Basketball-Statistics: At Which Position Are Great Players the Most Important

Is Jon Nichols doing the most interesting work around right now or just the most interesting work I know about or just the most interesting work I know about and believe I understand? Regardless, his latest piece appears to support the Hawks' disinclination to rush into a big, long-term deal with great guy, nice player, probably underutilized, almost certainly not a franchise player Marvin Williams:

Overall, it appears that small forwards are the most important, followed by power forwards, centers, shooting guards, and point guards. I’ve heard people suggest small forwards are crucial to a team’s success in the past. Three of the remaining four teams in the playoffs last year featured a small forward as their main playmaker. And as my study on the shooting abilities of small forwards showed, it’s best not to have a specialist at that position. What you need is a player who can do it all because that position appears to be very important to your team being successful.

For those so inclined, I highly recommend clicking through to study the full range of data which is, as always, well presented.