A player's plus/minus stats indicate how well his team performed when that player was on the floor. They can be misleading because they depend on who else is on the floor and who the opponent has on the floor at the time. But they can also be very telling when looked at over several seasons, especially when that player's supporting cast has changed considerably from season to season.
Between 2004 and 2012 the Suns have had three different head coaches and a plethora of different players. The starting lineup changed from season to season, and often in the middle of a season.
Most frequently used Suns starting lineups for each season since 2004:
2004: Nash-Johnson-Richardson-Marion-Stoudemire
2005: Nash-Bell-Marion-Diaw-Thomas
2006: Nash-Bell-Marion-Diaw-Stoudemire
2007: Nash-Bell-Hill-Marion-Stoudemire
2008: Nash-Richardson-Hill-Stoudemire-O'Neal
2009: Nash-Richardson-Hill-Stoudemire-Frye
2010: Nash-Carter-Hill-Frye-Lopez
2011: Nash-Dudley-Hill-Frye-Gortat
That's 16 different players serving as regular starters in Phoenix over eight seasons with only one constant: Steve Nash.
During that time span, Nash's plus/minus points (the number of points that the Suns outscored their opponent by while Nash was on the floor) per 48-minutes was +7.9. That's fourth best in the NBA, behind the trio of Ginobilli, Duncan and Parker from San Antonio. The top 10 is as follows (minimum 5000 min played):
1. Manu Ginonili (+10.6) SA
2. Tim Duncan (+9.5) SA
3. Tony Parker (+8.0) SA
4. Steve Nash (+7.9) PHX
5. Dirk Nowitzki (+7.7) DAL
6. Rajon Rondo (+7.1) BOS
7. LeBron James (+7.0) CLE/MIA
8. Chauncey Billups (+6.4) DET/DEN mostly
9. Kevin Garnett (+6.3) BOS mostly
10. Erick Dampier (+6.3) DAL mostly
http://bkref.com/tiny/PLa7h
Top 10 includes three Spurs, two Celtics and two Mavs. The next closest Sun? Amare Stoudemire at #25.
And if we focus only on the 2005-2010 years before Amare left, Nash's plus/minus was +8.7, 3rd best in the league over that time span. Amare was at #9 (+6.9).
http://bkref.com/tiny/XIbmD
Simply put, when Nash was on the floor, the Suns outscored their opponents by more points than any other team other than the Spurs over the last eight seasons. Even in playoffs (2004-2010), Nash's plus/minus was at +4.7, fifth-best in the NBA in that time span.
It is going to be a long time before the Suns will find another player who can lead the Suns to outscoring opponents by that kind of margin when he's on the floor regardless of who he's on the floor with. It's a unique ability, especially for someone who doesn't generally score those points himself.
Between 2004 and 2012 the Suns have had three different head coaches and a plethora of different players. The starting lineup changed from season to season, and often in the middle of a season.
Most frequently used Suns starting lineups for each season since 2004:
2004: Nash-Johnson-Richardson-Marion-Stoudemire
2005: Nash-Bell-Marion-Diaw-Thomas
2006: Nash-Bell-Marion-Diaw-Stoudemire
2007: Nash-Bell-Hill-Marion-Stoudemire
2008: Nash-Richardson-Hill-Stoudemire-O'Neal
2009: Nash-Richardson-Hill-Stoudemire-Frye
2010: Nash-Carter-Hill-Frye-Lopez
2011: Nash-Dudley-Hill-Frye-Gortat
That's 16 different players serving as regular starters in Phoenix over eight seasons with only one constant: Steve Nash.
During that time span, Nash's plus/minus points (the number of points that the Suns outscored their opponent by while Nash was on the floor) per 48-minutes was +7.9. That's fourth best in the NBA, behind the trio of Ginobilli, Duncan and Parker from San Antonio. The top 10 is as follows (minimum 5000 min played):
1. Manu Ginonili (+10.6) SA
2. Tim Duncan (+9.5) SA
3. Tony Parker (+8.0) SA
4. Steve Nash (+7.9) PHX
5. Dirk Nowitzki (+7.7) DAL
6. Rajon Rondo (+7.1) BOS
7. LeBron James (+7.0) CLE/MIA
8. Chauncey Billups (+6.4) DET/DEN mostly
9. Kevin Garnett (+6.3) BOS mostly
10. Erick Dampier (+6.3) DAL mostly
http://bkref.com/tiny/PLa7h
Top 10 includes three Spurs, two Celtics and two Mavs. The next closest Sun? Amare Stoudemire at #25.
And if we focus only on the 2005-2010 years before Amare left, Nash's plus/minus was +8.7, 3rd best in the league over that time span. Amare was at #9 (+6.9).
http://bkref.com/tiny/XIbmD
Simply put, when Nash was on the floor, the Suns outscored their opponents by more points than any other team other than the Spurs over the last eight seasons. Even in playoffs (2004-2010), Nash's plus/minus was at +4.7, fifth-best in the NBA in that time span.
It is going to be a long time before the Suns will find another player who can lead the Suns to outscoring opponents by that kind of margin when he's on the floor regardless of who he's on the floor with. It's a unique ability, especially for someone who doesn't generally score those points himself.
