The Quietest 15 and 13 Season Ever

There have been 9 seasons in the NBA in which a player has recorded over 1000 assists. John Stockton did it 7 times, Isiah Thomas did it once, and Kevin Porter did it in 1978-79. Porter recorded over 300 more assists (1099 to 762) than John Lucas, who had the 2nd most assists that season. Porter averaged 13.4 assists (to go along with 15.4 points per game) and no other player averaged double digits. And yet Porter received exactly zero MVP votes and was shut out from the All-NBA Teams (First and Second, as there were only two All-NBA teams in those days).

Kevin Porter led the NBA in assists four times, yet never got an MVP vote, made an All-NBA Team, or even an All-Star Team. For context, the only other player in NBA history to lead the NBA in assists multiple times and not make an All-NBA team was Guy Rodgers (in 1962-63 and 1966-67), but Rodgers made the All-Star team four times. In fact, the only players besides Rodgers and Porter to lead the NBA in assists multiple times (starting in 1952) are Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul. Not a stinker in the bunch. 4 Hall of Famers and 3 future Hall of Famers (yes, I am already projecting Chris Paul as a Hall of Famer).

So how does a player record 13.4 assists per game (the 7th highest average in NBA history!) and get absolutely no recognition?

First, let's examine the players who made the All-NBA team ahead of Porter. The four guards selected were George Gervin and Paul Westphal on the First Team, and Phil Ford and World B. Free on the Second Team. Gervin lead the league in scoring at 29.6 PPG on 54% shooting. No qualms there. Westphal averaged 24 points and 6 assists on a 50 win Phoenix team that finished 3rd in the West. Can't argue with that. World B. Free averaged 28 points (but didn't do much else - 4 rebounds, 4 assists) on a 43 win San Diego team that missed the playoffs. Doesn't sound as good as 15 and 13 to me. Phil Ford, in his rookie season, averaged 16 and 8.5 on a 48 win Kansas City team that won its division. I can't help but feel that Ford got the nod over Porter for the same reason that Wes Unseld won the MVP in 1969 as a rookie - the writers fell in love with a young player and overvalued his contribution. Ford never made another All-NBA Team or even an All-Star team. Point proven. Porter was in his 7th season, and 78-79 was his third time leading the league in assists.

So the Westphal and Gervin selections can't really be refuted. The Free and Ford selections are dubious, however.

As for the MVP voting, 10 players got votes (in order): Moses Malone, Gervin, Elvin Hayes, Kareem, Bob Dandridge, World B. Free, Jack Sikma, Ford, David Thompson, and Walter Davis. Besides Ford, none of the votes can really be disputed. Moses was deserving. Hayes and Dandridge were the best players on the team (Washington) with the best record. World B. Free did have a good season. Kareem is Kareem. Sikma is a little dubious, as the Seattle team that year was led by Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson and Sikma. Thompson and Davis were the leading scorers on playoff teams. But how can a player average over 13 assists not get a single MVP vote?

Let's look at Porter now. Three Pistons scored more than Porter: Bob Lanier, ML Carr, and John Long. But Porter seemingly handled all of the playmaking duties, as no other Piston averaged more than 3.3 assists. Porter shot a decent percentage, 48%. He averaged almost 2 steals, but over 4 turnovers (though Porter didn't lead the league - turnover machine George McGinnis did). I can't imagine a point guard in 2010 averaging double digit assists without at least making the All-Star team. Just seems crazy.

Along the same logic as Michael Adams' quiet 26 and 10 season, Kevin Porter put up his 15 and 13 on a non-playoff team, the Detroit Pistons, who finished tied for 8th out of 11 in the East with a record of 30-52. By all statistical metrics, the Pistons were a below average team in 1978-79, but they were not the worst by an means. They didn't play a ridiculous pace that inflated Porter's numbers (the Pistons played the 6th fastest pace in the league). They weren't particularly bad, they just weren't any good. But is that enough to shut off a historically awesome season from postseason recognition? I can't believe it did.