Victor Wembanyama’s work around the rim on defense this season has been a boon for the Spurs.
The Denver Nuggets are 6-3 without Nikola Jokić, back in second place in the Western Conference despite the absence of the three-time Kia MVP. Their ability to win without him is a significant development and surprising given that, over the last four seasons, the Nuggets were 20 points per 100 possessions better with Jokić on the floor than they were with him off the floor.
Nuggets’ point diff. per 100 possessions, Jokić on & off floor
| Season | On floor | Off floor | Diff. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | +8.4 | -7.9 | 16.3 | 1 |
| 2022-23 | +12.5 | -10.4 | 22.9 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | +11.8 | -8.6 | 20.4 | 1 |
| 2024-25 | +10.5 | -9.3 | 19.8 | 1 |
| TOTAL | +10.8 | -9.2 | 20.0 |
Rank = Among players who played at least 1,000 minutes for an individual team.
Jokić had the league’s biggest on-off differential (minimum 1,000 minutes played) in each of those four seasons. During those four seasons, the Nuggets were 13-23 when he didn’t play. This season, they’ve got a winning record and a relatively easy schedule over the next two weeks (seven of their next nine games against teams with losing records).
Of course, Jokić is still near the top of the on-off leaderboard. Here are the players with the biggest on-off differentials, with the season set to hit its midway point on Friday …
Note: All stats are through Wednesday, Jan. 14.
1. Offense
Deni Avdija's ability to score on 3 levels is just one reason he's in the midst of a breakout campaign for the Trail Blazers.
The best players have the most significant impact on their team’s offensive numbers. There are five former Kia MVPs in the top 13 on the list below, with Stephen Curry just below the top 12 shown …
Biggest on-off differential, team’s points scored per 100 possessions
| On Court | Off Court | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | MIN | OffRtg | MIN | OffRtg | Diff. |
| Deni Avdija | POR | 1,414 | 116.9 | 564 | 98.1 | 18.8 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 761 | 123.7 | 1,169 | 105.3 | 18.4 |
| Julius Randle | MIN | 1,368 | 120.9 | 615 | 105.3 | 15.6 |
| Nikola Jokić | DEN | 1,106 | 128.0 | 882 | 113.3 | 14.7 |
| James Harden | LAC | 1,316 | 119.6 | 614 | 105.2 | 14.4 |
| Jalen Brunson | NYK | 1,276 | 123.5 | 644 | 109.8 | 13.7 |
| Donovan Mitchell | CLE | 1,286 | 119.9 | 740 | 106.2 | 13.7 |
| Michael Porter Jr. | BKN | 1,026 | 116.3 | 803 | 102.9 | 13.4 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | 1,298 | 122.1 | 695 | 108.9 | 13.2 |
| Jamal Murray | DEN | 1,317 | 125.0 | 671 | 113.1 | 11.9 |
| Pascal Siakam | IND | 1,354 | 110.4 | 624 | 98.8 | 11.6 |
| Peyton Watson | DEN | 1,145 | 125.9 | 843 | 114.5 | 11.4 |
OffRtg = Points scored per 100 possessions
Minimum 500 minutes on the floor (271 players)
Some notes …
- The Wolves’ offense has been excellent (119.6 points scored per 100 possessions) in 901 minutes with both Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle on the floor. It’s been even better (123.5 scored per 100) in Randle’s 467 minutes on the floor without Edwards.
- The Nuggets’ offense has been ridiculously good (133.2 points scored per 100 possessions) in 511 total minutes with Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson and Nikola Jokić on the floor together. And it’s still been pretty efficient (120.1 scored per 100) in 310 minutes with Murray and Watson on the floor without Jokić, though Denver has been outscored (with bad defensive numbers) by 1.8 per 100 in those minutes.
- The Nets are 0-7 without Michael Porter Jr., having lost those seven games by an average of 15.3 points.
- The bottom of the list: The Bulls have scored 10.5 fewer points per 100 possessions with Patrick Williams on the floor (105.7 per 100) than they have with him off the floor (116.2 per 100).
2. Defense
Boston’s Hugo Gonzalez (-11.7 differential) ranks No. 1 in the biggest on-off differential on defense so far this season.
