Zach LaVine recently delivered a stellar performance, scoring 42 points in a mere 31 minutes during the Kings' victory over the Hornets, achieving an impressive 16 of 19 shooting. This marks his efficiency as the second-best 40-point game in Kings history. In contrast, Joel Embiid's triple-double on February 4th yielded mixed reactions despite his 29 points and 11 rebounds, with metrics indicating a negative impact on his team’s performance.

ESPN's new metric, Net Points, provides a more granular analysis of players' contributions, factoring in every aspect of their game. Embiid's performance, according to this metric, was rated at minus-0.8, suggesting he cost his team a point compared to an average player. Meanwhile, LaVine's efficiency earned him a plus-15.4 Net Points, ranking it among the top individual performances of the season. The introduction of Net Points allows for deeper insights into player effectiveness and the factors driving team success, revealing that traditional box score stats may not fully encapsulate a player's impact.