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Among all advanced statistics out there for the general public to avail of, the net rating is one of the more understated but important ones.
Granted, during the course of one game, it could skew one particular player's impact somewhat higher or lower, but these average out over the course of an 82-game regular season in the fashion that the NBA plays.
Net rating, for the uninitiated, is the difference between a player's offensive rating and his defensive rating. Offensive and defensive rating are respectively defined as the number of points a team scores and concede over 100 possessions.
The great advantage of this is that unlike points per game and points conceded per game, this is a pace-neutral stat, thus allowing us to compare players and teams on a more even footing.
Let's take a look at the top five players through the 2017-18 regular season campaign in terms of net rating.
Note: For a player to qualify for this list, he had to play a minimum of 15 minutes per game for 41 or more regular season matches.
#5 Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid has yet to have a full season with a clean bill of health with the Philadelphia 76ers, but it is quite clear to even casual fans that right now, the Cameroonian is the best two-way center in the league.
Among all centers averaging more than 15 minutes per game and playing 41 or more games through the season, Embiid ranked third in defensive rating (at 99.7 points conceded per 100 possessions) and seventh in offensive rating (111.4 points scored per 100 possessions).
Through 64 games played in the 2017-18 regular season, 'The Process' recorded the best net rating among all centers with a figure of 11.6 points per 100 possessions.
Further proof of his dominance on defense is the fact that he allowed a beggarly 43.6% shot conversion to players from less than six feet out - better than league average by 16.3%.
Embiid is absolutely one of the top ten players in the league today, and the league recognized it this year by naming him to the All-NBA Second Team.
#4 Fred VanVleet
Steady Freddie was more than just a steady backup to Kyle Lowry in Dwane Casey's regular season rotations.
The duo often shared the same court alongside DeMar DeRozan, with Toronto lighting it up on the offensive end with undersized players at the 1-3 spots. VanVleet is more than just your ordinary point guard, though; he's one of the toughest defenders to score one-on-one against at his position.
This is borne out by his net rating of 12.1 points per 100 possessions - good for fourth in the league through the regular season campaign.
VanVleet is a free agent this summer, and any team looking to upgrade at the point guard position should find him to be an intriguing fit - unless Masai Ujiri signs him up before competitors.
#3 Chris Paul
The record-setting Chris Paul trade in June 2017 made it possible for the Rockets to push the Warriors to the limit.
At first, they seized control of the No. 1 seed from the Warriors for the first time in four seasons, finishing with a regular season record of 65-17.
Then, after making short work of the playoff challenges from the Timberwolves and Utah, they took them to the limit in the Conference Finals, ending up with a 3-2 lead in the games the Point God played in.
Paul was only available for 58 games during the regular season for the Rockets, but his presence took so much pressure of Harden's shoulders that he was able to concentrate on his isolation scoring without double-teams arriving.
CP3's net rating of 12.8 points per 100 possessions bears evidence to the two-way nature of his game.
#2 Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon has been one of the most valuable sixth men in the league in his past 2 seasons at H-Town.
This notion is borne out by the Sixth Man of the Year trophy he won during the 2016-17 season - he raised his scoring averages by nearly two points per game this season, but that didn't stop Lou Williams from bagging another six MOTY title to his list of accomplishments in the league (deservedly so, obviously).
Gordon is an important part of the Rocket's three-pointer-trigger-happy style of play. He spaces the floor in a manner that few other guards in the league can, in addition to being a pretty good slasher into the paint area.
Gordon is built like a tank, and this helps him take up bigger assignments on defense as well. His net rating of 13.1 points per 100 possessions places him at second on this list.
#1 Wardell Stephen Curry
Wardell has drawn level with The King, winning his third championship this season with an emphatic sweep of the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
While he himself was off in Game three, he lit it right up in the other games and was a massive reason why the Warriors were able to make shorter work of the Cavs than the Spurs or the Pelicans, who each took them to five games in the Western Conference playoffs.
Curry missed many games this year due to an assortment of injuries, including a strained MCL and a rolled ankle that's troubled him quite often in the past.
But in the time that he was on the court during the regular season, the Warriors hung right with the Rockets up until February in the race for the Association's top seed.
Curry's impact on court was much higher than any other Warrior, as proved by his unreal offensive rating of 120.6 and his league-leading net rating of 14.7 points per 100 possessions.
His simple presence on the court exerts a gravity effect on the defense, opening up shots for the rest of his teammates even when he's having one of his colder shooting nights.
What do you think about our list? Sound off your opinion in the comments section below!
