By many metrics, Dwayne Bacon is one of the very worst players in the NBA this season. You’d have to search far and wide to find an advanced stat that likes him, and when you did find it, it would turn out that it used “Last name resemblence to names of food items” as a significant positive modifier. Even the less advanced stats (like the ones that have something to do with the esoteric concept of “percentage”) don’t like him.
But I don’t care about those stats. There is but one stat that DownToBuck cares about: buckets.
And by that measure, Bacon is the 256th best player in the NBA, out of 482. Not the best, bur far, very far, from the worst. Comparable players include: Jahlil Okafor, Michael Porter Jr., and Kyle Korver. That’s pretty good company, I would say! Whereas if he really was among the worst, he’d be rubbing shoulders with losers like Adam Mokoka, Kostas Antetokounmpo, and Udonis Haslem.
Bacon started off strong this season, notching a pair of 20-burgers within the first few games, but then fell off. It’s easy to blame Bacon for not being better, but I chose to blame James Borrego, who obviously hates him just as he hates Malik Monk. Is it any coincidence that when Bacon finally receives real minutes again, he puts up 24, almost leading the Hornets to a win?