Defensive on-off differentials tend to favor reserves, because they’re generally defending against other reserves, and most of the players below have spent more minutes off the floor than on. So if a full-time starter appears at or near the top of this list (and if his team is in the top 10 defensively), he just might be a Kia Defensive Player of the Year candidate…
Biggest on-off differential, team’s points allowed per 100 possessions
| On Court | Off Court | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | MIN | DefRtg | MIN | DefRtg | Diff. |
| Hugo González | BOS | 509 | 104.5 | 1,363 | 116.2 | -11.7 |
| Ronald Holland II | DET | 756 | 101.5 | 1,078 | 112.9 | -11.4 |
| Victor Wembanyama | SAS | 753 | 103.3 | 1,172 | 114.4 | -11.1 |
| Vince Williams Jr. | MEM | 547 | 104.6 | 1,335 | 115.6 | -11.0 |
| Rudy Gobert | MIN | 1,268 | 107.2 | 715 | 117.8 | -10.6 |
| Lauri Markkanen | UTA | 1,187 | 116.2 | 763 | 126.1 | -9.9 |
| Day’Ron Sharpe | BKN | 661 | 109.1 | 1,168 | 118.7 | -9.6 |
| Jalen Suggs | ORL | 584 | 106.1 | 1,351 | 115.4 | -9.3 |
| Jay Huff | IND | 816 | 109.2 | 1,162 | 118.0 | -8.8 |
| Steven Adams | HOU | 678 | 105.8 | 1,128 | 114.5 | -8.7 |
| Klay Thompson | DAL | 844 | 106.9 | 1,149 | 115.6 | -8.7 |
| Jose Alvarado | NOP | 776 | 112.5 | 1,308 | 121.1 | -8.6 |
DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions
Minimum 500 minutes on the floor (271 players)
Some notes …
- Some of this is 3-point luck. For 11 of the 12 players on this list, the teams’ opponents have shot worse from 3-point range with the player on the floor than they have with them on the floor, with Ron Holland having the biggest differential in that regard (31.6% vs. 37.6%).
- But Spurs opponents have actually shot better from 3-point range with Victor Wembanyama on the floor (36.1%) than they have with him off the floor (35.9%). So his impact is more real, and it’s more about the interior, both how often and how well the opponents have shot in the paint …
Opponent paint shooting w/ Wembanyama on/off floor
| Wembanyama on/off | FGA | FG% | %FGA |
|---|---|---|---|
| On floor | 543 | 50.8% | 39.7% |
| Off floor | 1,120 | 58.8% | 50.4% |
| Diff. | -7.9% | -10.7% |
%FGA = Percentage of total FGA
- Rudy Gobert has a similar differential regarding opponent field goal percentage in the paint (52.2% vs. 59.8%), but not nearly as dramatic regarding the percentage of Minnesota’s opponents’ shots that have come in the paint (49.6% vs. 52.7%).
- The bottom of the list: The Knicks have allowed 12.5 more points per 100 possessions with Jalen Brunson on the floor (119.2 per 100) than they have with him off the floor (106.7 per 100).
3. Overall
Giannis Antetokounmpo (left) and Nikola Jokić are among the overall leaders in on-off differential in 2025-26.
Below is the list that Jokić has dominated for the last four seasons, and we have a new leader this season …
Biggest on-off differential, team’s point differential per 100 possessions
| On Court | Off Court | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | MIN | NetRtg | MIN | NetRtg | Diff. |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 761 | +9.9 | 1,169 | -10.7 | 20.6 |
| Nikola Jokić | DEN | 1,106 | +12.3 | 882 | -3.6 | 15.9 |
| Lauri Markkanen | UTA | 1,187 | -0.9 | 763 | -16.7 | 15.8 |
| Donovan Mitchell | CLE | 1,286 | +8.4 | 740 | -6.4 | 14.8 |
| Hugo González | BOS | 509 | +17.2 | 1,363 | +3.2 | 14.0 |
| Jalen Suggs | ORL | 584 | +10.1 | 1,351 | -3.1 | 13.2 |
| Deni Avdija | POR | 1,414 | +0.6 | 564 | -12.0 | 12.6 |
| AJ Green | MIL | 1,093 | +2.2 | 837 | -10.4 | 12.6 |
| Victor Wembanyama | SAS | 753 | +12.2 | 1,172 | +0.1 | 12.1 |
| Donte DiVincenzo | MIN | 1,290 | +9.2 | 693 | -2.6 | 11.8 |
| Jalen Smith | CHI | 600 | +4.1 | 1,330 | -7.4 | 11.5 |
| Alex Caruso | OKC | 535 | +20.5 | 1,458 | +9.7 | 10.8 |
NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions
Minimum 500 minutes on the floor (271 players)
Some notes …
- The Bucks are 3-11 without Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they’ve also lost three games in which he had a positive plus-minus.
- Lauri Markkanen and Jalen Smith are the two players whose teams have been at least five points per 100 possessions better on both offense and defense with them on the floor than they’ve been without them off the floor. With their loss in Chicago on Wednesday, the Jazz are 0-7 in games Markkanen has missed.
- The Magic have outscored their opponents by 16.7 points per 100 possessions with Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero all on the floor — but that’s been for a total of just 136 minutes.
- The bottom of the list: The Bucks have been 18.7 points per 100 possessions better with Gary Trent Jr. off the floor (plus-6.2 per 100) than they have with him on it (minus-12.5 per 100). Their two most-used lineups are Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner, with either Trent or Kevin Porter Jr taking the last spot. The Porter lineup (plus-16.3 per 100 in 160 minutes) has been 25.3 points per 100 possessions better than the Trent lineup (minus-9.0 per 100 in 169 minutes), with the bigger difference coming on defense.
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John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky
