Basketball Reference · 1976–2026

NBA Performance Trends

Follow one player from season-by-season performance to a probabilistic forecast of what comes next.

01 · Career arc

Box Plus/Minus across 23 recorded seasons.

Click a data point to see its exact value and season. Fixed comparison scale: ages 18–42 and -10.0–15.0 BPM. The dashed line marks league average: 0. The dotted segment is the model’s 2026-27 projection.

02 · Model forecast · next season

Forecast for 2026-27

Model v1.1.0 · Updated Aug 8, 2026

Outlook

Leans toward a decline.

  • Improving 24%
  • Stable 30%
  • Regressing 46%

Projected BPM

3.5 → 1.9

-1.6 from 2025-26 to 2026-27.

Near career peak

<1%

Chance current performance is within 0.5 BPM of the eventual smoothed peak.

No qualified season

35%

Estimated chance of not logging a qualified 2026-27 season.

What informed this estimate

BPM change last season
-2.1
Minutes vs prior season
-19%
Below career-high BPM
9.7
Three-season BPM trend
-1.50 / season

The model uses only information available through 2025-26. It was evaluated with chronological season splits to reduce look-ahead leakage. Estimates are probabilities, not guarantees.