helps (unless they're protected, which I didn't look into).

30. Boston Celtics - Shabazz Muhammad, Ricky Ledo, Patric Young: 34.8[/b]
This may look really bad but they had Hayward who was putting up at least 21+ a game but he was sent packing. The Celtics brought in more young guys to develop...They've got a ton of youngsters on this team...They've already said they're tired of losing and want to turn things around very soon. They're playing for the off season and maturity of Schroder, Len, Young, Muhammad, and Caldwell-Pope, which appears to be a pretty solid team once developed. I still like the Celtics and hope Dennis continues to be patient.

Awesome article man, this must have taken a long, long time to put together.

Not really surprised to see us so low. Excluding Marc Gasol (because he just arrived) all of our starters are averaging between 14-16.8 PPG. No one really stands out as a leading scorer, and that's what I expected. When it translates to wins, that's awesome, but when it doesn't, well...

Nice read man and excellent hard and good job, i like my team description.

Wow, great article.  Glad to see some top teams not in the top in scoring, but man some of those totals of the top three are crazy.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Took a couple of hours to write, wasn't too bad.

Durant is just too good right now. Kid may be able to win it all come playoff time, will be very difficult to beat a guy who scores 50 every single night. I'm just afraid he'll have a major injury before playoff starts, playing 48 a game is tough.

Nice article, inspired me to check some things about my team post Nene trade, when I started to run the system I believe that will bring us success. Maybe an insider coming after this sim, if I finish it all. Lots of stats to check!

Great article! I've never seen one of these before. The scoring numbers Durant and LeBron are putting up are just mind-numbing. It is hilarious to see DeAndre Jordan a member of our top-3 scorers lol.

Phenomenal article! If pieces don't move around so much, it'd be curious to see how this breaks down on a games played with team basis rather than overall season basis, and what the difference between those two lists are. Maybe something to consider doing at the end of the season.

Really In depth article, lots of research (and math lol) went into this.

Starting the season even with Gallo I was anticipating Terrence Ross to be the 3rd scorer but Gallo stepped up.

Is anyone else shocked Tiago Splitter in the Bulls Big 3 scoring.

Again, thanks for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it.

25th ouch lol...but not worried about it, don't expect to have big time scorers. Great article though

I always like to be ranked low in this kind of stats tbh.
Unless you have pretty efficient scorers like Durant, Harden or LeBron, there's not always a correlation between total of points scored and efficiency doing so.

Warriors and Knicks could be a great example of this. GSW ranks 5th in scoring in the whole league at 110ppg, still their best scoring trio ranks 25th. And same with the Knicks, 19th in this list and 3rd in the whole league in scoring at 115ppg.

The ranking I like to look at is how many shoots did they take to score that much points, or just the FG% or eFG% or TS%.
By looking for example at the shoots needed, our trio of Bosh/McGee/McGee score 48,2ppg on just 33,5 FGA.

If you look at the top scoring trios, and mostly thanks to having Durant, LeBron, Harden, AD/Smart on them, they're also pretty efficient in scoring that much. So there definitely is some correlation in the top of the lists thanks to having those pretty efficient players (I mean, Durant is scoring 54.8% on 27.5FGA, LeBron 54.5% on 25.5FGA, Harden 57.9% on 20.9FGA and Lillard 56.5% on 22,7FGA).
But when you don't have players like that on your roster, it's still possible to be on top of the league and even in front of some of those teams in scoring as we both GS and us are proving.

And I mention this not because of this article, just because I was told more than once or twice this offseason that we would lack scoring with in this team. I answered it didn't have to be like that, but it's better proving it with facts rather than words, and now we can see it by looking at the stats.

Anyway great article bestnamezRtaken ;)You really put a hard work on this, and I love this kind of articles based on stats a lot, so really appreciate it as it was a great read.  
Just wanted to point out that it's also possible to lead the league in points as a team without having a big-three or at least a superstar like LeBron, Durant, Harden, cia  

great read - thanks for this

did not expect to see POR in the top 5. Lillard and Aldridge playing great offensively and Bradley found his groove off the bench after a poor start

Cool article tanner!
We will be patient. at least until FA.
started an offline league and created my rooks (though the FG%s are hard to get done, have to rely on workouts %s) and it seems the team could be good with some tweaks.

Nice job on this!

We have a huge drop once you get past Giannis and Wiggins. Not sure how much longer Larkin will be in a Magic uniform so we could have been even further down the list.

Great stuff!

Want to give Dragic the nod here too, he got edged out of the Hornet's top three with the acquisition of Rudy Gay, but his 50% shooting has been awesome for us.

Nice to see how high the cavs are on this list. Great article!

Sick article, I agree with Jamal and the others who said % is more important then raw volume scoring but it's an interesting breakdown for sure. Post Reke trade we are #3 right behind the Pacers at 69 points (Cousins/Reke/Barnes) however for me the thing that stood out is Utah. Their scoring effort is balanced and that team is elite off of team defense primarily which is cool. Same with the Warriors who are historically an offensive minded team.

Good stuff.