SSAC14: Basketball Analytics

Increasingly, GMs and coaches are employing advanced metrics and statistical techniques for scouting, drafting, trades, free agent
acquisition and in-game strategy. Basketball analytics, utilized both on and off-court, bring teams marginal gains that in aggregate translate to competitive advantages. This panel, featuring NBA front-office staff, coaches and analysts, will explore a variety of crucial topics in the field. Where have we seen the biggest impact of analytics in the last 12 months? What are the emerging statistical tools gaining momentum? How does management measure the success of these approaches? What has been the effect of having player-tracking cameras in every arena? And what are the expectations and emerging trends for basketball analytics in the future?

[loosie.goosie]

It’s interesting that all of the top 10 most winning coaches in NBA history are former athletes. Gregg Popovich is the only one who isn’t an ex-NBA player, he started coaching at a young age but did play all through high school and college. That’s some analytics.

[bobbylight]

When most people say "watch the games, " it's an argumentative trick to avoid having to engage with the data. When SVG says it, you have to listen. Except for his "what the hell is this junk good for" moment when discussing the player distance data, his examples are always on point. Definitely the smartest "data skeptic" out there.

[MikeLoveThyself]

Looking back at this it was a lot of foreshadowing, great segment

[yoe]

I can imagine Steve Kerr at the time thought this had lots of potential and would want to study it further, but later became hcoach in GS and probably only operated in basic modern basketball strategy: create some spacing for the shooters, rebound, defend the perimeter...and realized if you have a shitload of talent, that's what actually wins games and titles.

[earlq.kinney]

toronto won last year with massive size great defense and a superstar player. they also had great depth. they were also an old veteran team. wow such new innovative ideas. if they place the 3 point line at reasonable makeable distance for enough players of course you shoot it.

[armin]

You can hate on minutes restriction as much as you want but keep in mind that probably the best coach of all times Greg Popovich always rests his guys trough out the season. In my opinion 82 games regular season is way to long so in order to reach peak team performance when it matters the most in the playoffs, then you have to rest some of the starters during the season so they don't get fatigued to much and also it gives you the oportunity to get your bench ready and let those guys get some real playing time so you can count on them in the playoffs also and depth is what every championship team has.

And yes Tibs does win a lot of games but he also plays his guys to much. Take a look at his team from Chicago. Noah can't play anymore. Deng can't play anymore. Rose can't play anymore ( that first injury happend while the game was decided and he should've been on the bench ) And it seems like Carlos Boozer was also done a bit to early in his career. Now in Minesotta the last time I cheked Wiggins, Towns, Butler and Gibson were top 10 in minutes played. Butler right now is injured again is only a matter of time before the same things start happening to Wiggins and Towns. You just can't abuse your guys with to many minutes and you just have to figure out a way to get a solid bench so you don't get crushed once the starters are out. Is simple as that. It doesn't really favor your team in the long run and all those minutes will also have a price at the end of the games and players won't be able to execute as good.

[aquamarine]

Funny that Paul George's mileage is being referenced in the context of the injury conversation, three months before his (and the Pacers') 2015 title hopes came to a screeching halt.

[robwilson]

Dkouts57 wrote "it was a bet i would have made with anyone about Miami and how poor of a rebounding team they were"

"they won the finals in 2013 while being LAST in rebounding"

It goes to show that if you have a franchise player like Lebron on the team, it makes a big difference to the bottom line. I'm sure Cleveland will have some similar stats by the end of the 2014-2015 season as well.

[deandrepage]

Crazy like a fox, Stan has all of the power in Detroit. People at this convention rolled their eyes when he spoke. SVG got the last laugh.

[michaelweber]

SVG that is why you design your roster for those things.

[pierrecausemybladdersempty]

Analytics is basic statistics, math. The only place they have in the game is for scouting reports on what players like to do, do well, and don't do well, that's it. If you build a team on analytics, you're not smart

[earlq.kinney]

the analytics push had and has great potential but right now it's too focused on just the shooting and shooting percentage part of the game. one day they will use it on more things and better but that will take time.
the analytics push in the media was really a way of allowing this group of stats based people to get a place at the table in the money/power spots in the industry. just look at who is having this seminar and where it is.

[SeecretWeapon]

29:55 how the fuck would you know exactly how much force someone has put on a knee??

[terencewinters]

Listen to Yogi at the same time you listen to the computer jockeys.

[wil]

Zach Lowe - Rick Pitino taught us that 3s and shots around the rim was the way to play 30 years ago.  "Analytics" gets 0 credit for that.  It's not a revelation.  I really appreciate analytics - it's the business I work in, but if you boil it down to that, you're really missing the benefit.  

[SeecretWeapon]

5:32 it was a bet i would have made with anyone about Miami and how poor of a rebounding team they were

they won the finals in 2013 while being LAST in rebounding 

i think no team had ever done that. 
I had to look back to the Knicks championship teams of the 70s to see a team that low ranked in rebounds 

The game Steve Kerr  is referencing is 

but if you look 
the Knicks shot 4-23 from 3pt
overall 
the Knicks shot 
31-83 = 37.3%

the Heat shot 
45-74 = 60.8%


the Knicks would have had to get 30 offensive rebounds to win that game

can't look at one stat and say "analytics" in other areas changed the fact they got out rebounded by ONE total rebound
and by 11 on the offensive glass



you shoot 37% and another team shoots 60

you better be +10 on the offensive glass and +10 in turnovers to even be within 10pts let alone have a chance to win

[alexrobinson]

only derrick rose has gotten injured as frequent as derrick rose (28, 8 years in the league); remember the last time lebron (32, 14 years in the league) got injured lmao

[SeecretWeapon]

33:40
Travel, equipment, training, diets, rest, medicine
ALL EASIER

instead you have guys "resting" 

the year Ron Jeremy is talking about of the 24 all stars 14 of them played 80+ games
in 2014
7 of the 24 all stars played 80+ games 

[razkable]

how to win in the nba playoffs....have stars....play defense...limit mistakes...stats are useless....jocks>geeks...you need guys who can play period....nerds cant make shots....they can just go tell you where to shoot from....not actually make shots

[terrencehurt]

Damn it’s sad that math geeks using numbers over human talent and owners are buying in