Marcus Lee: A statistical superstar

Written by Melbourne United Media

Since joining Melbourne United in Round 7, Marcus Lee has established himself as one of the best big-men in the league.

While it took the towering American four games to register his first victory, since United’s win on December 10, no player has even come close to the numbers he has been putting up.

Lee’s raw numbers since December 10 may seem unassuming, with the center averaging 10.5 points, eight rebounds and nearly two blocks per game, his advanced statistics are simply otherworldly.

Since December 10, Marcus Lee ranks:

#1 in net rating - 50.6

#1 in offensive rating - 149.2

#1 in defensive rating - 98.6

#1 in PER (player efficiency rating)- 32.7

#1 in block percentage - 7.1

#1 in offensive rebounding percentage - 17%

Stats glossary

On top of all of that, Lee put up a statline that hasn’t been seen since Mark Bradtke in 1999, registering 22 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks on over 80% shooting from the field.

Speaking after United’s sixth victory in eight games, Head Coach Dean Vickerman praised Lee for not only his play, but his fit within MU’s culture.

“If you want to look at numbers, he’s got one of the best defensive ratings in the league, his offensive rating is off the chart with his efficiency, and then he just fits into our team so well with our culture,” he said.

“He and Isaac (Humphires) have a great relationship, but he just has a joy about him in the way he plays. It's fun, he enjoys it… he’s been massive for us, and today was a massive one when we needed him out there.”

When it comes to how he has been producing such eye-opening numbers, Lee said it’s simple: just have fun on the court.

“That’s something I’ve learnt throughout my basketball career, I play better when I’m having fun and enjoying each moment on the court,” Lee continued.

“Here with Melbourne it’s just so easy to do that because you’ve got guys around us, you’ve got coaches around us that just allow you to enjoy what you’re doing, they just lift you up with energy and I just try to pass it right back to them.

“We’re having fun each and every day but we’re also demanding so much of each other.

“This week and today, coach really stressed ‘What are you going to give to the team?’. There’s always going to be that one moment where you’re exhausted and you’re going to have to give a little extra, and our team really did that today and we’re going to try to continue to do that.”

Lee’s next opportunity to continue his tremendous run of form will come on Thursday evening, when United hit the road to face the New Zealand Breakers from 5:30pm.

Fans can tune in on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.