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The NBA is a superstar-driven league. This is something that most fans will have observed to hold true since the first time they sat in front of the idiot box or made their way to an NBA arena. The best players in the game are the ones who can consistently affect their team's play on both sides of the court.
But sometimes, certain rosters are set up in such a way that a less important player might become more irreplaceable than a franchise player - purely because he provides something to the team that cannot be replicated by anyone else on the squad.
That's the reason why the top player on this list is an unexpected one, although the other four are legitimate superstars in their own right. This is a list of the players who are essentially the most irreplaceable players on their rosters - the ones whose presence on the floor causes the biggest boost to the overall performance of the team.
We tried to measure this using nba.com's on/off court splits for net rating. None of the figures used here are pace-adjusted. Our countdown begins with:
#5 Jimmy Butler - 12.8
Jimmy Butler made the switch from the Bulls to the Wolves last summer as Chicago entered a rebuilding phase. While Minnesota were bundled out of the playoffs in the first round itself by Houston Rockets, the fact that they made their first postseason in 14 years will allow people to view their season as a success.
This turnaround in their fortunes could not have been possible without the influence of Jimmy Butler. On his arrival, he became the team's focal point on offense while setting their defensive tone. Indeed, Butler has been one of the best 2-way players in the league for a while now, and in my opinion is the best at his usual position of shooting guard.
The Timberwolves had a net rating of 8.3 points per 100 possessions with Jimmy G Buckets on the court, but this dropped to -4.5 when he moved off it.
#4 Karl-Anthony Towns - 13.1
By all accounts, Karl-Anthony Towns has made rapid strides in each of his first three seasons in the league. After landing at Minnesota as the #1 overall pick in 2015, KAT was deemed to be the most NBA-ready prospect in that draft class and was also slated to be the one with the highest value.
Towns' shooting splits during the regular season were historic numbers for any center: he's the only center in the league to slash a line of 54.5% from the field, 42.1% from 3-point range and 85.8% from the free throw line.
While his points per game average took a hit due to Butler's arrival as the #1 option, he continued to develop on the defensive end, and one could see him anchoring an above-average NBA defense in the near future. The fact that the Wolves' defense yielded about 3 points more per 100 possessions when he sat is a clear indicator of his defensive advancement.
The Minnesota Timberwolves possessed a net rating of 5.9 points per 100 possessions with KAT on the court. This figure dropped to a lowly -7.2 points per 100 possessions with him off it, giving him the fourth-best on/off court differential in the Association.
#3 Jrue Holiday - 13.6
Jrue Holiday was one of the best two-way guards in the league for the duration of the 2017-18 season, but his efforts went under the radar as the Pelicans' big two grabbed most of the headlines in the initial stages of the season. His importance was underpinned after Cousins' Achilles injury after the conclusion of All-Star voting, as he rose to the challenge of increased offensive responsibility.
Holiday was arguably the Pelicans' most important player in the first round playoff series against the Trail Blazers. He was responsible for guarding Lillard, and it was his defense that caused Lillard Time to take a holiday (okay, forgive me for that pun) as the Pelicans swept Portland.
Holiday continued his excellent play against the Warriors, whose superior firepower eventually proved too much for New Orleans. Nevertheless, he makes the cut here as the third most irreplaceable player in the league - the Pelicans' net rating of 5.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the hardwood dropped to a pathetic -7.9 with him off it.
#2 Victor Oladipo - 13.7
Before the start of the 2017-18 season, the Paul George trade to Oklahoma City Thunder was met with a lot of vitriol by Pacers fans, who believed that they got robbed. The emergence of Domantas Sabonis and newly-crowned Most Improved Player Victor Oladipo has now completely turned the public opinion about who won that trade around.
Oladipo was the life and soul of the Pacers this season, putting them on his back throughout the regular season as they grabbed the 5th seed; most people believed they would be one of the worst teams in the Association before tipoff. The massive chip on 'Dipo's shoulder resulted in one of the most dominant two-way seasons a shooting guard has ever had in this millennium.
His impact on the Pacers' fortunes looks even more impressive when you factor in his on/off-court differentials - the Pacers had a healthy 6.4 net rating with him on the court, but this figure dropped to -7.3 when he sat.
#1 Robert Covington - 15.0
The fact that All-World defender Robert Covington has landed on this list is, if anything, a reaffirmation of the importance that defense plays in basketball. Covington is the prototypical 3-and-D swingman in the modern NBA. He has a deadly 3-point shot when left open, and he is one of those players who can guard 4 positions on the court.
Time and again, Covington demonstrated his value as the Philadelphia 76ers' best defender: their defensive rating falls by nearly 8 points per 100 possessions when he sits. Covington ranks among the league's top players in steals and deflections per game.
The spacing he provides allows the Sixers to post a spectacular net rating of 10.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the court. That figure becomes a dastardly -4.1 points per 100 possessions when he sits, yielding the league's highest on/off-court differential of a whopping 15 points per 100 possessions.
Guess the Lakers players!
