As KG's Career Grinds to a Close -- His Current "Top 12" Placements

There are 12 guys on an NBA roster.   So, if you are one of the top 12 players of all-time in any category, you have had a great career.
Kevin Garnett is limping toward the finish line, but his top 12s are impressive:


-- 12th in total baskets made (above Dan Issel, below John Havlicek)

8th in Win Shares -- above Oscar, below Dirk

-- 8th in Total Rebounds -- above Duncan, below Robert Parrish (Duncan will almost certainly pass KG)

7th in Defensive Win Shares -- above Elvin Hayes, below Karl Malone

-- 5th in Minutes Played -- above Wilt, below Elvin Hayes  (good shot at 3rd -- needs only a few hundred minutes)

5th in Games Played -- soon to be above Kevin Willis, below Karl Malone

-- 4th in Career "Value Over Replacement Player" stat -- above Charles Barkley, below LeBron, Karl Malone and Michael Jordan.  KG has 93.75 VORP, which, per basketball-reference.com, means you take that number and multiply by 2.7 to achieve "wins above a replacement player" -- KG with 253 extra wins for his team, over 12 a year, so if you would have been 30-52, you were 42-40.  Impressive.  From 1999-2000 through 2007-08, KG never fell below 5th in this stat and was #1 in 2002-03 through 2004-05.

3rd in Defensive Rebounds -- above Duncan, below Karl Malone and Artis Gilmore.  (2nd tossing out ABA stats, needs 89 board to pass Malone on NBA list).


When you have 8 statistics where you are top 12 all-time, you are truly one of the all-time greats.