Stereotyping -- Guys Who Play Like a Good White Player

Here is what you do: toss out all guys who aren't qualified for awards based upon too few minutes played.

Then ask, "What is a good white NBA player supposed to be able to do and not do?"

1) Shoot free throws extremely well -- think Steve Alford, Mark Price, Kyle Macy. etc.

2) Shoot accurately either from 3 or from the floor in general -- "heady guy, takes good shots"

3) He is a good ballhandler -- so a good assist-to-turnover guy -- "won't hurt you out there"

4) Not an active defender (so either an outright poor defender or a guy who plays good position D but just doesn't get many steals or blocks). "Well, he is physically limited, but has good intangibles, is a team guy, understands team defense..."


So, I took the top 50 free throw shooters and started sorting from there. (50 guys left)

Then I looked at the guys who were either top 50 from 3 or top 50 from the floor overall. This drops the number of "plays like a good white player" guys to 20:

Peja, Chauncey, Ben Gordon, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Derek Fisher, Dirk Nowitski, Kevin Martin, Grant Hill, Ginobili, Mo Williams, Danny Granger, Wally, Paul Pierce, Rashard Lewis, Mike Dunleavy, Richard Hamilton, Hedo Turkoglu, David Lee, Chris Paul. (8 are white, 12 are not).


So, moving to item #3 -- guys who are top 50 in assist-to-turnover -- we lose all but 7 guys:

Chris Paul, Chauncey, Nash, Derek Fisher, Grant Hill, Mo Williams, Richard Hamilton (1 is white, 6 are not)


Chris Paul was #1 in the league in total steals and steals per game, so he loses his stereotypical "whiteness" there -- he is DQed.

Then it all depends on how you limit steals and blocks. If you say that you cannot have greater than 1 steal or 1 block a game, you lose Chauncey and Mo Williams, barely. If you say you can't be a top 50 guy in the league, you lose Grant Hill (.8 blocks a game, barely top 50). If you just say, "Hey, they aren't that great at either stat," you get to keep all 6.


So, inclusive Good White Player list -- Chauncey, Nash, Fisher, Hill, Williams, Hamilton

Excluding guys who are even somewhat OK at steals or blocks, you get the "whitest" set of guys:
Nash, Fisher, Hamilton.


So there you go. Not gonna get that sort of analysis in any mainstream medium.