NUMBER crunching for Round 6 starts with the numbers behind the competition’s new leading scorer and a neck and neck race between a budding National Basketball Association (NBA) star and a former Most Valuable Player (MVP). The theme for the rest of the article is field goal percentage and its importance in the National Basketball League (NBL) season.

Back-to-back MVP?

After three consecutive weeks of dominating the scoring, Melo Trimble has been knocked off by the reigning MVP, Bryce Cotton for average points per game. However, it’s only a slim lead for Cotton, whose average of 24.2 is only just ahead of Trimble’s 24.1 points per game. There is daylight between the pair and another former MVP in Jerome Randle, who is averaging 19.8 points per game.

Making baskets counts

It’s no surprise that there is an early correlation between field goal position and ladder position. Cellar-dwellers, Illawarra and Cairns are second-last and last in field goal percentage, as well as holding the bottom two positions on the ladder. Field goal stats can be bolstered by having dominant big men. With Trimble and Todd Blanchfield dominating, its up to Illawarra’s AJ Ogilvy and Cairns’s Nathan Jawai to lift in this area.

Matching it with the best

The NBL always uses the NBA as its benchmark. The NBL is on par with many percentages in the NBA, but actually leads the NBA in free throw percentage: (NBA- 76.19% v NBL- 76.25%). The NBL’s 76.25% free throw percentage is currently best in NBL history.

Best in five years

The high-powered Sydney Kings offence has started to show signs that it will be a force to be reckoned with. Last weekend, the Kings shot 62% from the field, which is the greatest field goal percentage in a game for five years.