To be a great NBA player, athletes need size, skill, athleticism, and dedication to their craft. While any player can have a bad game shooting the ball, the one thing he can always control is his level of effort.
A full NBA season can be a grind, and players may be tempted to conserve energy by walking back on defense or letting other players do the work on offense. But over the course of the season, a handful of NBA players have outworked the rest – running the equivalent of two or three miles every game.
To determine the hardest-working players in the NBA, 24/7 Tempo reviewed an analysis of NBA data by the sports insights platform The Action Network. NBA players were ranked based on the total number of miles they covered during games in the 2021-2022 NBA season. Estimated calories burned were calculated based on the players’ weight and miles traveled.
Click here to see the hardest-working players in the NBA
None of the players none this list would be considered superstars. However, they’re essential to their teams’ success – setting screens, moving without the ball to create space, helping out on defense, and crashing the boards to grab rebounds.
As the saying goes, the best ability is availability. These players were able to run such long distances over the season in large part because they all played in at least 74 of their 82 regular season games. Each of the hardest working players was in his 20s during the season covered, and the wear and tear of many NBA seasons has not caught up to them just yet. The players were able to use fresh legs to out-hustle their opponents. These are the youngest players to dominate their sport.
10. Buddy Hield
> Team: Sacramento Kings / Indiana Pacers
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 192.2 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 34,967
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9. Saddiq Bey
> Team: Detroit Pistons
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 192.6 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 36,945
8. Franz Wagner
> Team: Orlando Magic
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 194.2 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 34,653
7. Dorian Finney-Smith
> Team: Dallas Mavericks
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 194.2 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 36,994
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6. Harrison Barnes
> Team: Sacramento Kings
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 195.1 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 36,966
5. Scottie Barnes
> Team: Toronto Raptors
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 201.1 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 37,762
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4. Tyrese Maxey
> Team: Philadelphia 76ers
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 206.1 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 32,784
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3. Tyrese Haliburton
> Team: Sacramento Kings / Indiana Pacers
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 206.7 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 29,436
2. Miles Bridges
> Team: Charlotte Hornets
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 210.7 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 40,578
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1. Mikal Bridges
> Team: Phoenix Suns
> Distance covered (2021-2022 season): 212.5 miles
> Est. calories burned (2021-2022 season): 38,055
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