Analysis: ABA League dunking leaders

The table above lists the top 12 players in the ABA League in dunks this season. 108 different players have converted 523 total dunks through 18 rounds of play. 415 dunks come in one of three situations: cuts, transition opportunities, and rolls to the rim. 8.6% of all made shots in the ABA League are dunks, but only 89% of dunk attempts are made. There are many ways to analyze dunks, but it is difficult to measure the value of a momentum-shifting highlight reel worthy play. A spectacular play can energize a team, and the players above have been responsible for some of the season’s best plays.

Digging Deeper

In Round 18, Marvin Jones took the 2nd spot in the ABA League Top 5 plays with an alley-oop finish on a pass from newcomer Nenad Miljenović. One thing many-but not all-of the player the players on the list above have in common is their ability to finish lobs around the rim. The value of a big and athletic finisher is obvious as it puts pressure on their defender to stay close to them around the rim and not help their teammates when they get beat. Lob threats change the ways opposing teams protect the basket, defend the roll man in the pick and roll, and who they choose to guard in fast break situations. Those types of things may not show up in a box score, but they help teams score offensively.

Though some players - like Latavious Williams who leads the ABA League in dunks per game - score nearly all their dunks on lobs, others like Mornar’s Uros Luković score more of theirs on post feeds. The league has a few uniquely massive centers this season, and Luković may be the most physically gifted of that group. Almost able to dunk the ball without leaving the floor thanks to his extremely long arms, Luković finishes his fair share of lobs, but most of his dunks are on the move off drop passes in situations smaller players would have to lay the ball up. He has led the ABA League in dunks each of the last 2 seasons.

Budućnost VOLI’s Goga Bitadze and ex-FMP big man Dragan Apić are the other two players with over 20 dunks this season. This is perhaps not surprising since both rank among the top-3 scorers in the ABA League, but it is notable that dunks make up only around 14% of their scoring.

Cedevita’s Elgin Cook is another interesting name here, as he is the only wing on a list filled with centers. Few wings spend a lot of time rolling to the rim or waiting for drop passes in the paint, making it difficult for them to get as many dunks as traditional big men, however, Cook has found his way into the sixth position on this list by leading the ABA League in transition dunks. Few players are as fast, or opportunistics as Cook is in the open court.

Insights and Statistics Provided by Synergy Sports Technology