Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

According to NBA Stats, Chris Bosh has the 3rd highest net rating (point differential per 100 possessions) for any center who has played at least 30 games and at least 24 minutes per game.  I like to think of “net rating” as an efficiency statistic (though it is not a true measure of a player’s efficiency, it nicely sums up a player’s contribution on the offensive and defensive end) but essentially what it means is that when he plays, the Heat score 11.1 more points per 100 possessions than they give up.  So what makes Chris Bosh such a good center?

Offensive Rating: Points Scored Per 100 Possessions
Defensive Rating: Points Conceded Per 100 Possessions
Net Rating: Point Differential Per 100 Possessions

If we compare him to the other top-five efficiency centers, Bosh simply does not turn the ball over.  This speaks to his sound judgment and decision making — he might not make the highlight reel, but he makes the correct play a majority of the time.

Turnover Ratio: Turnovers Per 100 Possessions

He is also the most frequently-used center on the list, and yet he has a remarkably high true shooting percentage (true shooting percentage more accurately estimates how well a player shoots by taking into account three-point shots, two-point shots, and free throws).  As a player gets used more and more, his efficiency should drop (this is the usage-efficiency tradeoff), but Bosh is able to maintain a high level of efficiency, while still being a significant cog in the Heat offense (his usage percentage is 22.6%).  As a matter of comparison, Roy Hibbert has roughly the same usage percentage, but has a much lower true shooting percentage (granted, Roy Hibbert is not even in the same universe as Chris Bosh when it comes to offensive skills).

True Shooting: A Better Way To Measure Field Goal Percentage
Usage Percentage: The Percent of Team Plays That The Player Is Used

One other thing that is relatively amazing about Bosh is that he can keep his true shooting percentage so high while shooting a lot of mid-range jumpers (a shot that  the league, on average, struggles to make).

Just for good measure, here’s Bosh’s shot chart. His accuracy from midrange is astounding.

Where can Bosh improve?  Simple: rebounding. Compared to the other centers, Bosh has a sub-par rebounding percentage.  Out of the five players, he grabs the lowest percentage of his team’s total number of rebounds. I can understand Bosh having a low offensive rebounding percentage — he is utilized as a mid-range jump shooter who can stretch the floor, especially on pick-and-pops, so being that far away from the basket, he’s not going to snatch a lot of rebounds.  But the fact that Bosh has a low defensive rebounding percentage (2nd lowest) leads me to think that this is a big growth area for Bosh.  However, if he can make that rebounding leap, I think he will become a truly elite two-way player.

Who do you think should be the Heat’s starting center?