PER?
Of course, PER (Player Efficiency Rating) doesn’t mean everything in the league. Sometimes the metric folks can run rampant, sort of arguing with each other. But I think it is certainly worth looking at for Neal.
Gary Neal has a PER rating of 10.43, which is pretty low on the chart. Part of that is what we discussed on the previous slide, which is that he is shooting a historically low percentage this season, but that it doesn’t reflect the reality of his shooting ability. His PER is above Norris Cole’s rating, and just a shade below Andre Iguodala.
The Golden State Warriors are fairly happy about getting Iguodala off the bench. The same is the case with Neal.
Having a guy like that who can come off the bench, and really light it up, has tremendous effect for the Heat. Especially because, as I have written, the Heat are in desperate need of offense. And the key for Miami is to be able to do that efficiently.
Next: He Will Help Third Quarters