Per-minute scoring and usage are quite even across all four players. Much gaudier passing stats for players A and B separate them from their counterparts, with Player B also carrying a considerable advantage in shooting efficiency and plus-minus stats. Player C has an impressive combination of usage and scoring efficiency, but high turnovers and an abysmal On-Off plus-minus rating bring down his overall value. Player D is the guard version of (a poor man’s) Carmelo Anthony: volume scoring, so-so peripherals, average shooting efficiency at high usage, and extremely low turnovers.

Player A is Kyle Lowry.

Player B is Jeff Teague.

Player C is Brandon Knight.

Player D is Kemba Walker.

I’ll admit, I came into this exercise with Kyle Lowry specifically in mind as its poster boy. I even penciled his name in at the top of this section before pulling down any stats. He’s had an outstanding year, shouldering a heavy load for a really good offense, contributing on defense, and helping his team make a leap. He is an underrated and worthy participant in any All-Star discussion. Gun to my head, I still think he’s better than Jeff Teague.

Alas, he simply hasn’t been as good as Teague has been this season.

Teague’s true shooting percentage of 59.4 percent at 25.1 percent usage is just awesome, and his turnovers are manageable given his assist rate and ability to offset them with steals on the defensive end. While the narrative surrounding the Hawks is that they’re a deep team without a star, they have been nearly 11 points per 100 possessions better with Teague on the court than on the bench. As such, he gets the nod. Lowry us the first guy off the bench on my All-Non-All-Star All-Star Team.

Knight and Walker make the reserve list as well, though their cases are more nuanced. Knight’s numbers as a scorer are outstanding — stunningly high usage and very good efficiency — but his play-making skills have a long way to go. His turnover ratio is too high, and that brutal On-Off number is the product of his team posting much lower shooting percentages and assist rates with Knight on the court compared to when he’s on the bench. Milwaukee’s offense just runs better when he’s not at the helm of it. More and more, Knight looks like a valuable third guard who would do better playing at the off-guard rather than running the offense himself.

Walker’s counting stats and shooting efficiency have stayed very flat throughout his career. His improvement has come as a result of reducing his turnover rate from “OK” to “Crazy good for a ball-handling guard.” I’m still not sure what he is, exactly, but he’s certainly had a nice year.