Rummpd
03-06-2011, 07:33 AM
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/03/04/boundless-potential-with-nbas-advanced-metrics/
Interesting read on SI/CNN that highlights Spurs as a team ahead of the curve in looking at advanced statst (did not clip entire article but here are some interesting points):
Think about how cool (and overwhelming) it would be to able to answer almost any question you could imagine about the NBA. If you could find out, for instance, Kevin Durant’s shooting percentage from the left baseline on shots he takes after dribbling the ball with his left hand at least twice.
We’re getting there, as was made clear during a presentation by Sandy Weil today at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Weil charted a whole bunch of stuff based on data generated from high-tech cameras, with three-dimensional capabilities, a company called STATS, LLC has installed at a handful of NBA arenas this season. The cameras capture an image 25 times per second and record every event on the court and the location of all the key elements involved — the 10 players, the ball, the referees, etc.
The potential is enormous. A few key bullet points before I get into the meat of the findings:
• Weil’s data was based on cameras installed at three arenas, but Brian Kopp, a vice-president at STATS, told me the cameras are currently in place at five arenas — San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Golden State.
San Antonio players, for instance, shoot 60 percent after receiving passes from Tim Duncan. That’s a very high number, Kopp said, and it’s not entirely unexpected, given how much attention Duncan still draws in the post and on pick-and-rolls. But it’s a higher number than the comparable figure for most point guards....
The bulk of Weil’s work focused on how field-goal percentage changes when shooters are guarded closely. Not surprisingly, field-goal percentage drops the closer the primary defender gets to the shooter, and it drops even more the closer a second defender gets to the shooter. Overall, tight defense drops shooting percentage by about 12 percentage points. That’s huge. A tightly contested layup produces about the same amount of points per shot attempt as a wide-open 19-footer, Weil said.
• The other finding that has major implications for your favorite team: Catch-and-shoot attempts are much more efficient than other types of shots when you control for distance and the presence of a defender. A player’s shooting percentage jumps significantly when the last thing he does before the a shot is the act of catching a pass — and not the act of dribbling.
But if you catch a pass and hold the ball for about 2.25 seconds, whatever advantage you gained from catching the pass disappears. This makes sense, since holding the ball gives your defender a chance to catch up to you and prepare to defend your next move.
San Antonio (and Mavs/Thunder/GS/Rockets) are ahead of the curve in using advanced metrics and cameras and other teams including the Celtics are working to catch up.
Interesting read on SI/CNN that highlights Spurs as a team ahead of the curve in looking at advanced statst (did not clip entire article but here are some interesting points):
Think about how cool (and overwhelming) it would be to able to answer almost any question you could imagine about the NBA. If you could find out, for instance, Kevin Durant’s shooting percentage from the left baseline on shots he takes after dribbling the ball with his left hand at least twice.
We’re getting there, as was made clear during a presentation by Sandy Weil today at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Weil charted a whole bunch of stuff based on data generated from high-tech cameras, with three-dimensional capabilities, a company called STATS, LLC has installed at a handful of NBA arenas this season. The cameras capture an image 25 times per second and record every event on the court and the location of all the key elements involved — the 10 players, the ball, the referees, etc.
The potential is enormous. A few key bullet points before I get into the meat of the findings:
• Weil’s data was based on cameras installed at three arenas, but Brian Kopp, a vice-president at STATS, told me the cameras are currently in place at five arenas — San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Golden State.
San Antonio players, for instance, shoot 60 percent after receiving passes from Tim Duncan. That’s a very high number, Kopp said, and it’s not entirely unexpected, given how much attention Duncan still draws in the post and on pick-and-rolls. But it’s a higher number than the comparable figure for most point guards....
The bulk of Weil’s work focused on how field-goal percentage changes when shooters are guarded closely. Not surprisingly, field-goal percentage drops the closer the primary defender gets to the shooter, and it drops even more the closer a second defender gets to the shooter. Overall, tight defense drops shooting percentage by about 12 percentage points. That’s huge. A tightly contested layup produces about the same amount of points per shot attempt as a wide-open 19-footer, Weil said.
• The other finding that has major implications for your favorite team: Catch-and-shoot attempts are much more efficient than other types of shots when you control for distance and the presence of a defender. A player’s shooting percentage jumps significantly when the last thing he does before the a shot is the act of catching a pass — and not the act of dribbling.
But if you catch a pass and hold the ball for about 2.25 seconds, whatever advantage you gained from catching the pass disappears. This makes sense, since holding the ball gives your defender a chance to catch up to you and prepare to defend your next move.
San Antonio (and Mavs/Thunder/GS/Rockets) are ahead of the curve in using advanced metrics and cameras and other teams including the Celtics are working to catch up.